Tiny house, big power: How solar changed this couple’s life

When Paul and Annette traded their city apartment for a tiny house on farmland in Australia, they weren’t just downsizing—they were reimagining their day-to-day lives. They wanted a home powered entirely by renewable energy, and without a roof of their own to put panels on before as renters, they knew their next one had to make self-sufficiency and energy independence possible.

“Instead of getting a mortgage, we just built a tiny house and went off-grid,” Paul explains in an episode of Bryce Langston’s Living Big in a Tiny House YouTube series that’s been viewed more than two million times.

“We haven’t looked back. We love it.”

Tiny houses take up a fraction of the space of a traditional home, but they still need lighting, heating, cooling, and power for other appliances. Whether stationary or on wheels, these small but mighty dwellings can benefit from solar just like their full-size counterparts. With a modest system and some strategic planning, tiny house owners can reduce their electric bills, increase their energy independence, and sometimes even leave the grid behind entirely.

The benefits of installing solar panels on a tiny house are the same as those for any home: Lower electricity bills, environmental benefits, and more control over your own power supply. Solar can also add resale value to a tiny house—prospective buyers often see built-in renewable energy as a major bonus, knowing it will keep their electric bills low or completely eliminated.

These advantages are amplified for mobile tiny homes. If you have or are planning to build a tiny house on wheels, solar power will give you peace of mind: You won't have to waste time finding power sources wherever you go, or have to base where you travel on where there are available charging stations. With solar, you’ll have a guaranteed source of electricity, no matter where you are.

“We’ve noticed more people gain financial independence through lower living costs and the ability to generate their own power using solar,”  a spokesperson for Tiny Solar Homes in Australia, told EnergySage. “[People are] seeking a more sustainable way of living and the freedom that comes with moveable tiny homes, as solar allows people to live comfortably off-grid.”

In general, tiny houses use much less electricity than the average home. But every tiny house is different, and how much electricity you use to power your tiny home will depend on its size, how many people live in it, the appliances you use, and more. You'll want to generate as much of your overall electricity needs as possible to maximize your savings. This may mean only installing five solar panels or as many as 15 of them.

As for Paul and Annette, less than 2 kilowatts of rooftop solar power proved sufficient for their needs.

“It’s six panels for a total of 1.86 kilowatts. We‘re storing that into some deep cycle batteries—20 kilowatt-hours—and that’s then running a four-kilowatt inverter for your standard off-the-shelf appliances,” Paul told Bryce. 

If you’re unsure how much electricity your tiny house will use, the Department of Energy's Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use Calculator can help you estimate based on your planned appliances and usage habits.

Should you install a rooftop or ground-mounted solar energy system?

Before putting solar panels on a tiny house roof, make sure the structure gets plenty of sunlight and can handle the added weight of the panels and racking equipment—not all tiny home roofs are capable of this. If your roof isn’t strong enough for traditional panels, lightweight thin-film panels may be a better fit. Just keep in mind that these flexible panels are typically less efficient. 

Rather than installing rooftop systems, many tiny house owners install solar panels, commonly referred to as ground-mounted solar systems, on the sunny plot of land close to their house. These systems tend to require additional racking and mounting equipment, but you'll have more space on the ground to install them, plus the freedom to place your panels in an optimal position to soak up the most sun and save you the most money.

Alternatively, if your tiny home is near another building—like a main house or barn—you can also install panels on those roofs and share the electricity via extension cords or wired connections—supplying solar power to multiple structures at once can help lower costs.

For very small systems—typically under 3 kilowatts—a do-it-yourself solar panel installation can be the most cost-effective way to go. With pre-packaged solar kits and some technical know-how, many tiny house owners manage to get their systems up and running. Still, if you don’t have solid electrical and roofing experience, it’s usually smart to bring in a licensed electrician for safety and to meet local code requirements.

DIY tiny house content creator Mizzahoff learned this lesson firsthand. With help from a friend, he got his off-grid system running in just one day.

“But unfortunately, a few months after that, the inverter burned out,” he said in a TikTok, illustrating the risks of installing solar panels DIY-style as an amateur.

The culprit? Where he installed it.

“My downfall was that I decided to put [the inverter] in the loft, which was an awful idea in hindsight,” he explained in another video. “Over the summertime, it got completely fried in the loft from overheating, so now I have to buy a new inverter.”

Professional installation is typically the best move for larger systems or setups that require a connection to your local utility. Your solar installer should ensure your system meets all of the necessary permitting requirements, passes inspections, and is installed to last—without any fried inverters along the way.

“Using a professional solar installer ensures an easy setup and guarantees our solar kits' effectiveness,” the Tiny Solar Homes spokesperson said. “With a professional installation, you have someone to rely on when troubleshooting problems.”

Off-grid freedom vs. grid-tied convenience

Going fully off-grid means you’ll need enough battery storage to last through every cloudy day and nighttime hour. While it’s not for everyone, Paul, Annette, and Mizzahoff all chose this route. 

Other tiny house owners prefer the reliability of a grid connection, especially if their home stays in one place. Another advantage of a grid-tied solar panel system is your eligibility for financial incentives like net metering, a program that enables you to send any excess electricity your panels produce back to the grid in exchange for credits on your electric bill. This way, you can still use grid-generated electricity at night or when it’s overcast. 

“It’s a fairly even split, however, we’re seeing more off-grid setups than ever,” Tiny Solar Homes told EnergySage regarding the nature of its clients’ utility relationships. “Our homes are able to run fully off-grid with battery storage, while the rest are grid-connected with solar backup—so owners can enjoy the best of both worlds.”

Whether solar is worth it for your tiny home depends on a few key factors—how much electricity you use, whether you stay in one place or travel often, and whether your roof or land can support a system. For those who value lower bills, energy independence, or the ability to live off-grid, it can be one of your most rewarding lifestyle decisions.

Bryce caught up with Paul and Annette again, seven years after they first moved into their off-grid tiny home. They were still thrilled with their decision—they even added more solar panels to charge their new electric vehicle. 

“We wanted to charge the car with off-grid solar, so adding more [panels] helped us do that,” Paul told Bryce. “It’s free fuel, really.” 

For a growing number of tiny house dwellers, solar power isn’t just a practical upgrade—it’s the foundation of a lifestyle built on independence, sustainability, and the freedom to roam without worrying about the next electric bill.