Living "off the grid" is the talk of the town these days.

The green movement is fast gaining momentum in South Africa with no signs of slowing down and is increasingly influencing how we live, travel and build our homes. The question now is whether greening my current home or moving totally “off the grid” will increase my property value?

The term “off the grid” tends to represent the extreme when it comes to green living such as harnessing wind and solar power, harvesting rain water and using a full recycling or grey water system.

This more extreme type of sustainable living would go so far as to actually feed power back to the suburb or city’s electrical grid. Everything in and around the home would be self-sustaining, including possibly cultivating your own greens and veggies.

The home itself would often be made out of recycled materials and feature plenty of natural materials such as timber and stone.

This extreme form of living “off the grid” can be costly and is not always easily attainable.

While the greening trend is definitely on the up in South Africa, most homes are still just at the energy and water saving levels. For the eco-conscious homeowner, this means lower energy use through energy efficient lighting and appliances.

The same with heating, solar panels are increasingly making their appearance on roofs nationwide. This means that you can heat your water for household use and, if you have a swimming pool, you can heat it so that you can swim almost year round.

Next comes water usage, especially in a relatively dry country such as South Africa. Here, it starts with quality taps and keeping them in a good non-dripping state, showering rather than bathing and so on. The next step is to harvest rainwater by installing tanks and this together with a recycling of used water in the home can be used for a wide range of cleaning, watering your garden and washing your car.

Aside from being a responsible citizen, these measure also save money in the long run. So, it stands to reason that it will increase the value of your home, provided the job is done tastefully. Nobody will buy a house made out of old coke bottles, so be sure to do your homework before you start your DIY greening projects.

Often greening measures can be quite costly, so you should shop around and compare prices. Be sure to always make use of a professional with contactable references as you do not want just anyone working with your plumbing and electricity.

Be sure to also check what value these measures will add to your property. Remember that potential buyers may not be quite as keen as you to spend thousands extra on a home to compensate for certain greening features.