The "ultimate" chp controller!

[SteveU.]

Fordguy64 your development plan is reasonable, sensible, and DOable.
What I do here on the home tree-farm too. The house is kept on-grid "hers". Then you can really craft out step by step as you can afford (and convince) energy use savings change-outs.
Out-of-the-house I off-grid. Then "they"; the powers-that-be (includes the wife) cannot say yeah, or nay.
Gasoline/diesel/propane generate for your out-buildings off-gridding to supplement your PV solar. That really makes you energy use conscious. That really motivates you to craft less expensive DYI make power and heat options. Outbuildings get cold and damp.
The on-grid house can be your cord-out, back up "needs-must" successes/try-harder measuring stick. Wanna' metals weld takes lots of power or fuel!
Your off grid-outbuilding self-made powers capabilities, be the house back-up in events commanded power outages.
Believe me she will not protest cording in to her hair drier, coffee pot, baby bottle warmer, the refrigerator, a few hundred watts of LED lighting and such!! And be asking for MORE power. Sneaky way to get some loosening in the development budgets, man.
Voice of experiences.
tree-farmer Steve unruh