Methods for Making a House Energy and Water Efficient

You need to describe the standard of living that you expect to maintain (comfort levels and devices utilised) for this to make sense.

Our old house had no electircal supply, in fact the first electrical device installed was the telephone. We used wood heaters and stoves. Personal comfort was achieved using "clothes" appropriate to the particular day or night conditions.

If you're at the stage of design, the first and best strategy is to design the building to manage the energy that is available. Summer sunlight exclusion with winter sunlight access, ambient wind and good insulation. The minimises the total amount of energy required wether that be from electrical or other sources.

Hot water from solar units is a strong "should have", but depending on your longitude you will need to determine whether vacuum collectors or "black panel" is optimum.

If you are fortunate enough to be near permanent running water, then a small hydro system would be my choice, as the sun doesn't shine 24/7 and the wind doesn't always blow.

The reality is that you should be grid connected whatever choice you make. This means that when you need more than you can generate, it's there ready for use. (You also don't need to buy, maintain, store and replace batteries as an ongoing activity.) (This also gives you "round the clock" capability.)

You mention "very economical". This is a challenge. I have yet to see a system that can self justify the expense for personal instalation, even with significant government subsidies. By this, I mean that if I'd bought a system in the past, then the cost of that system less the money that system would have saved me since purchase is still greater than the price that an equivalent system would now sell for. And that's without calculating interst if I'd borrowed the funds.

It's only now starting to get close.