Lowtech Graph lists low-tech options for every need of a home. Here you can compare them, find tutorials to build them, and link them together into a circular system. Why low-tech?
Mains gas
Passive
One of 3 ways to meet this need. Cost, carbon, footprint and rankings are relative to other solutions for the same need, not absolute.
What your site needs
A gas distribution main reaching the property (much of rural Normandy is not served)
Natural gas delivered continuously by pipe, burned for cooking or heating. There is nothing to store, order or carry. But it is a fossil fuel, and the household depends on the network and the price of gas.
Build it
This solution is not buildable as a DIY project.
Cost
Medium
Upkeep
None
Skill to build
Specialist
Lifespan
Connection and buried service pipe: 40+ years; the meter and any regulator are replaced by the operator on its own cycle
Embodied carbon
High
Space / material use
Low
Output timing
On-demand/controllable
Skill to repair
Specialist
Regulation (FR example)
Connection is arranged with the network operator; the internal installation must be certified before commissioning, and periodic inspection of the domestic installation is required. Many rural communes have no gas main at all.
Levels are relative to the other options for this need, not absolute. Fewer dots is lighter.
Mains gas (This page) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: Specialist · Upkeep: None · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if the gas mains reaches you and you want fuel with nothing to store, order or carry.
Dry, ventilated firewood storage Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Occasional · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you heat or cook with wood and want it dry and ready.
Bulk propane or heating-oil storage tank Can I use it? Not in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Occasional · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you are off the gas mains and want dense fuel on demand, with no splitting or drying.
Sources
French gas distribution connection practice (GRDF network connection and metering)
Limitations of this page
We don’t list sizing or quantities, as the yield of each technique depends on the quality of its build. The catalogue compares options but doesn’t dimension them. Regulatory notes are indicative, with a French example, and need to be confirmed locally.