Pepperbox Studio Makes Music Using Renewable Energy

Songwriter Kristina Stykos is making music in a unique way. Stykos is the owner, engineer and producer of a music recording studio located in rural Vermont.

The Pepperbox Studio is not your run-of-the-mill recording studio. Unlike traditional recording studios, Pepperbox Studio relies on alternative energy to record music. The off-the-grid studio, located on the top floor of the Stykos home, sits at the end of a dirt road about five miles from Chelsea and is nestled between pastures and the beautiful Green Mountains.

Because the family’s nearest electrical pole is about a mile away from their home, energy consumption and conservation has always been a consideration. With no access to the power line, the home was already equipped with a small wind turbine and a few solar panels when the family moved into the home in 2000. Additional solar panels were added over the years for a total photovoltaic capacity of 1.7 kilowatts.

The Pepperbox Studio was set up in 2004. Electronic equipment, connected to power strips, is turned off when not in use. And if recording sessions run long, no worries, Stykos just powers up the propane generator.

In an online interview, Stykos said her family heats their home with a wood-fired boiler located outside. The boiler heats the house by heating the water which is piped into recycled radiators. After renovating the house, older windows were replaced with thermal pane windows and walls were re-insulated with ecological foam insulation. The family uses a low-voltage refrigerator, a low energy/water automatic dishwasher and low voltage water pump. And with no clothes dryer in sight, clothing is hung to dry.

Stykos’s husband, Michael Millard, set up a portion of his Froggy Bottom Guitars business in a workshop he built at the home in 2008. A 1.6 kilowatt bank of solar panels and a 10.5 kilowatt propane generator powers his energy needs.

While off-the-grid living provides numerous benefits, the Stykos family has had to contend with various issues over the years. One time the wind turbine blew off its welded mount during a storm, crashing in the woods. Stykos also recalls the time a generator was not vented properly and the house filled with carbon monixide.  But like most homes, general maintenance and upkeep is required. After all, equipment breaks down and eventually wears out and generators and batteries need to be replaced.  A maintenance schedule is required between the Stykos family and solar/wind contractors, electricians, plumbers and generator repair personnel.

Stykos’s future plans include taking her music on the road and recording at live concerts. She also hopes to inspire young people to record on their own by using a computer and a few simple tools.

Image courtesy of Kristina Stykos