Off-Grid home near Lethbridge

[avb3]

Interesting how effective passive solar, active solar and other technologies has come together with virtually no assistance of other fuel sources, other than propane for cooking.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/david-d...cahpmg00000004

All of this with existing technology. Imagine what happens when the technology advances.

[Mugs29]

Another interesting type of house is one built with old tires. Back in the 90s it was much cheaper because tire shops were more than happy to give you all the tire for free. Now that we can recycle tires you have to pay a bit for used tires.

[mich]

Originally Posted by avb3

Interesting how effective passive solar, active solar and other technologies has come together with virtually no assistance of other fuel sources, other than propane for cooking.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/david-d...cahpmg00000004

All of this with existing technology. Imagine what happens when the technology advances.

Rainbow and dreams......... A balmy 14 degrees.....hahahaha.....ran out of power....

Propane for cooking???? What about the line "for back up on demand water heater"?? You missed that.....

They spend 100s of thousands to be "off the grid" money that could have run their home for their lifetime. I respect what they are doing but your ndp math isn't reality for most

[albertadeer]

Originally Posted by mich

Rainbow and dreams......... A balmy 14 degrees.....hahahaha.....ran out of power....

Propane for cooking???? What about the line "for back up on demand water heater"?? You missed that.....

They spend 100s of thousands to be "off the grid" money that could have run their home for their lifetime. I respect what they are doing but your ndp math isn't reality for most

There's a few off the grid farms around. They aren't paying back they're investments for a lifetime.... They've been around for a few years and do very well.

Better to be proactive than a total C-word... "Conservative"

[Dona]

Off grid Homes may work well however ... everybody moves, try and Sell one! I have neighbours both with Homes off grid one for 1.4 million one for $345 both have for sale for well over a year. They will never get their money back.

[huntsfurfish]

Good for them! Somebody has to be first and lead. The rest are losers. lol

[ak-71]

People lived in off-grid dwellings for thousands of years, some in climates much more extreme than Southern Alberta, igloo comes to mind, so it's not a point. One can live in one even now, it's just no as comfortable as we are used live today, or, probably, more expensive. One has to be driven by his own cause, or made by special interest groups to make a transition.
Once these houses become just as comfortable as the ones "on-the grid", cheaper to build and maintain (without artificially handicapping traditional energy), and as reliable - people will just start building them without the whole "we all are going to die" mantra.
Till then it will be enough hysteria around us to make some insignificant changes, by making all of us to pay for it (carbon tax, CO2 sequestration projects and so on). World just doesn't have spare wealth to subsidize large changes. By the way I think that's how alarmists actually like it - after all some make a living out of it.

[the.tru.albertan]

Completely unreliable.

And they use propane......

[Bourbon Outdoorsman]

My dad's buddy lives off the grid, said it took 15Years to break even after spending ao much on the panels and the batteries.

[dmcbride]

Originally Posted by albertadeer

There's a few off the grid farms around. They aren't paying back they're investments for a lifetime.... They've been around for a few years and do very well.

Better to be proactive than a total C-word... "Conservative"

So you are saying one can have an off grid home with the same standard of living and it doesn't take a lifetime to pay back? Ya sure, and people wonder why the term "NDP math is hard" is used.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by Chief_Pounderhard

My dad's buddy lives off the grid, said it took 15Years to break even after spending ao much on the panels and the batteries.

Both solar panels and batteries are getting more efficient and much cheaper. Average mortgage is 25 years, so if it only took 15 years to break even, he must be money ahead by now.

Did that include just the capital cost, or were the costs of power/heating that were saved calculated?

There is no question these homes are on the leading or perhaps bleeding edge, but then so were electric fridges at one point. I for one am glad we can learn from other's willingness to put it out there.

[CanuckShooter]

Originally Posted by Dona

Off grid Homes may work well however ... everybody moves, try and Sell one! I have neighbours both with Homes off grid one for 1.4 million one for $345 both have for sale for well over a year. They will never get their money back.

Links??

[ak77]

Originally Posted by avb3

Both solar panels and batteries are getting more efficient and much cheaper. Average mortgage is 25 years, so if it only took 15 years to break even, he must be money ahead by now.

Did that include just the capital cost, or were the costs of power/heating that were saved calculated?

There is no question these homes are on the leading or perhaps bleeding edge, but then so were electric fridges at one point. I for one am glad we can learn from other's willingness to put it out there.

I am pretty sure the "average mortgage ... 25 years" is still applicable on the "off-grid" house. And it takes another 15 years to recoup initial investment of taking typical house off the grid. I haven't done the math, but I think if I had so much disposable income I'd try to pay off my house first, then think about taking it off the grid. As everyone said, price on green technology is still years if not decades of bottoming out. I'd rather pay my house off now while waiting for better cheaper more efficient batteries instead of dragging my mortgage for 25 years and having end up with outdated technology on top of it. I would like to talk to first owners of Priuses and other "electric" and "hybrid" cars. Did their investment pay off? Was the TCO lower compared to regular gas burning vehicles?

I've noticed the increase of articles about off-grid houses. All talk about "0" efficiency and whatnot, nobody brings up the costs of doing so. Is it the weak spot of the system, that nobody wants to mention it?

Another moment I am curios... Do they hook up to the grid for the back-up? If so, do they still pay all taxes and fees associated with being connected to the grid (even though they don't use it)?

[Mistagin]

Good article avb, thanks for posting.

I still plan to build our 4 season retirement 'cabin / home' off-grid back east if possible (if I can ever sell our home here ). It, as I've designed it, will use a combination of 'passive' solar, solar for electricity, solar hot water, perhaps I'll play with a small wind turbine, and back-up systems. I've been doing a lot of research into it and it is perfectly doable. Yes, there will have to be some adjustments made to lifestyle, but isn't that the point of 'going green' - to cut down on how much energy we waste!

And yes, there does need to be back up systems in place - for example a genset for producing electricity if needed, as well as propane or some other heat source. But as the article says, those folks don't use a lot of propane.

Also gotta keep in mind that 15 year old technology isn't comparable to what is available today. Big difference already, and getting better by leaps and bounds. I've got a friend in the solar business (he's well-connected with Tesla) and he informs me he can't even keep up with some of the changes and improvements 'in the pipe'. And as things improve, costs continue to go down.

For the place we hope to build on an unserviced acreage it could cost $25,000.00 - $40,000.00 just to bring in grid-tied electrical service. That alone pretty much pays for the solar off-grid package up front - with no monthly bills to the utility company.

Solar costs going down all the time, whereas utility company costs keep on going up - and escalating. For a rural property it's almost a 'no-brainer' - especially on a new place!

[Domestique]

Off grid houses do not work so well above the 49th parallel

[Shepard..]

Originally Posted by avb3

Interesting how effective passive solar, active solar and other technologies has come together with virtually no assistance of other fuel sources, other than propane for cooking.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/david-d...cahpmg00000004

All of this with existing technology. Imagine what happens when the technology advances.

TPTB will never let it happen..it threatens there way of corruption!

[fishtank]

first world problems...

[Talking moose]

it might not save you any money(you may even lose money) but it's a great way to say "screw you" to gov't and big business.

[mich]

Originally Posted by albertadeer

There's a few off the grid farms around. They aren't paying back they're investments for a lifetime.... They've been around for a few years and do very well.

Better to be proactive than a total C-word... "Conservative"

Been there, tried that......financially it does not work. Unless you use ndp math

[ak-71]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

it might not save you any money(you may even lose money) but it's a great way to say "screw you" to gov't and big business.

Only if go DIY on all of the hardware, like, solar panels

[Matt L.]

If all innovators were like you guys we'd still be in mud huts and caves. Just sayin.

[ak-71]

Originally Posted by Matt L.

If all innovators were like you guys we'd still be in mud huts and caves. Just sayin.

Nope, actually both mud huts and caves were "off the grid".

[Purple Farmer]

Originally Posted by Matt L.

If all innovators were like you guys we'd still be in mud huts and caves. Just sayin.

Your not one of those fancy guys living in an old granary are you

[winged1]

Originally Posted by ak77

.. if I had so much disposable income I'd try to pay off my house first, then think about taking it off the grid. As everyone said, price on green technology is still years if not decades of bottoming out. ...

You'd loose before you began. Energy efficiency is built first upon a passive platform. Active can be added as investment returns warrant, or not. If your home doesn't incorporate passive, you have nothing to gain.

Originally Posted by mich

I respect what they are doing but your ndp math isn't reality for most

I'm missing the intelligence in this comment. Production homes have nothing to do with efficiency, yet most seem happy to consume them.

[Matt L.]

Originally Posted by Purple Farmer

Your not one of those fancy guys living in an old granary are you

Nope, I live in an apartment actually. Just saying that almost everything we use today was once an innovation that was mocked.

[albertadeer]

Originally Posted by mich

Been there, tried that......financially it does not work. Unless you use ndp math

Hahahahahahaha.... Ya ok...