Off Grid Homes and Cabins
The ultimate escape. A home surrounded by nature that is completely independent and off grid. It’s a dream that many of us have had. But getting power lines out to your dream home can be a wakeup call. Here we will discuss everything you need to know about powering your off-grid escape.
It’s not uncommon for utility power companies to charge upwards of $50,000 to run power lines out to a home in a remote area. And that is just so they can charge you every month for the power supplied as well. But what if for close to the same price, you could generate your own power? Let’s dig in.
A ballpark estimate for a solar + battery + backup generator system for an off-grid home or cabin will be near $50,000 before tax credits and incentives. After tax credits (if they don’t get repealed) could be closer to $35,000. There are ways to further reduce your costs as well.
First you want to estimate how many kWh you will need monthly/annually. We can help you determine this number by asking you things like:
How many people will live there? How will the home be heated and cooled? What is the size of the home? Any other large energy consumption devices like a hot tub or workshop?
Once you have the estimated number of kWh, now you can start getting quotes. Another thing you will want to make sure of is that there is proper clearing. Too many trees shading the home throughout the day and that could be a dealbreaker. Also, make sure you can tell your solar professional what type of roof you have and the age (shingle, metal, slate, etc).
If the home will use very little power, (500 kwh or less per month) it’s possible you could bring your costs down to $25,000 - $30,000 before tax credits. If this price is still out of range, you would need to source materials and install the system yourself. In this case, we could assist in sourcing and advising, but the system would ultimately be your responsibility.
We can assist you for any of the above situations, so whether you’d like a system installed by professionals or you want to give it a go yourself, feel free to reach out to our team.