Off-grid properties give buyers freedom to live lightly - The Globe and Mail

2022-05-28 13:48:39 By : Mr. Alex Wu

The idea of living off the electrical grid is increasing in popularity, appealing to individuals and families who crave a more self-sufficient, sustainable lifestyle.

The pandemic had many Canadians thinking about leaving crowded cities for a more open-air way of life. Add rising energy costs and expanding environmental awareness into the mix, and an off-grid home is a viable option for buyers who want to save money and get closer to nature.

Cloudy days could definitely make fuelling a gas generator pricey, but, when you factor in the proximity to firewood, and how solar panels are becoming less expensive, the savings can be considerable.

Whatever the motivation, off-grid properties offer buyers the space and freedom to live lightly, and differently.

Here are four off-grid homes for sale across Canada:

On the Market; Off grid homes: 188 Midday Valley Rd.,Merritt, British Columbia Julia Smith/Julia Smith

On the Market; Off grid homes: 188 Midday Valley Rd.,Merritt, British Columbia Julia Smith/Julia Smith

On the Market; Off grid homes: 188 Midday Valley Rd.,Merritt, British Columbia Julia Smith/Julia Smith

On the Market; Off grid homes: 188 Midday Valley Rd.,Merritt, British Columbia Julia Smith/Julia Smith

On the Market; Off grid homes: 31071 Range Road 242A, Rural Cardston County, Alberta. Century 21 Foothills South Real Estate

On the Market; Off grid homes: 31071 Range Road 242A, Rural Cardston County, Alberta. Century 21 Foothills South Real Estate

On the Market; Off grid homes: 31071 Range Road 242A, Rural Cardston County, Alberta. Century 21 Foothills South Real Estate

On the Market; Off grid homes: 31071 Range Road 242A, Rural Cardston County, Alberta. Century 21 Foothills South Real Estate

On the Market; Off grid homes: 31071 Range Road 242A, Rural Cardston County, Alberta. Century 21 Foothills South Real Estate

On the Market; Off grid homes: Lot #50610 Albert Lake, TLH Highway, Wabush, Newfoundland & Labrador. Beryl Russell/Beryl Russell

On the Market; Off grid homes: Lot #50610 Albert Lake, TLH Highway, Wabush, Newfoundland & Labrador. Beryl Russell/Beryl Russell

On the Market; Off grid homes: Lot #50610 Albert Lake, TLH Highway, Wabush, Newfoundland & Labrador. Beryl Russell/Beryl Russell

On the Market; Off grid homes: Lot #50610 Albert Lake, TLH Highway, Wabush, Newfoundland & Labrador. Beryl Russell/Beryl Russell

On the Market; Off grid homes: 316591 6 Highway Chatsworth (Twp), Ontario Eric Robertson/Grey County Real Estate Inc.

On the Market; Off grid homes: 316591 6 Highway Chatsworth (Twp), Ontario Eric Robertson/Grey County Real Estate Inc.

On the Market; Off grid homes: 316591 6 Highway Chatsworth (Twp), Ontario Eric Robertson/Grey County Real Estate Inc.

On the Market; Off grid homes: 316591 6 Highway Chatsworth (Twp), Ontario Eric Robertson/Grey County Real Estate Inc.

Located 15 minutes outside Merritt, B.C., this home on 188 Midday Valley Rd. sits on 21 acres of property and checks off all the boxes of off-grid living: it’s solar-powered; there’s an abundance of wood for heat; an on-site well and it doesn’t have a postal code.

As remote as it sounds, there’s high-speed internet and appliances, including a dishwasher, fridge and stove. And, according to the homeowner, the off-grid way of life requires some adjustments, but it’s surprisingly more comfortable than one might think.

“You need to understand the system, it’s a bit of a learning curve, but it’s quite accessible for most people.” says Julia Smith, adding that off-grid technologies such as solar panels have improved and come down in price recently.

A working farm (zoned as an agricultural reserve), the property includes two buildings: There’s a 1,200-square-foot suite with two rooms above the barn, and a 1,330-square-foot main home with two bedrooms, a four-piece bathroom, kitchen, living room and games room.

The property, listed at $1,675,000, is surrounded by Crown lands, with lots of hunting and fishing nearby as well as mountain bike and horseback riding trails.

Century 21 Foothills South Real Estate

This bungalow-style home on 31071 Range Road 242A was built less than a decade ago.

Located 15 minutes from Cardston Country, less than an hour from Lethbridge, Alta., the family home is listed $549,900.

Offering 3,100 square feet, with nine-foot ceilings, this house has five bedrooms, two full bathrooms and reclaimed barn wood in the kitchen. There’s also a washer, dryer, refrigerator, stove, microwave and freezer.

The property has a propane-powered, forced-air furnace, three wood-burning fireplaces and uses passive solar technology, where sunlight is used to keep the home warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Sitting on less than four acres, with chickens and rabbits, Anne French, a real estate agent with Century 21 Foothills South Real Estate, says the property “allows for a sort of rustic, rural lifestyle.”

There are also out-buildings on the land, including a solar-powered cabin and a greenhouse.

Lot #50610 Albert Lake, Trans-Labrador Highway

Built in 2014, Lot #50610 Albert Lake is a 1,440-square-foot log home, minutes from Labrador City.

The property, listed at listed at $395,000, sits on 1.3 acres. There are two bedrooms, one bathroom, a front patio with a view of Albert Lake, hardwood floors and a full kitchen, complete with dishwasher.

The home currently runs on a 7,000-watt inverter generator and would need solar, or wind power installed, if the new owners wish to make it a year-round home.

Century 21 realtor Beryl Russell, who lives off-grid herself, says of the lifestyle: “It’s almost like getting back to years ago when there was more of simpler life.”

Known as the “Big Land,” the expansive area has moose, black bears, foxes, wolves and rabbit.

“It’s very rugged, very beautiful … the fishing, the hunting. Everything is so good here, so you got be a nature lover.”

Eric Robertson/Grey County Real Estate Inc.

This off-grid bungalow on 316591 6 Highway has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, a well and septic system.

The home is 1,400 square feet, priced at $1,200,000 and sits on a 10-acre lot.

“The house is designed to use very little energy to live,” says homeowner Vitold Kreutzer, who had the open-concept, fully wheelchair accessible home built in 2013 with renewable energy in mind.

In terms of energy costs, Mr. Kreutzer says he spent roughly $450 last year to heat air, water and food in his home, located in Grey County, near Owen Sound.

Mr. Kreutzer says the green technology his home is constructed with basically allows the “house to think for itself” by moderating the temperature.

“I can leave my house for three months in the winter and it will never freeze and I don’t need an air conditioner because I have air coming into my house through my air geothermal system,” he says.

The air circulation system, he adds, keeps the temperature of his home around 12.5 C all year round.

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