Facing sky-high connection fees; Ontarians go off the grid

[MikePal]

If your contemplating going off-grid, times sure has changed from when I first looked into it the early 90's.

This sounds much more viable with the change in technology since then and lower initial setup costs.

He was shocked to find out it would cost $80,000.

Hydro One, which distributes electricity for most rural customers in the province, eventually reduced the cost to $25,000. It was still too much, according to Timmermans.

Combined, the system produces eight kilowatt hours — more than enough to run his offices, radio studios, the central air conditioning and the servers that keep his internet customers connected year 'round, he says.

It cost him $23,000.

Powering the transmitters used to cost a small fortune: $6,000 a month, he says.

"Our current rate is about $1,500," he told CBC News.

"With more solar panels that we're installing currently, I hope to bring that bill down closer to zero and we'll basically use Hydro One as a backup. And so what that basically means is savings of $6,000. That's another employee that we're going to hire."

worth a read...sounds encouraging: https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canad...rid/ar-AAPXH70

[oaknut]

My place will be off grid and I'm really looking forward to it.

Will be running nearly 10Kw and we never used that much in the old house so should be good. Will see what next winter brings as it's the highest draw and lowest charge per day.

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[smitty55]

Young couple down the road built their new home off grid trying to be real green with a super insulated home, and solar panels. No hydro on that stretch of the road. 7 years later they have a child and his batteries need replacing at around $7K. Finds he's not getting enough power so they are now running hydro from another road at the back of his property where he has 80ft of frontage. Not sure what his cost is but it's a pile of work just getting the power from across the road through trees and maybe 300 yds worth of poles.

[trimmer21]

Wind and solar power to go "off-grid" as opposed to a diesel generator and wood heat,has anyone ever done a cost comparison? I don't have enough knowledge on the intracacies of "off grid" living except a couple of resorts I've stayed at in northern Ontario that seemed to do very well with the latter.

[werner.reiche]

My sister has an off-grid setup. Solar panels and a backup propane generator. Wood heat.
Seems to work okay. Already paid for itself.

[Gilroy]

Lots of talk about being off grid and relying on mother nature. I am off grid with everything propane and only a generator for pumping up water and heating it. Its OK in the Spring and Summer but I would not want to do it in the fall and winter. Last week I could hardly get a battery charged the sun was weak and lots of clouds.

Wind power would probably be best in combination with solar, but we would have to get access to good batteries with large storage capacity. Mind you with the $100,000 it would cost to get hydro poles, I could probably get a pretty nice set up.

[trimmer21]

Lots of talk about being off grid and relying on mother nature. I am off grid with everything propane and only a generator for pumping up water and heating it. Its OK in the Spring and Summer but I would not want to do it in the fall and winter. Last week I could hardly get a battery charged the sun was weak and lots of clouds.

Wind power would probably be best in combination with solar, but we would have to get access to good batteries with large storage capacity. Mind you with the $100,000 it would cost to get hydro poles, I could probably get a pretty nice set up.

Buried cable rather than poles?

[Gilroy]

Buried cable rather than poles?

Canadian Shield lots of dynamite needed.

[oaknut]

Canadian Shield lots of dynamite needed.

Nah! Just lots of 10Mpa concrete!

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[73hunter]

My sister has an off-grid setup. Solar panels and a backup propane generator. Wood heat.
Seems to work okay. Already paid for itself.

That’s the setup that I always figured might work