One of the appeals of living off-grid is a reduction in bills. Having a home on land that isn’t connected to typical utilities such as gas, electricity, and water gives you control over what you use, how you use it, and how much you invest in appropriate infrastructure.
But that doesn’t mean that the occasional hefty bill doesn’t creep up on you, as one Redditor found out.
They took to the social media platform to ask the r/OffGrid community for advice after their insurance provider quadrupled the cost of their premium.
“We’ve been trying several other options … but so far we’ve either been turned down or made nearly impossible. The process feels incredibly random and arbitrary,” they said. “Does anyone know a Canadian Off-Grid friendly insurer who is not asking for an $8,000 policy?”
Unfortunately, it isn’t the only example of insurance prices soaring for those living on the same island in British Columbia’s West Coast Gulf Islands.
“I talked to my friend who lives here full time,” one user replied. “He said that his insurance has gone up 3 fold this year. He was told that the prices have gone up for every cabin that is using a wood stove for primary heat.”
Concerns about fire hazards seem to be overblown, though, as the original poster explained.
“We actually have a fire department and (18) 6000 ltr water caches with fully equipped pumps all over the island,” they noted. “A fire truck with fully equipped fire hall 1 km away. Still got turned down. The industry is running very scared and very confused dealing with climate change situations like the heat bomb here in summer.”
And there is the kicker: The changing climate appears to be affecting even those who live off-grid when it comes to insurance.
Folks in California and Florida have had similar difficulty accessing insurance — either through high costs or availability — because of an increased risk of extreme weather conditions, particularly wildfires and hurricane damage, respectively.
Global temperatures are creeping up due to human-caused pollution, and even those living sustainably off-grid are feeling the pinch.
While living off-grid isn’t practical for everyone who is keen to reduce their personal production of pollution, you can still access the technology that makes this kind of living possible. Installing solar panels to produce clean, free electricity can reduce your reliance on power provided by utility companies, which still heavily generate their energy from dirty fuels.
You can also harvest rainwater to use in your garden to reduce the amount of water you access from your taps, helping to cut water bills.
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