Off-grid living ‘not a dream, it’s a nightmare’

Jo Lonsdale and Jane DownsNorth East and Cumbria Studies

BBC Vanessa Corby stands on her doorstep. He wears a brown sweater with a poppy attached to his right shoulder. She has short reddish brown hair and black-rimmed glasses and is smiling at the camera. There is a white wall behind him and a yellow rose bush is growing on it. Over his left shoulder is a green paneled door with a central window. — Vanessa Corby offered £44,000 for mains connection

Around 2,000 households in the UK are thought to be off-grid and have no access to mains electricity. With connections available for up to £478,000, why is it so expensive and why do people stay?

A plate of rocky road biscuits sits on the table in Vanessa Corby’s 19th-century cottage in Northumberland’s Tyne Valley.

“You don’t need to use the oven to make these,” he says.

He is used to playing a juggling game with his tools every day to prevent the generator from overloading for fear of being suddenly plunged into darkness.

“If you factor in how much I had to pay for the system, solar panels, batteries and generator, it cost me around £800 a month,” he says.

Solar panels and generator provide some comforts but Vanessa Corby prefers mains electricity

In the foreground of the image, a frame on the ground holds eight solar panels in two rows of four. It stands on a wide lawn, and in the distance is a wing of the stone hut. The circular tip of a green LPG gas tank can also be seen between the shed and the main building. — Solar panels and generator provide some comforts but Vanessa Corby prefers mains electricity

He was offered £44,000 for a mains electricity connection in 2017 but access issues meant he could not proceed.

“People dream of living off the grid, but it’s a nightmare,” he says.

He wants to stay in the home he loves, but as he gets older, he worries about getting by.

“When the system goes down, I’m the one who fixes it.

“There is no priority service registration for off-grid retirees.”

Doris Englemayer had to go to the garage to collect diesel for her generator

Doris Englemayer is standing behind the car. You see three cans of gasoline in the trunk. He is in his 50s, wears a headband, jacket and dark coat, and smiles. — Doris Englemayer had to go to the garage to collect diesel for her generator

Ms Corby’s house is connected to her neighbor Doris Englemayer’s house via a rail, which requires a 4×4 vehicle and sturdy construction.

Since oil companies don’t deliver to his home, the canisters he uses to collect diesel for his generator are neatly lined up in his garage.

He also worries about the future.

“The previous owners spent decades trying to get grid electricity,” he says.

“I know I could never afford it, but running my off-grid system is pretty intense.”

Anne Hutchinson says she and her neighbors were offered £180,000 for an electricity connection in 2000

Anne Hutchinson, a woman in her 80s, sitting on the sofa. She is smiling and wearing a blue top, with white hair and rosy-cheeked glasses. Behind him is a dresser where books and photographs are displayed. — Anne Hutchinson says she and her neighbors were offered £180,000 for an electricity connection in 2000

Anne Hutchinson also spent decades supplying electricity to her isolated farm near Wark in Northumberland, leaving torches at “strategic locations”.

“I can usually find them in the dark,” the 85-year-old says with a chuckle.

In 2000 he and his neighbors were offered £180,000 for a link.

He’s only had one generator for years, and even though he now has solar panels, he still carefully monitors his energy usage.

“I would love to have an electric fire, but it consumes too much diesel,” he says.

Most off-grid homes are located far from the nearest poles and on protected land, so new lines will need to be buried.

Steve Batey received an estimated £478,000 from Northern Powergrid in 2013 for an underground connection to his and two neighbours’ properties.

“We’re in a national park, so I don’t think we’ll ever have a national park,” he says.

Steve Batey admits electricity connection won’t arrive anytime soon

Energy regulator Ofgem admits it doesn’t know exactly how many households in the UK are off-grid.

Tried to find this in 2019 call for evidence and concluded there may have been up to 2,000, but there was not enough data for a definitive figure.

Northumberland was found to “have a cluster of such properties”.

Christine Nicholls, of the charity Community Action Northumberland (CAN), described the situation as “horrible”, adding that “people are being left behind”.

CAN’s research suggests there may be as many as 450 off-grid households in the district.

“Generators are expensive and dirty,” he says.

“People have to constantly monitor their energy use; they live with this concern every day.”

Red dots mark off-grid properties designated by the Northumberland National Park Authority in 2015

Northumberland National Park Authority Map of Northumberland with lots of red dots showing where off-grid properties are located. They are clustered west and north of Newcastle. — Red dots mark off-grid properties designated by the Northumberland National Park Authority in 2015

The answer to why Northumberland has so much property probably lies in its geography; It is one of the most sparsely populated counties in England, with extensive plateaus.

Rural historian Paul Brassley says such areas were never a priority for the electrification programs of the 20th century.

“If you have to supply a long way, it makes the whole process quite expensive for the amount of electricity you are going to sell,” he explains.

Christine Nicholls believes rural poverty also plays a role.

“Most people get free hookup, but you still have to pay for interior lighting,” he says.

He acknowledges that a “very small percentage” of those initially living off-grid chose to do so, but says even among that group there are now many who welcome a connection.

Ellie Langley chose to live off the grid on a small farm in Upper Weardale

Ellie Langley Passing between two dry stone walls, flanked by green fields dotted with sheep and distant hills, the track winds to the left. Only a house with trees behind it can be seen. — Ellie Langley chose to live off the grid on a small farm in Upper Weardale

Ellie Langley bought her small farm at Ireshopeburn in Upper Weardale, County Durham, because she wanted to “connect more with the planet”.

But he worries about the financial difficulties of staying off the grid.

“The wind turbine is 20 years old now and it won’t be enough for me to replace it,” he says.

“I also have battery storage, buying new ones will be too expensive.”

He recently researched the cost of getting mains electricity and was told it would be £51,000.

Malcolm Hogg chose not to use electricity in his new home because it would have cost him £27,000

Malcolm Hogg Malcolm Hogg stands outside his house with a Spaniel in his arms and another at his feet. There is a car with its trunk open next to it. The house is new but built in traditional style. A man in his sixties, wearing black trousers and a top. — Malcolm Hogg chose not to use electricity in his new home because it would have cost him £27,000

Not everyone is off-grid at an old or remote property.

Malcolm Hogg built a new house at Bellbank Farm near Bewcastle in Cumbria.

He inquired about a mains connection but was quoted £27,000 from his supplier, SP Electricity North West.

He is “pretty happy” with the renewable energy package he installed instead, although he would have had an electricity connection if it had been free.

Dave Richardson, one of CAN’s off-grid energy consultants, says some of the affected properties are in “relatively urban areas.”

“Some of them are not too far from the power source, but they still charge quite a bit of money for the connection,” he says.

Off-grid energy consultant Dave Richardson says cost is keeping many people off the grid

Dave Richardson is a middle-aged man with short hair, a trimmed beard and glasses. He wears a brown sweater and a blue jacket, and behind him is a view of rolling fields and gray skies — Off-grid energy consultant Dave Richardson says cost is keeping many people off the grid

Northern Powergrid, which supplies the north-east of England, says it is “committed to supporting communities through rural electrification projects” but says industry rules are in place “to ensure consistency and fairness to all customers”.

“Public financing plays a critical role in making projects viable,” the statement adds.

One of the projects that brought money from the public purse was the electrification of Northumberland’s Upper Coquet Valley, a scheme costing £2.6 million.

However, connections to a few remote farms were largely a byproduct of government decision-making. Three emergency telecommunications masts had to be powered There.

Government paid to connect farms in Upper Coquet Valley

Shona Anderson A cherry picker places a lamppost on the ground in a field. In the distance there is a row of farm buildings and across this open moorland — Government paid to connect farms in Upper Coquet Valley

Christine Nicholls thinks the government should pay for all rural electrification schemes.

“This only needs to be done once, and then these people can catch up with the rest of the country,” he says.

“Things have improved with renewables and battery storage, but you can’t power an electric vehicle off-grid.

“How will these households cope in the future?”

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said it was “working closely with Ofgem to reduce costs and help connect those in rural areas to the grid”.