One of my clients went off the grid when she built her new home. Hers is solar power only.
That's here in Ontario, Canada and the cost was roughly $40,000. That runs everything but her heat, for which she uses a wood burning fireplace. There is no reason why the government couldn't provide an incentive for builders developing new areas to go this route.
I'm sure to retrofit would cost substantially more but come on - we got $1000 rebate for purchasing a tiny economic car.
With the growth we are experiencing here, it would take tremendous pressure off hydro stations, which they are always publicly claiming are maxed out anyways. How much does a blackout cost a major metropolis area? I wouldn't even fathom a guess.
To me the government is like the doctor - just try to mask the symptoms instead of solving the root problem.
