Get away from pesky energy bills at off-grid €325k Co Clare getaway home

Famine-era old stone cottage has energy efficiency upgrades, no ESB but has broadband for remote workers

Sat, 09 Dec, 2023 - 17:26

Trish Dromey reports

Caher,Co Clare
€325,000
Size	150 sq m (1,614 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2 + 1
Bathrooms	2
BER	N/A, off-grid hence no MPRN number

A HOME without electricity bills might sound like an improbable fantasy but it’s a reality for the family who live in this off-grid, out of the ordinary house. at Caher amidst the forests of north Clare.

It’s out of the ordinary in being a pre-Famine era built stone cottage which has been fitted with triple glazing and an insulated Scandinavian steel roof and also equipped with an extensive array of PV solar panels and a sizable battery bank.

“For 10 months of the year — from February to November — the solar panels provide electricity and for the two dark winter months we run a diesel generator for an hour every day” reveals the owner.

“Our power costs, for the generator, are around €200 a year.”

Veranda in front, and insulated steel roof

The system involves a 4.5kWp solar panel array and a 10kwH battery bank. Expected features offered at the spacious rustic two-bed cottage include raised vegetable beds, a chicken coop, and fruit trees — more unexpected ones include a four-bay stable block, an 800 sq metre horse arena, and a timber sauna.

For the owners — a Lithuanian (who used to be an archaeologist and now works in IT) and his Irish wife (another archaeologist), living in an off-grid property wasn’t part of the plan before they bought it in 2017.

“We fell in love with the place — how it is and where it is,” reveals the Lithuanian half of the couple.

“When we showed it to the mortgage advisor she said ‘wow, that’s amazing’,” he says, adding that buying and living in an off grid house hasn’t caused any significant problems. Although it doesn’t have an MPRN number or consequently an energy rating, he says this has not been an issue.

“We got used to the lifestyle very easily — we love the location and the woodland and the stables are a big part of the attraction. We have wonderful privacy and seclusion but all the benefits of civilisation are within a few minutes’ drive.”

The property had already been rescued, renovated, and extended by a UK couple, who, since buying it in 2012, had put on an insulated corrugated steel roof and fitted solar panels and oil-fired central heating.

“When we bought it one of our first changes was to put a 7,000 litre filtered rainwater tank — there’s a well but we prefer the rainwater — it’s better for hair and appliances.’’

The couple have also put in triple glazing, added extra insulation, bought a second diesel generator and improved the solar panel technology.

Accommodation in the unexpectedly large cottage includes a traditional flagstone-floored sitting room with a beamed ceiling and a fireplace with an oil-fired stove in addition to a generous sized kitchen/ diner with blue and cream units (fitted by the owner in 2022), a Belfast sink, and a Rangemaster cooker.

At ground floor level there’s a bathroom and a garden room and upstairs there are two bedrooms including an en suite.

Nearby, there’s an old stone outbuilding which has been turned into a two- bed guest cottage. Alongside it a timber sauna built by the owner during covid lockdowns.

On a site of close to three quarters of an acre, the property has many outbuildings including a large one topped with solar panels.

Located at Faha, Caher, the cottage (which the local postman identifies as ‘The old thatch’) is close to Drumandora village and around 58km from Galway city. The owners have commuted to Galway — around a 40-minute drive.

Describing it as unique, charming and idyllically rural, Mr McMahon says it has been attracting interest from a range of buyers including some relocating from the UK.