This consulting project was initiated in response to unresolved home accidents in rural off-the-grid homes, one of which made headlines as a family of four in Ashcroft, BC passed away from carbon monoxide poisoning due to an unregulated self-installed water heater [1,2].

Off-grid communities are officially defined as communities that are not connected to the North American electric grid nor to the piped natural gas network [3,4]. In reality, these communities also drill their own wells, hook up electrical diesel generators, electrical wiring, sewage plumbing, build their own roads, build their own homes and insulate from the elements. On top of that, these utilities need to have their own safety equipment such as smoke and gas detectors, electrical fuses, fire sprinklers in addition to routine maintenance and proper installation.

In the city, these utilities are well integrated into every home, strictly enforced and routinely checked by licensed contractors. In off-grid communities however, these systems are almost non-existent and there is a general resistance from the community towards relatively expensive and inaccessible licensed contractors and towards regulations.