"Going off the grid is a whole lifestyle choice," Val-U Solar Administrative Assistant Susan Pennington said. "You want to be self-sustained for a 'greener' way of life. We have thousands of customers that are off the grid.
"This year we had 60 people on the tour, some even coming up from the Valley. We have more people each year wanting to go with us.
"It's awesome to see what people can do when they build their homes. They are passionate about what they do."
Val-U Solar seems like a perfect fit for the tour with their motto: "We carry everything you need to live off the grid." Valerie Bell, of Val-U Solar co-owner with her husband Chuck, said they cover the whole state and also sell systems in Utah and New Mexico, anywhere in the Southwest.
As those with solar systems will tell you, they have to be even more conscious consumers of electricity. Propane is often needed for use in a furnace, stove, dryer or hot water heater. A back-up generator is needed to provide power during exceptionally cloudy periods, Pennington said.
Cedar Hills homes included in this year's tour included a polystyrene (styrofoam) home with structurally integrated panels and powered with solar panels and heated with a Russian fireplace; an "Earthship" powered by solar and wind generation which Pennington said is built into the side of a hill and uses old tires stacked like bricks for walls; and a manufactured home whose owner built wind generators and solar power systems.
The Cedar Hills Health Center is a log home, powered by solar and wind generated electricity and heated by a solar power. Members of the tour had a gourmet luncheon catered by Black Mesa Ranch which is noted for its goat cheeses.
In Taylor, the home on the tour blends into its neighborhood since a conventional home that has been adapted. It also has a solar system interfaced with the grid so he can sell electricity to other users.
The final two houses are in Snowflake, one being the straw bale house which uses straw as insulation or as structural elements and uses solar and wind generation and solar well pumping. The second Snowflake home, and final stop of the tour, is the geodesic dome under construction. It's made of similar panels to the first home but shaped like a dome.
Pennington said the tour has become more popular every year and they are interested in rotating the places people visit. One type they are specifically looking for is "paper-crete." They are looking for homes using alternative building materials and/or using alternative energy sources. Anyone interested in having their home featured on the tour can call Val-U Solar at 928 536-7835.
Barbara Kerr of the Sustainable Living Center in Taylor was one of the originators of the tour and her house was on the first tours.
There is no admission for the tour.
"This is a labor of love to spread the gospel of alternative energy," she said.
* Reach the reporter at lupre2@yahoo.com