People trying to learn about residential wind power are often looking for a place to start. Today, I'm going to outline the 5 steps you can take to determine if wind energy would be a practical way to help power your home. I'll follow-up this post with details about how to carry out each step. You can probably expect one step per day wrapping up on Saturday.
Step 1
Get a handle on your electricity consumption. It will be important to know your electricity needs before trying to find a solution that will fit your needs. There are a number of residential wind turbines available that produce varying levels of electricity.
Step 2
Get an idea of the average wind speed in your area. Wind turbines need a minimum amount of wind to produce electricity. The minimum wind speed required is different for each product, but if the average wind speed in your area is below the minimum requirements for all products, wind power may not be your best option.
Step 3
Research residential wind turbines available in your area and determine manufacturer estimates of how much energy you can expect each turbine to produce. It will be important to find the products that meet your electricity requirements. Identify all products within a range at this point to be narrowed down in the next step.
Step 4
Now that you've narrowed your choices down, review the production estimates from the manufacturer of each product to determine which products can produce the electricity you require at the average wind speed for your area. Manufacturers will usually provide graphs to illustrate their production estimates at different wind speeds. Wind power may not be your best option for alternative energy if you can't find a product to met your desired electricity production at the average wind speed for your area.
Step 5
If you've been able to find one or more products that seem to meet your needs, the next step is to determine the cost and how long it will take to recoup your initial investment. You may have to do a bit more research to determine all of the costs that will be incurred to purchase the product and get it installed. Comparing the cost of implementation to the projected monthly savings of having the new system in place, you should be able to estimate how long it will take to recoup your initial investment for each product. Don't forget to factor in any government incentives in your area that may reduce your cost!
Decision
Knowing all of the costs involved, it is time to decide whether wind energy is something you're willing to invest in. If it is, go for it! If not, keep an eye on this blog for new products and innovations that may be worth investing in.
Interested in residential wind power? Considered building your own turbine?
You can get started with today with Power4Home.
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