Wind power for home use, in addition to solar power, is now one of the leading ways that home owners are creating their own alternative energy. With the economic downturn and more awareness of climate change, home owners are turning to wind turbines for help with the electric bill.
To aid in the process of outfitting new homes with alternative energy sources, federal and state governments are offering many tax incentives. In New York, for example, the state government will pay for up to 35% of the cost of a residential wind turbine for a new or existing home.
Benefits
The benefits of having residential wind power are numerous. Generating your own electricity helps reduce pollution and create a healthier environment. Since wind and solar power reduce the carbon footprint, many people are looking into these alternative energies as a way to help the planet.
Residential wind power also has powerful financial benefits. Using a wind turbine to help power your home can save from 50% to 90% of the cost of your energy bill.
Drawbacks
Though using your own wind turbine can help you to save lots of money down the road, they are quite expensive to purchase and have installed. Since the out of pocket expense is so great, many home owners are learning how to build their own windmills and solar panels.
Another consideration when thinking about a wind turbine for your home is the legality of such devices in your neighborhood. Some neighborhoods look at wind turbines as an unsightly appearance in the neighborhood. Be sure to get the permission of your neighborhood alliance before installing a wind turbine on your property.
Helpful Information
It's important to remember that for a windmill to be effective, there must be a certain amount of wind around your home. For this reason, some home owners experience much more success with wind turbine energy than others. Check the wind speed in your area to make sure that you have a frequent wind speed of 10mph or more. This wind speed is easy to achieve if you live in coastal areas, but much more difficult if you live in a more urban environment.
Though a wind turbine can certainly provide some much needed relief to your pocketbook, it will not likely provide enough power for your family to live completely "off the grid". In order to reduce your electric bill to zero you will most likely need to use a combination of residential wind power and solar power.
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