It doesn’t really matter what subject you talk about there are always people who are going to have different opinions. Whether or not you should build your own wind turbine is one of those subjects. There are thousands of people who have taken the plunge and built their own, there are also many people who think it’s a waste of time.
I don’t know the technical aspects of how a turbine works. I do know that the energy of the wind is converted to electricity which is then used or stored in a battery for later use.
Turbines do come in sizes small enough for you to use in your own backyard. They also come in different shapes even though the most common is the wind mill style. You can build your own turbine in a couple of days for a few hundred dollars, all the parts you need can be found at your local hardware store. Many homeowners have had savings of up to 80% off of their electric bills.
The downside of building your own turbine is the upfront expense and the time. It’s also important to note that while one turbine can help you save money on your utility bill, it won’t supply enough electricity for all of your household needs. You will still need to pay for some electricity from your utility company.
Of course in order for your turbine to work you will need wind. Since it’s not going to be windy every day there will be days when you won’t generate any electricity.
In this case you could supplement the electricity from your turbine with solar panels, geo-thermal, or other forms of renewable energy, or just buy it from your utility company.
For most people the relatively small investment in a wind turbine is a good investment. While it won’t be enough to get off the grid, it will give you some control over your utility costs as well as bragging rights to all of your friends.
A lot of people have considered having a wind turbine installed in their yard but have been scared off by the cost. After all, how many years will it take to save enough on your energy bills to recoup the investment of the turbine?
With the prices of turbines running from between $600 and $10,000 it will take a long time to get that investment back.
You also need to consider how long you are planning to live in the house. Obviously if you know that you might be moving in a year or two that type of investment probably wouldn’t make much sense.
If, on the other hand, you are planning to live in your home for the rest of your life it might be money well spent. You will have a lot of time to get back your initial investment.
It is important to be realistic about how much electricity your turbine will actually be able to produce. You won’t be able to completely cut your utility company out of your life, but you can realistically see savings of up to 80% on your utility bills.
If spending $600 to $10,000 is simply too much for your budget at this point, you don’t need to give up. The truth is that many homeowners are building their own wind turbines for only a few hundred dollars.
The parts can be found in any hardware store and the whole building process won’t take more than a few days. With such a small investment you will be able to re-coup that in only a few months.
Using the wind to generate power is not a new concept. Think off all the windmills that have been around for centuries. If you think that it’s time you got in on the action and want to have your own wind turbine you’ve picked a great time. Buy one or build your own and start saving money today and for years to come.
Wind power is becoming a very popular source of renewable, environmentally friendly energy. Many industrialized countries are starting to incorporate wind turbine technologies in their energy generation strategies. The good news is that you can use the wind for your home energy needs too.
We all know that using our ‘traditional’ fossil fuel energy sources are not good for the environment. They pollute, are costly to refine, and are running low, or at least we have to go to greater depths and harsher climates to gain access to them.
Wind, on the other hand, is everywhere. Perfecting our wind gathering technologies so we have better ways of converting wind into electricity as well as better methods of storing the electricity should be one of our main priorities.
But how can you use the new wind energy technologies to save money on your electric bill? Simple, you can build your own backyard, or rooftop, wind turbine.
If you’ve been noticing funny looking ‘wind mill’ things popping up in your neighborhood you may have wondered if your neighbors have lost their minds or if they just know something you don’t. The truth is that there are wind turbines made especially for home use, they are small and can be mounted in the backyard or on a roof.
You can buy one for anywhere from $600-$12.000 or you can build your own for around $200 with parts from your local hardware store.
Most people will be able to generate up to 60% of their homes electricity needs from one wind turbine. That is a significant savings especially when you figure that you can continue to save that amount indefinitely, as long as your turbine is up and running.
Building, or buying, your own wind turbine for home use is a great way to go green and help the planet as well as provide you with significant savings. Don’t wait, start using wind power today, you’ll be really glad you did the next time you get your utility bill in the mail.
Unless you’ve been living in a cave, in which case you probably don’t worry too much about energy costs, you know that energy costs have skyrocketed. And, of course, our incomes have not kept pace. You can take back control and cut energy bills by finding out the ‘weak spots’ in your homes energy usage.
Simple things like using energy efficient light bulbs and lowering the temperature on your water heater can help save you some money but the biggest energy cost you have are your heating and cooling costs. Finding ways to cut back on these areas can add up to real savings. But there is an alternative energy source I’m pretty sure you may not have given a lot of thought to.
Were you aware that the use of a home wind turbine, can lower your power bill by as much as 60% or perhaps even more. In other words you will be gnerating your electricty to heat and cool your home year round. This amazing technology can be tied in with a energy audit and bingo you are saving a big chunk of change.
If you want to hire a professional to do an energy audit just call your local utility company for a referral. Just remember that these audits are pretty expensive and you can do a lot of the same things yourself for free.
The first thing you need to look for are leaks. Any gaps where your nice heated, or cooled, air is going right out the window, literally. Finding these holes requires nothing more than some time and careful attention. Simply go around your windows, doors, baseboards, electrical outlets, and foundation and look for any visible holes.
Once you spot problem areas use caulk, or a foam insulating product, to plug up the gap.
Another thing you need to do is make sure your home has enough insulation. Check with your local building supply store as to what the proper ‘R’ value is for your home and location. If you don’t have enough insulation you can add more for very little cost.
Cut energy bills by doing a home energy audit yourself or hiring someone to do one for you. The first step to fixing any problem is identifying what the problem is. You can also hire a professional or “do it yourself” installation of a home windmill. Between knowing the air loss weak spots and installing your own wind power generator you can sit back and enjoy the savings for the many years to come.
I guess we really are the land of plenty, most people have some sort of electronics in their home. T.V.s, cell phones, DVD players, VCR’s, etc. The list goes on and on. And many families who would never be considered rich have one or more of these electronic devices. This is a great place to start with energy savings.
What if you could power all of these devices with your personal electricity; instead of having to buy it from the cash sucking power companies? Well you can and you can do it and fairly inexpensively. The most renewable energy source can be harvested by you with your own home wind turbine kit. And you can further reduce your power bills by following some the simple step outlined below.
That’s the good news, the bad news is that these electronic devices are costing you a bundle in electricity costs. Most people don’t realize that even though their electronic item is turned off it is still in ‘stand-by’ mode, which means that it is still using electricity…and costing you money.
If you’re not going to be using that t.v. in the basement for a long time than unplug it. I know it can be a bit of a hassle since you’ll probably need to re-set the channels, but if you unplug it every time it’s going to be sitting unused for a while, you can save yourself quite a bit of money over the course of a year!
Your computer is another energy hog. Many of us leave our computers on virtually around the clock all year long. I’ve heard conflicting opinions of whether or not it is good to turn your computer off daily, some say it’s best while other’s say it’s not good for it.
What you can do is to set your computer to an energy saving stand-by mode when not in use. It’s sometimes referred to as sleep mode. That way you will be saving electricity without having to reboot your computer every morning before you use it.
None of these changes are going to make you the next millionaire. But all of them, with wind power, can combine to make quite a dent on your energy bills. These are simple energy savings techniques that don’t take much time and you don’t need any money or very little money. With such little effort and the potential savings, why wouldn’t you do it?
If you are concerned about how you are going to pay your ever increasing energy bills this winter, don’t worry, there is hope. Even if you can’t afford all new windows, doors, and furnace, there are still some easy, and cheap things you can do right now to cut energy bills this winter.
Here are a few:
1. One of the biggest bangs for your buck is to make sure your furnace is running efficiently. To make sure of that hire a HVAC professional to come in and inspect it. You can also make sure to replace furnace filters once a month throughout the heating season.
2. Seal up all windows and doors. It doesn’t matter if you use caulk, insulated curtains, and/or a window kit, just make sure to stop your heated air from getting outside.
3. Wrap your water heater. An insulated blanket made just for that purpose will help keep the water in your hot water heater warmer longer. Which means you won’t have to pay to have your unit run over and over again to re-heat the same water.
4. Add a programmable thermostat. That way you can keep your home at the right temperature when you’re there and awake and save money by lowering the temperature when you’re not there.
5. Add insulation to your attic. You can do it yourself for only the cost of the insulation, or hire someone to do it for you. Either way this is one of the best ways to keep your house from leaking warm air and wasting you money.
6. Now this step is not quite as simple as the other 5 steps. However, it can darn well cut your energy cost up to as much as 60%. Of course I’m talking about using wind power from a home wind powered generator.
Instead of worrying about high energy costs this winter, take control and cut energy bills now. Use one, or all, of these simple energy saving tips and you will not only be able to afford to heat your home, you will also have a much more comfortable, less drafty home to enjoy all year long.
The nice thing about the renewed interest in the environment is that going green can also save you green…a lot of green. There are dozens of things you can do to save energy that will not only help the planet but your financial health as well. Some things are fairly elaborate and may cost a little money, and other’s are very simple. No matter which option you choose, you should start today.
Some of the simpler things you can do to help the environment are to make sure your car is tuned up, check your tire pressure, combine errands so you don’t have to backtrack. These simple things can help you get better fuel economy as well as save harmful emissions.
Around your home simple things like recycling your empty pop cans and papers, adding insulation, keeping your thermostat low, and using caulk to seal out drafts can also save you money.
If you had something a little more significant in mind building your own wind turbine might be a good option for you. Despite what you might think, you don’t need to build a huge wind mill in your backyard.
There are ‘home sized’ turbines available that not only come in smaller sizes but can even come in different shapes. Some of these turbines actually look like a modern sculpture and many can be mounted right on your roof.
One small wind turbine can cut the amount of electricity you need to buy from your utility company by up to 60%. That can add up to a very significant savings. Turbines can be built for around $200 in a matter of a couple of days.
Going green can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be. The important thing is that you decide on a course of action and then go for it. You will feel really good knowing that not only are you saving money, but you’re saving the planet too.
If you are one of the millions of people who are concerned both for the environment as well as your families finances and have wondered if it sense to build your own wind turbine, I might be able to help.
People have been harnessing the power of the wind for centuries and using it to help grind their or pump water.
Of course we have made significant technological advances in the last several decades and now we are able to get the maximum benefit from the energy of the wind. You’ve no doubt seen the huge wind farms scattered across the country.
Now, you can take that same technology and downsize it, for your home use. I have neighbors who have recently installed their own turbines, right on their roofs. They are seeing savings of up to 80% off of their utility bills.
My neighbors opted to build their own for a few hundred dollars, all with parts they got at the hardware store, rather than pay thousands of dollars to buy one already assembled since that type of investment would take a long time to recoup.
They have told me that their one turbine doesn’t supply all the electricity their home needs, but it does supply about 60% of it. Of course that can vary from day to day. On windy days they are able to generate more than on calm days.
Overall both of them are happy that they took a little time, and spent some money, to build and install their own turbine. They say it’s been a fun family project, it’s helped teach their kids the importance of taking care of the planet, and it’s a neat conversation topic.
If you are interested in building your own wind turbine to help save you and your family money on your electric bills just remember that you can do it all yourself in just a few days for only a couple hundred dollars. It’s definitely worth it, don’t you think?
With so many of us feeling a financial pinch, implementing energy savings techniques around our homes just makes sense.
Let’s face it, few of us are in a position to increase our incomes, or if we can usually not by very much, therefore we need to find a way to save money. The good news is that you can start today and you can start at home.
There are dozens of simple, cheap, and even free, things you can do right now that can make your home more energy efficient.
A few of the things that you can do to save energy around your home are: replace burnt out light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs, cook foods at the lowest temperature possible, turn off all lights and appliances when you leave a room, keep your computer on energy saving mode when not in use.
This very simple list isn’t going to save you thousands of dollars a year, but each one of these things is easy to do and will save you money so what have you got to lose?
If you want to make a bigger dent on your utility bill there are other things that may cost some money and/or take some effort but they can pay off big by reducing your electric bill significantly.
One of the most powerful ways to save your money and even possibly increase your income is installing a home wind turbine for your home. You can get these kits for under $300.00. You can even store the excess electricty you create with your wind power generator and sale it back to your electric company.
These things are upgrading your windows and doors, you may even be eligible for a tax credit, adding insulation to your attic, upgrading to energy efficient appliances, replacing your furnace if it’s more than 10 years old.
While these things are going to cost quite a bit of money, and it will take longer to recoup your investment, they will pay off by helping you keep your utility bill lower for years to come.
The bottom line is that you can save money by using one of more of these energy savings strategies right now. Some are cheaper and easier than others, but they will all work to cut back on your expenses.
Heading into this winter season many families are understandably nervous. It’s a tough economy and many people are worried about their jobs and keeping up with rising costs. But there are many cheap, or free, things you can do to cut energy bills. Here is a list of some of the easy, yet effective, changes you can start making today.
1. Make sure your furnace is ready for the winter. Have a qualified HVAC professional check and clean your unit. Once the heating season starts make sure to change your filters monthly. If the filter is dirty it will restrict airflow which will use more energy since it has to work harder.
2. Add a programmable thermostat. You can set it to automatically adjust the temperature at certain times of the day and certain days of the week. That way the temperature in your home will automatically go down during the day when no one is home, or overnight. It can also raise the temperature shortly before you get up in the morning.
3. Take care of your fireplace. Make sure the chimney is cleaned and in good repair. If you use your fireplace more than once a week you should have it professionally cleaned yearly. Also install a cap or screen at the top of your chimney to prevent birds from building nests.
4. Caulk around your windows and doors. The more heat loss you can prevent the less your furnace will have to run, and that will save you money all season long. Using window kits is another way to prevent heat loss from older windows.
5. Using wind power, (think home windmill) along with the above winterizeing tips and this will more than put you ahead of the game; on cutting your long term electric bills.
Now is a good time to make some simple changes that can help you cut energy bills this winter. Take a few minutes now to save hundreds not only this winter but throughout the year and for years to come.
