Home & Garden...

Over at one of my favorite green blogs, The Alternative Consumer, I saw a post about inexpensive residential wind turbine. That's very cool, because while nifty, thus far, powering your home with wind, hasn't exactly been the most cost efficient option. If you'd like to learn about the inexpensive wind turbine, check out the Alternative Consumer post linked above. If you're new to idea of wind power, keep reading, and we'll look at some basic facts.

Wind is a great way to provide energy for your home, without depleting natural resources. Wind power has really changed how people can live off-grid, or with less of an earth impact in recent years.

There are many different sorts of wind turbine systems available. They run the gamete, from big to small, to less powerful to full force, and some are hybrid, which means a wind/solar system.

With all wind power systems comes some basic benefits, like...

Lower energy bills. In some cases people use wind power to reduce their energy costs. In great cases you can power up, using wind and other methods and reduce your paid our energy costs to zero (after all system costs and installation of course).

Bergey Windpower, one of the world’s leading suppliers of small wind turbines suggests that you first work on conservation efforts to save on energy costs and then make the move to wind power to supplement the rest.

Bergey Windpower offers a quick test on wind power feasibility. They note, if you'd like to, "recoup your investment in 15 years or less, you should consider wind power if: Your electricity costs more than 11 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), your area has an average wind speed of 11 miles-per-hour (mph) or more, and, you have one (1) acre of property or more."

Earth benefits: Thankfully, wind is still renewable, we haven't run out yet. In some areas wind works better (obviously) but proper placement can also allow someone in a low-wind area to utilize this system.To see what kind of resources are saved when people use wind, both eco and eco-economically, visit the Earth Policy Institute.

Power when there is no power: If you have a back up generator wind power is useful during outages, and if you live off-grid bringing in wind and solar can be cheaper than bringing in utility. Of course the side benefit is that you won't be dependent on the energy grid and rising costs.

No see a run-down of more wind power benefits visit NRG Systems. The Realities of Wind Energy is a great article that tells it like it is when it comes to wind power, plus offers installation tips.

You also might like to read Treehugger's take on one popular wind turbine question: Common Eco-Myth: Wind Turbines Kill Birds.

Want to learn more about wind power?

Wind Turbine Power: Farmers Turning the Wind Into Gold

Can You Harness Wind Power or Not?

Home Wind-Power Turbines Going Mainstream

What YOU Should Know About Wind Power!

Can You Use Wind Turbines to Power Your Home?

Residential Wind Power