One of the great aspects of technology is the ability to make vast improvements in design and efficiency on items that have been around for many years.  In recent years the improvements in design and efficiency for residential wind turbines has been vast, bringing with it hopes and dreams for future generations.

A Colorado company is introducing a system that will allow wind turbines to generate power even when the wind is not blowing. The SmartGen hybrid gas-wind turbine enables wind turbines to produce energy at periods of low wind, by turning the turbine with compressed air generated at the base of the tower from a turbo-compressor that is run on natural gas or biogas.

Even more importantly, the SmartGen system can be retrofitted into existing wind turbines, allowing existing facilities to increase their performance. This is likely to be particularly compelling for installations seeking to extend their production while remaining free of fossil fuels. In areas where biogas production is also available nearby, a wind power facility that is generating renewable energy credits could likely also produce power from biogas in this manner as another form of renewable power and thereby remain 100% renewable energy based.

A smart clutch disengages the wind blades from the machinery when the compressor is engaged. The company also notes that the exhausted air from the air motor cools dramatically when it is released, which can help provide cooling for the generator nacelle and may even help prevent fires in the housing.

One of the brilliant parts about this idea is that it can be retro fitted to existing wind turbines.  That means wind turbines just like the DIY Wind Turbine that i built and shared the amazing wind turbine plans with you last year can benefit from these fantastic design improvements. One of our readers, Mike Doolan also did a reader review of this wind turbine that he built and is keen to make further improvements like this. I am already living 100% “off the grid” with my residential wind turbine however because my wind turbine feeds the excess power back onto the grid i am able to benefit more than before.  Why do i benefit? Because i sell the excess power generated from my home made wind turbine back to the utility company and get a credit check in the mail each month….with this improvement i will be able to generate more energy and make more clean, green energy and get paid for it!

It would appear that a lot of us every day are actively searching for cheaper ways to produce electricity for our homes which can only be a good thing. The thing that is driving our search for cleaner, cheaper, renewable energy sources could be down to any number of factors. High utility prices are no doubt one thing and the need for a greener environment may be another.

One thing is quite clear however – home wind turbines can provide for both of these needs and they are super cheap, fast and easy to build.

Here are the 5 simple facts that you should know before you start to build your own wind turbine, and to avoid if possible:

1 ) Before you installing your home wind turbine, make sure that you check the average wind speeds that blow in your areas. If the wind blows is too low, then it is wise for not installing any wind generator system, as your wind turbine probably won’t able to collect enough kinetic energy to produce any sufficient electricity.

2 ) Try to place your wind generator in the best possible site for maximum results, flat areas are generally is a best place to collect the kinetic energy as there won’t be any huge obstacle or debris to stop your wind turbine to collect the energy. Try to avoid hilly areas.

3 ) Checking on the local permit requirements first as you doesn’t want to be charged over thousands of dollars without any particular reasons and from nowhere. Some of the regions does not approve of the usage of wind generator or windmill.

4 ) If you are live in a small towns or city, make sure that you discuss your wind turbine plans with your neighbors before you installing a wind generator to avoid any unnecessary opposition. It is better to avoid such conflicts when you can. After all, it is understandable that your neighbors or anyone would make an opposition on something that they don’t understand the purpose of your plan.

5) Believe the system. Focus and concentrate your mind during the project. There is a high chance that you won’t be finish your wind generator and will give up if you continue being doubters or naysayer.

Residential Vertical Wind Turbines are a great way to produce free electricity for your home. Some units can be expensive on startup costs however you must think of a wind turbine as a long term investment – you will be ahead in the long run. If you are not able to finance a wind turbine I strongly suggest that you have a good look at getting your hands on the Earth4Energy do it yourself wind turbine kit – it is the most effective design that we have come across as well as being a simple process to build and install, not to mention at $150 the payback period may only take a few weeks!

Still not sure? Why not check out our review on the best wind turbine plans.

The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) requires utilities to purchase power from small wind systems, such as the single turbine residential system. In order to take advantage of this policy, you must sign an interconnection agreement with the utility. Under the agreement, electricity is measured as it flows into or out of the house. The utility bill is affected in one of two ways.

If a smart meter is installed in the home, it can measure the input and output of electricity. When the wind is really blowing and the home cannot use all the electricity generated, it flows back into the grid and the smart meter subtracts the price per kWh from the house account. When the wind is dead and the home must draw from the grid for electricity, the account is charged the price per kWh.

If a separate meter is installed, it is responsible only for recording electricity flowing back into the grid. The original meter continues its job of measuring the amount of electricity used by the home. Each month or quarter, the two meters are added together and the resulting amount is charged or paid by the utility.

With both the smart meter and double meter systems, there is a chance that the utility will be paying you for electricity rather than the other way around.

Although PURPA has been in effect for 30 years, the popularity of small wind systems has exploded only in the last couple of years. Many utilities have never used an interconnection agreement, and could present a potential obstacle to the turbine owner. Professional turbine installers may turn out to know more about interconnection agreements and meter installation than the utility does. When neither party in the agreement has much experience, a professional is always useful to make the process run smoothly.

There are systems which don’t rely on the grid at all, called off-grid systems. Rather than using the electric company as back-up power, off-grid systems use deep-charge batteries to store excess energy generated by wind turbines. The house can access the batteries when no wind is blowing. In addition to batteries, most off-grid systems use other types of power, such as generators, to back-up their wind power systems.

Getting the most energy savings from a wind turbine system is one of the main reasons to install it. Working with the utility company to realize savings and even get paid is part of the energy savings process.

I have been running a grid fed home wind turbine since 2007. The wind turbine that i am running on my home was built from some do it yourself wind turbine plans that i bought off the internet. Since i installed my grid fed home wind turbine i have not paid for electricity since 2007! Now i still have an active connection to my electricity company however that is so that i can sell the energy produced from my wind turbine to the electrocity company, and get a check in the mail from them at the end of the month. You can read more about how i built my own home wind turbine or you can go to the same place that i bought the wind turbine plans from and get started on your own home wind turbine.

Many other readers of residential wind power have built the same wind turbine that i am running with great results. Have a look at Mike Doolans review of his do it yourself wind turbine. Mike is now running a grid fed system on his home just like mine.

Generating renewable energy with a home wind turbine is a lot easier than you think. And the costs aren’t as prohibitive as some would lead you beleive. I was able to build a home wind turbine following these simple plans for a total cost of $150.

Building this innovative energy-producing device would become much easier if you depend on instructional building guides available on the online market. Several websites on the Internet offer tips on how you can make an efficient wind generator device without spending too much. You can also find e-books to be very helpful especially when dealing with technical terms found within the instructional guides. Acquiring one would definitely make your project as simple as a recreational weekend activity.

When it comes to selecting the right type of residential vertical wind turbine manuals on the Internet, you should be meticulous in determining which of them are reliable enough to produce a sturdy energy device. You may find several websites that contain high rated instructional materials suitable enough for your expertise and knowledge in starting a home building project. Choosing these quality guides can easily help you build your own wind generator device in no time.

The most common goal of these DIY guides is to aid you in creating the most affordable wind generator device. Most of the time, these instructional materials make use of cheap hardware materials readily available on retail outlets. When following these build-it-yourself guides you may easily cut up your expenses in installing an alternative source of energy for your home. With a small budget allotted for the project, you can effectively reduce your monthly electricity bills by 80 to 100 percent.  In my case i was able to supply all of the electricity that my home needed and haven’t paid for electricity since 2007! You may want to choose the most efficient DIY guide when building your own wind generator so that you will significantly reduce the cost of your project. Make sure that the quality of the device would not be compromised when lowering down the budget for your homemade energy device.

Searching for innovative solutions on building your own wind turbine can be very difficult due to the number of resource materials available on the Internet. The most highly recommended guides are those that come from websites with money back guarantee and a reliable payment merchant account. Testimonials from other satisfied customers are also good indicators of trustworthy wind generator construction guides.

Once the best guide is selected, the next thing you will do is to shop for the needed materials. Following the instructions indicated on the guide would help you have the alternative energy source for you to enjoy within a couple of weeks.

I have personally reviewed the best guide available on the market today which is by far the leader in the renewable home energy market. This guide is available with some great FREE bonuses exclusively for residential wind power readers and you can get your hands on the plan along with videos and support for a special residential wind power only price right here.

If you are still not sure about the benifits of residential vertical wind turbines you should read Mike Doolan’s review of residential wind turbine plans.  Mike used the same design that i used back in 2007 to build my own residential vertical wind turbine.  You can read more about how i haven’t paid for electricity since 2007 here when i bought plans to build a home wind turbine, it was the single best decision that i ever made!

Accessing the free power of the wind for generating electricity is possible in many areas. The first step is to determine the average strength and velocity of the wind that blows over the property. If the average wind speed is more than 10 MPH, a wind turbine would be appropriate to install on your property.

Next, look online for some windmill building guides. While the information to build a windmill system yourself isn’t free, it comes from people who are dedicated to the technology, and who’ve spent years perfecting their individual systems. Comprehensive books, including Hugh Piggott’s A Wind Turbine Recipe Book and Off-Grid Living’s Homemade Wind Generator guide, are low-cost, step by step guides that provide valuable information from people who live to build wind power systems.

Common household tools can be used to build your turbine structure, including raising the pole on which your turbine will sit, connecting the turbine to the battery and inverter that will turn it into usable electricity for your home, and general maintenance.

The blades can be made from PVC pipe, plywood, corrugated cardboard, or metal if steel working tools are available. The base and frame of the turbine, and the tail, can be made from the same materials. Also, Honeywell sells turbines through Ace Hardware, which can then be mounted on a pole and connected to the electrical system.

The turbine itself strongly affects the amount of electricity the system can generate. Turbine blades should be the correct length to catch the most average wind; longer blades will generate energy even with slower wind speeds, while shorter blades can create energy faster from strong winds. The turbine should be mounted high enough in the air to be unobstructed by trees, buildings, and hills, in order to catch the strongest winds.

The turbine will be connected to the home via electrical wires that feed into a battery, which is where the energy will first be stored. The battery can be powered by regular AA batteries or NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) batteries. In order for the energy generated by your windmill to be used by your home, it will need to be converted using an inverter.

If you plan to meet the entire home’s electricity usage needs with the wind turbine, your wind power system is complete. If you’ll be supplementing renewable wind power with electricity from your utility, you’ll need to connect the turbine system to your electric grid. Once connected, the grid will take in any extra energy generated by the wind turbine during times of strong wind, and will provide electricity to your home when winds are slow.

A comprehensive wind turbine DIY guide can provide specific plans and instructions for the builder. A DIY wind power system is a great way to save money for those mechanically inclined people, and it’s also a great opportunity to use salvaged and recycled materials for your renewable energy needs. The DIY wind turbine system won’t, in all likelihood, achieve efficiencies above 1000 KW capacity, but the opportunity is there for your household’s electrical needs to be fully met with renewable energy.

Personally i believe that you do not have to spend tens of thousands of dollars in order to benefit from wind energy, you can build your own wind turbine like i have done. I have personally reviewed the best guide available on the market today which is by far the leader in the renewable home energy market. This guide is available with some great FREE bonuses exclusively for residential wind power readers and you can get your hands on the plan along with videos and support for a special residential wind power only price right here.

To determine the wind speed for your property, begin by checking online wind maps for your state and specific region. Wind maps are available on the Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory websites.

A wind map is divided into classes from 1-7, with class 1 having the lowest wind speeds and class 7 having the highest. Classes 3 and above should be suitable for residential wind generators, which require average wind speeds of at least 10 MPH. Still, a wind map isn’t the last word, because every specific property is different. In a class 1 area, the property may have high ground in an exposed area suited for catching wind, and conversely, a class 7 property on low ground with many tall trees may not be able to catch enough wind to power an wind energy system.

The wind map also gives wind speeds and densities by height. When reviewing your property for obstacles that will affect residential wind turbine performance, note the height of all trees, buildings, and hills on your property. A residential windmill tower should stand 20 feet above the highest obstacle within a 400 foot radius, in order to catch the most wind possible without obstruction. Using this information, check the wind speeds for the height you’ve estimated for the tower. Lower classes may have stronger winds at greater heights.

For more detailed and specific information about your area’s wind speeds, check local weather stations or have a professional take a wind survey of the potential wind turbine site. Scientists and other professionals have been collecting data on wind activity for more than 50 years, so more than likely there is detailed information available to you describing the specific wind patterns of your property and area.

Once you’ve gathered a comprehensive portfolio on the wind behavior for the property, you’ll use this information to make informed decisions about the type of system to install on the site. For example, there are residential wind turbines with tails to change position with the direction of the wind, and there are stationary wind turbines which don’t move with the wind. Knowing the common wind patterns for your area can help you find the correct type of turbine.

There are many different sizes and lengths of wind turbines and towers, and the combination you choose will affect the amount of energy the wind power system can generate. A 26% increase in wind speed, for example, can result in a 100% increase in power generation. If you’re planning to generate enough electricity to power your home without help from the grid, you’ll need to make sure that your system is efficient enough to meet those needs.

Personally i believe that you do not have to spend tens of thousands of dollars in order to benefit from wind energy, you can build your own wind turbine like i have done. I have personally reviewed the best guide available on the market today which is by far the leader in the renewable home energy market. This guide is available with some great FREE bonuses exclusively for residential wind power readers and you can get your hands on the plan along with videos and support for a special residential wind power only price right here.

Personally i believe that you do not have to spend tens of thousands of dollars in order to benefit from wind energy, you can build your own wind turbine like i have done. I have personally reviewed the best guide available on the market today which is by far the leader in the renewable home energy market. This guide is available with some great FREE bonuses exclusively for residential wind power readers and you can get your hands on the plan along with videos and support for a special residential wind power only price right here.

A few weeks back we showed you home wind turbines that are super cheap and really easy to build.  I also had another post about how I haven’t paid for electricity since 2007 which is not an easy feat, but completely achievable with this wind turbine plan.  Now this wind turbine plan has allowed me to live on renewable energy for the past few years and what I don’t use I sell back to the utility company, it is an amazing site to see the electricity company send you a check every quarter let me tell you!

The main element in helping me achieve these goals was the wind turbine plans that I stumbled across in 2007.  These plans were dirt cheap to buy and allowed me to produce my own energy producing vertical wind turbine for $100.  Normally you would have to spend in the thousands of dollars to purchase a vertical wind turbine that would give you anywhere near this result, but not anymore thanks to these wind turbine plans, and this is where the money making plan comes into place.

In 2008 after singing the praises of my do it yourself residential wind turbine to my friends one of them, Pete approached me wanting to know more about the turbine.  Being ever so proud of my vertical wind turbine I showed him the designs I purchased and the finished product – he was blown away that I was able to produce my own electricity with my $100 wind turbine and like me he was hooked.

Pete went out and bought the same wind turbine plan that I used and went about constructing his own wind turbine.  Over the space of a weekend Pete’s residential vertical wind turbine was up and running producing clean and green electricity for free!  Pete knew that he was onto a winner with this plan and advertised to build people vertical wind turbines for people in the local classifieds.  The ad was simple and almost instantly Pete had a call from a home owner who was interested in having a wind turbine installed.  Pete charged the home owner $1000 cash to build the wind turbine off the plan that he had previously purchase which is still many thousands of dollars cheaper than a mass produced wind turbine and all for a very similar product.  As you are aware the wind turbine only costs around $100 to build in raw materials, which gave Pete just under $900 profit!  Not bad for a weekend cash job!

Speaking to Pete last month he has now installed 23 vertical wind turbines in the local area in the space of the past 12 months.  The plans and materials used to produce the wind turbines are all the same.  From my calculations Pete has probably earned around $27,000 over the last 12 months as a sideline cash business – and this is only working on weekends!

You don’t have to be Einstein to realise that this is a great business model.  You have a one off cost of buying the wind turbine plans here, then you are able to replicate that same design as many times as you like.  Hell, charge $1,500 for each wind turbine and you are all of a sudden earning  $1400 cash for a weekend of work – that is a pretty sweet amount of coin and anyone’s books!

If you are interested in building your own wind turbine or you want to start your own wind turbine business like Pete has done I suggest you get your hands on this wind turbine plan.  This is the best wind turbine plan available today and it gives you all the information you need to start producing clean green energy for free!

Did you know that hot water accounts for up to 30% of an average household’s energy use? Given that it represents such a large part of the average bill, it’s probably the best and easiest place for you to start saving.  Here are some ways you can reduce the cost of using hot water in your home without compromising your comfort and convenience.

• Fit a 3-star rated showerhead in your bathroom. It shouldn’t affect the quality of your shower but it may reduce your water usage by up to 50%
• Insulate any exposed pipes, especially if your hot water service is located outside.
• A dripping hot water tap can waste the equivalent of up to 10 average bathtubs of water a month. Make sure you fix it as soon as possible.
• Where possible, have your licensed plumber lead the hot water pipe down the side of the storage tank for at least 150mm. As the heat rises it will create a heat trap around the pipe saving you energy.
• Replace your electric water heater with a gas, solar or heat-pump system. The saving you make over the long-term should outweigh this cost.
• Make sure that your hot water system is located as close to your bathroom and laundry as possible.
• Use the suds saving function on your washing machine if you have it, as it will significantly reduce the amount of water you use.
• Wash your clothes in cold instead of warm or hot water and you’ll reduce your energy use by up to 90% in some machines.

These tips alone can dramatically reduce your energy consumption which means there will be even less to pay the utility company at the end of the month. Once you get your heating sorted out you can then look at building your own wind turbine like I have done and pay absolutely nothing to power your home. I have been living off the grid since 2007 – I am connected to the grid however I draw none of my power from the grid, it all comes from the wind. Any excess energy gets sold back to the energy company and I get paid at the end of the month for my contribution.

My suggestion to you is to follow our energy saving tips and build your own wind turbine so that you pay absolutely nothing for your electricity.

Hi Barry,

First off I want to let you know that I have been a long time reader of your site residential wind power.  I stumbled across your site a few years back when I was looking at installing a wind turbine and regularly come back to see what is going on with wind turbines.

I have wanted to build my own wind turbine for a long time now but I have never got the courage up to do it. I am not very experienced with tools or anything like that I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to complete the project.   After reading your review of the best wind turbine plans I thought I might as well just jump in and have a go, after all what have I got to lose?

I went ahead and purchased the wind turbine plans that you recommended here and all of the information was sent to me instantly.  The kit came with guides on how to build a wind turbine which I am most interested in and also a few guides on how to build solar panels.  Although I am not into solar panels that much I might give building one a go seen as though I got the plans bundled in with the kit!

The kit was awesome it even come with videos and very detailed diagrams on what to put where so it made it very easy for a DIY novice like me.  For $49 the kit was an absolute bargain!

I went down to the hardware store to source the materials that I needed to construct the wind turbine and was pretty happy as it only came to $97 at the hard ware store.  So far so good.

When I got back from the hardware store I went about building the wind generator in the guide and it just came together so easy.  In the end it took me 5 hours to build the wind turbine from scratch when I followed the plan and now I have a home wind turbine for under $150 that is probably worth ten times as much!

I got an electrician to wire it in to the house so that I could push the energy generated from the wind turbine back onto the grid.  This took him about 1.5 hours.  The wind turbine is putting out some great power in low winds which is great as my home is in a fairly low wind area.

I am so stoked that I went ahead and bought the plans as I now can sit back and watch my homemade wind turbine generate clean renewable energy for my home.  Thanks for pointing me in the right direction Barry.  I have included a picture of my wind turbine for you.

Take it easy,

Mike Doolan

As you can see from Mikes review building a DIY wind turbine is easy and it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg to do it.  This is the wind turbine review Mike was talking about and this is the wind turbine plan that mike purchased.

If any other readers have had similar success with their wind turbines we would love to hear about it.