Is there a US Company that the public can purchase a wind gererator and have it installed?

Question

I want to find out about wind power. I live in a semi rural area on a 1-1/2 acre piece of land. How big of a generator do I need for a 4BR Home with A/C running 7-8 months a year. Looking for a company who can sell and install the unit and handle permits and other requirements. A Turn-Key deal is what I want if practical and cost effective.

Answer 1

There is a US company called Southwestpower that can get you set-up with wind power for your home.  Their product is the Skystream 3.7 Residential Wind Turbine, and it will cost approximately $5,500.00 USD to purchase.  From what I've read, I think installation costs are another $12,000 - $15,000, so the initial investment will typically be in the range of $17,500 USD to $22,500 USD. Rebates and incentives will reduce the purchase price in some areas, but that's a lot of money!

The other option is to build your own turbine to wind power your home. I am not much of a do-it-yourselfer, but the cost savings are just too large to ignore. You can purchase instructions for taking on this type of a project from various sources. The instructions seem to range in price from $10-$50 and they promise the materials will cost less than $200. Even if it takes you a couple of weekends to complete the project and it ends up costing twice as much to build the product, that's quite a difference in costs!

Here are a couple of links that should get you started in your research.

http://www.skystreamenergy.com

http://www.earth4energy.ca

Good luck!