Wind power- who do you contact for assist?

Question

My property is set on a hill with almost constant wind. I really need to cut my costs here as I lost my hubby in 2006. Further it would be nice to charge the light company in our area for a change.

Answer 1

There are a few places to start, but you can get more information from the American Wind Energy Association (www.awea.org) and from wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power) but the systems that you are talking about that are connected to teh grid and allow net metering are pretty expensive to install (USD $30,000+) and require licensed contractors.

If you are looking to decrease you electric bills you can do some small more incremental steps that will add together to make a difference.

• You can replace incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent ones

• Buy energy star appliances whenever you replace the old ones

• Install a programmable thermostat

• Turn down your house temperature by 2 degrees

• Install an expandable solar panel array (that way you can add panels as you have more money to invest) (www.homedepot.com)

• Lower the temperature on your hot water heater to 120 degrees

• Wash your clothes in cold water

• Install a smaller wind turbine like the ones from Bergey (for a fraction of the cost) to assist with reducing the bills (www.bergey.com)

If you want to discuss further feel free to email me.  

Good luck going green!

Answer 2

Check to see if you are living in a state with utility regulation - if so contact them.  Search for "utility regulatory commission", with your state name.  Each state is  a little different in its rules - you may need citing authority.  There are different costs/benefits too, so its best to talk with someone at the state level and see what your options are.