How Can A Small Wind Turbine Really Save Me Money?

A small wind turbine can be a way to get FREE energy for your home

First, let's make sure we are all on the same page here…

Most small wind turbines that produce enough power to take care of all the electrical needs at your house produce between .5 kW and 4 kW of power. That's not really enough to power much more than a portion of the load of a normal house.

Powering your house completely would take approximately 5 kW to power the average American home - that is, to power everything in the house. That 5 kW unit would have 18 ft diameter rotors. That's larger than a propeller on a WWII airplane!

Based on wind speed, you could need up to 10 kW though if due to irregularities in wind speed and direction. A 10 kW unit would have a rotor diameter of 25 ft with an average height of 80 ft in the air mounted on a tower. That large a structure may or may not meet your local codes.

How much do they cost?

You can pay anywhere between $10,000 and $70,000 installed for a wind turbine big enough to power your house, with an average of $30,000. Pricing all depends on how involved your installation is. If it is mounted on your house it can be relatively inexpensive, but if you have to attach the turbine on a tower to take advantage of higher prevailing winds, then you will need a more substantial foundation and that will cost a lot more. The price you pay for power varies of course from region to region. From my years of energy consulting, I can tell you the price you pay in California is very different than the price you pay in Oregon or Washington. California is VERY expensive, for example, and can cost $.33/kWh and Washington state can be less than $.04/kWh!

So, in order to properly analyze potential savings, you must begin with your current utility bill. Here are the steps for understanding clearly whether a small wind turbine is going to work for you:

1. Find your last electricity bill. Then, divide the monthly cost by the number of kilowatt-hours - that will give you your cost per killowatt-hour.

2. How much energy will the wind turbine you end up buying cut from your home electricity requirements?

This, you can get from the manufacturer's website or product literature.

3. Ask the manufacturer to calculate how much wind you are likely to use as a resource and how that translates into kilowatt-hours.

4. Multiply the kilowatt-hours you will likely save x the price per kilowatt-hour you calculated in #1.

5. That's how much you will likely save off your power bill in a given year.

To calculate your simple payback, just divide your installed cost plus about $500/year for maintenance by the annual savings. Typically, paybacks range from 6-30 years.

The great thing about small wind turbines is that once they are paid for, the energy is basically FREE, except for a little annual maintenance.


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Roger G. Brown has been an energy engineer for 20 years, having saved countless companies money on their power bills. If you want to learn more about how to slash your utility bill Now, check out Roger's tips on how to save money AND get a Wind Tax Credit