Residential Wind Generators

In looking at ways that I can help reduce my carbon footprint and help fight climate change I found that there are actually wind turbines you can use for your home. That's not to say you can go out and haphardly set up a turbine and think I can stick to the power company for all those years they've been gouging you on your power bill.

But, with planning you just might be able to do that. There are some things to consider though:

First, if you live in an apartment or condo you can pretty much forget about setting one up. Now I only say that as there likely are some who will try and set up a wind turbine on their apartment balcony. A lot of those stupid rules you see in contracts are there because someone was stupid enough to do it so they had to come up with a rule. Kind of like the lawsuit against McDonald's over someone got burnt on coffee claiming they didn't know it was hot.

Second thing is that if you're in a house in an urban or suburban setting you should check with the zoning regulations. There is the saying that it's easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. But in this case if you put up a turbine where the zoning didn't allow it no amount of begging is going to work to avoid you getting a fine.

If you live in a rural setting there's likely to be a lot more freedom to do what you want in terms of setting up a residential wind generator.

Once those issues are settled next determine whether or not you live in an area that gets a lot of wind. It would be rather foolish to invest in a wind generator only to find that the one you bought doesn't fit your needs because there wasn't a lot of wind in your area.

The next thing to think about is how much power do you need the wind generator to make. To determine that go through all your electrical appliances. That measures the kilowatt hours of the device. Either that or an easier way is to go through your power bills and average how many kilowatt hours you use each month. That will determine what you will need.

An above all else remember that safety comes first. Your turbine will have to be high enough to be free from interference from any trees and your house. As such there is the possibility that the turbine could fall in high winds. Make sure it won't fall on anyone or anyone's house.

Not to mention the fact that it is an electrical generator and you'll need to follow the safety protocols of the device so no one gets electocuted while around it.