Slapping a wind turbine on your home to cut your bloated electric bill will soon be easier. Sometime this fall, EarthTronics, a small wind turbine maker from Michigan, will begin selling its Honeywell Wind Turbine at your local ACE Hardware store.
The new turbine, which will be designed under a brand licensing deal with Honeywell, is estimated to provide 2-kilowatts of power and operate at wind speeds as low as 2 mph. The small wind turbine is 6 feet in diameter, weighs 95 pounds and can be roof-mounted. The company says the turbine is “the highest output, lowest cost per kWh installed turbine ever made.”
A key feature of the Honeywell turbine is that it has no center gearbox. Wind power turns magnets located around the turbine’s frame to generate power. The “direct-drive” design negates the need for a costly gearbox. The design reduces the number of components, and allows the turbine to start generating power with low wind speeds.
EarthTronics is estimating the cost of the new turbine to be $4,500 with installation costs running up to an additional $1,500. You can reduce your costs by taking advantage of federal investment tax credits, which can offset 30% of the cost of a wind turbine installation.
A few notes of caution – remember, local zoning and subdivision bylaws may prevent residential turbine installations. The performance of roof-mounted, or urban wind turbines, can be affected by surrounding structures and obstructions that can significantly reduce usable wind – don’t presume you have enough wind; check your wind speeds. In addition, roof-mounted turbines can be noisy – though the removal of the center gearbox may help mitigate this issue.
The Honeywell Wind Turbine is said to produce up to 18% of a typical home’s energy needs. Run the numbers to see how long it will take to get your investment back. You can speed-up that payback and reduce your electric consumption by properly insulating your home, installing a tankless water heater, switching appropriate lights to CFL’s, and cutting down the standby power consumption of your home entertainment system, computer and its peripherals by utilizing smart power strips.
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Let’s see. Earthtronics web site says the Honeywell wind turbine can produce up to 2000 KW/yr. At my current rate of 6 cents per KW that is $120 per year.
Divide the cost of the turbine ($4,500) by the production ($120) and it will take only 37.5 years for pay back. That assumes max production and no needed repairs.
Not overly practical in my area.
The average cost per kilowatt hour of electricity varies across the U.S. Last year it averaged around 11 cents. It’s estimated that the average household uses around 12,000 Kw per year costing $1,320. The Honeywell Turbine claims to produce 2000 KWh a year or around $220 at the 11 cents average. So the turbine does put a dent in some electric bills. If you’re paying a cheap rate for power a small wind turbine probably isn’t a wise home improvement – unless you just want to make a statement.
for $1900.00 you can buy a 2kw home wind turbine off amazon plus a 2 yr warranty to boot. WTF
Hey RJ,
All wind turbines aren’t created equal. The Honeywell turbine produces power at wind speeds as low as 2mph and is designed without a center gearbox which reduces the moving parts. If you want to buy your turbine at Amazon.com, that’s up to you.
what are the deibels?
relate that to noise a lawnmover makes
thank you