Can a homeowner purchase a wind generator at what cost and eliminate an electric bill?

Answer 1

The only cost effective installation I've seen is at a home where connection to commercial AC power was very expensive. The home owner was quoted about $15000 to run a line to the house, and this became the alternate energy budget. Several solar panels, both for electricity and water heating were installed on the roof. A wind generator was installed on a 80 foot pole to supplement the solar panels. Battery banks, inverters, etc were installed inside to power the house. All appliances were selected to be very energy efficient, lighting was minimized, but remained adequate. The total price was less than quoted for commercial power, and comes with the added benefit of no further electric bills other than routine maintenance and repair of the system.

I think that if there is commercial electricity available you will be hard pressed to justify the expense financially. I'm installing a wind system to supplement the electric use in the house. Payback looks like it could take 10-12 years, but I'm not doing it as a money saving project, but rather as something to experiment with and learn. Instead of wasting money on cigarettes and beer every week, I've stashed money aside to finance my project.

I have pictures, electric diagrams, structural drawings, etc on my web page.
http://members.rennlist.org/warren/wind.html

Answer 2

Wind generators start at about $800.00 CND, & go up from there. It would be necessary to do a study on the available wind in your area to figure out what generator you need, & even if one would do you any good.
If you are looking to go completely "off the grid" then you might want to consider a combination of wind & solar power.
These systems can get pretty expensive when you include the cost of wind generator, solar panels, voltage regulator, DC to AC inverter, & storage batteries, & if you intend to generate as much power as you now routinely use when connected to the grid, a system like that would run into several thousand dollars.
They may take several years to pay for themselves, but the pay-off really comes when your neighbours who are still on the grid, experience a power failure due to a storm or other cause, & you still have power because you are independant of the power utility company.
By contacting a solar power installer in your area you can also explore a compromise type of system where you stay connected to the grid, but also generate your own electricity as well with wind & solar. When properly installed a system like that has the potential of running your electric meter backwards during times that you are using the least amount of electricity, & therefore selling YOUR electricity to the utility company. But most of the time all you can really epect to do is to slow down the meter so you pay less on your electric bill.
A friend of mine runs a solar power systems company here in Canada. Here is his website where you can see more information.
http://www.soleraenergies.com/main.aspx

Answer 3

I doubt it would be financially feasible-- it only generates power when its windy, and its quite expensive.

Think about solar panels.

Answer 4

YOU BET YOU CAN PUT UP A WINDMILL (MAY NEED A PERMIT) IN WISCONSIN UTILITIES ARE REQUIRED TO BUY ALL THE POWER(ENERGY) THAT YOU DONT USE. ALSO A TAX CREDIT AND THERES OTHER "MONEY" FOR DOING THIS.