The same technology used to fuel grids, is coming to your home.
In keeping with my promised “green theme” for the week, I want to mention another great new green fixture. A few years back, one of my uncles asked me about starting a business to install wind turbines on residences. He had a great idea. Now, these gearless wind turbines are making their way into the green market.
Today, one day before Earth Day, Honeywell is releasing its first consumer-friendly gearless wind turbine. This is one heck of a toy, but do not dismiss the benefit to your home’s performance. This 6 foot turbine produces 1500 watts at high winds and does it at only 35 db. So, its a quiet option for producing energy.
The system costs just about $6,000.00, about half of which is covered by federal tax credits. You can determine your energy savings by checking out this nifty energy calculator. The calculator even adds in WA Renewable Energy Production Incentives, which help offset your cost.
It remains to be seen whether this will be a suitable replacement for solar energy systems. In Seattle, we lack both persistent sun and heavy wind. But, the early reports from home performance contractors,with whom I have spoken, is that the turbines cannot match the output performance of a solar thermal system. At a similar price, perhaps the turbine is still not the best option on the market.
Regardless, here is another product that can prove useful to green building contractors on both residential and commercial jobs. If you begin using these types of turbines, please feel free to leave a comment below.
