really off topic..wind power

[flyingcuda]

hello all, i am soooo frustrated with hydro rates...for 2 months we have a hydro bill of 1100.00 canadian. now to me..this is very outragious! if we don't pay by june 10th they will cut us off...surprise surprise..we just paid them 500 on the 5th of this month. i am totally fed up with thier bullying. hubby and i have been discussing building our own windpower source...wind turbine. does anyone have any experience with this? we can buy a pretty much ready to go system for around 5 grand, unfortunatly..i think i left that money in my other pants i have looked on the internet and so far just a lot of..buy our manuals. if anyone has any input..i would really be greatful.

thanks

[rdb]

Yikes!!!That would get me mad ,too.

Getting off grid, unfortunately, is a very expensive operation. With the amount of usage you have, you aren't going to get away with anything cheap. My builder/spidey sense tells me you'll need some $25,000 US to get near that kind of wattage. Hopefully in Canada they have some sort of writeoffs/incentive for you.

In the meantime, read all you can about DIY alternative energy projects, and start with something small like your hot water, which is one of the bigger culprits in power consumption.

The newest thing I just read was that the new LCD TVs are big power users.

Living in Canada, I'm sure you've done, or have all the basics like good windows and insulation, and a computer thermostat.

Before I had my shop, it was about 150-200 US for us, here in NC, but now it hovers at 300 US, so I started tacking that extra cost onto my products. This country/state hasn't shown a willingness to make a major conversion to alternatives. Hopefully those things will change.

[whinewine]

hello all, i am soooo frustrated with hydro rates...for 2 months we have a hydro bill of 1100.00 canadian. now to me..this is very outragious! if we don't pay by june 10th they will cut us off...surprise surprise..we just paid them 500 on the 5th of this month. i am totally fed up with thier bullying. hubby and i have been discussing building our own windpower source...wind turbine. does anyone have any experience with this? we can buy a pretty much ready to go system for around 5 grand, unfortunatly..i think i left that money in my other pants i have looked on the internet and so far just a lot of..buy our manuals. if anyone has any input..i would really be greatful.

thanks

Now I know this goes way, way back, but if you have access to The Mother Earth News (maybe their archives are available on line??) there was a big push for this back in the '70s, but unfortunately this died along with other possible alternate technologies. While the technology has certainly improved many times over what was available then, I'm certain those articles are still a wealth of knowledge. I would suggest a contact with Mother Earth News ( http://motherearthnews.com ) to do a search for relevant articles & request reprints. I mean, it's worth a shot. I do know that some people did produce sufficient energy to sell the excess back to the electric company, but that would depend upon the constancy of the wind flow, along with other factors.

Unfortunately, around here, many people are violently against windmills & wind farms (because, I guess, they feel that they'll ruin the pristine look of the stripmines). Personally, I don't care one way or another, but I do think they are neat & imposing structures that look cool on a far away ridge. I also feel that if we can get energy from God's wind that would otherwise go to waste, then lets go for it.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

russ

[Ian]

Nothing against wind power, but if folks think it's going to be cheap energy - guess again. It will be decades before the costs of building wind farms is re-couped, Commercial wind power in countries like Spain is much more expensive than it is from traditional sources.

I like the idea of having my own power source, just for the sake of independence, but could never afford the cost, just like solar panels.

As far as commercial wind farms - I don't know how thousands of acres of windmills is less of an eyesore than any other means of generating electicity.

[Jordan]

Try the following magazines.... Home Power... available at most large book stores like barnes and noble in the us..... Backwoods Home also available at large book stores. Both have web sites to peruse and order subscriptions, BH site has articles on alternative energy by an author named Jeff Yago, very informative. While the up front costs of home wind,solar,hydro etc. seem expensive, the long term cost savings makes it a bit easier to swallow.

[Tkleather1]

Nothing against wind power, but if folks think it's going to be cheap energy - guess again. It will be decades before the costs of building wind farms is re-couped, Commercial wind power in countries like Spain is much more expensive than it is from traditional sources.

I like the idea of having my own power source, just for the sake of independence, but could never afford the cost, just like solar panels.

As far as commercial wind farms - I don't know how thousands of acres of windmills is less of an eyesore than any other means of generating electicity.

I hear ya. but the @$$holes that approve it did it up here in washington to try and get rid of the "Salmon Killing dams", its all about the fish up here. Hell you cant even buy cascade dishwashing detergent because it might makes its way back from here in Spokane area back to the ocean. we have to go to Idaho so I can actually get my dishes clean. Its all just a bunch of B.S.

You might try a company called Ribicks ( not sure on the spelling) they are located in Airway Heights Washington, I have never dealt with them but some friends of mine have, they gave information helping on how to and my friend only bought a part of one windmill from them.

[IsiahPunch]

Nothing against wind power, but if folks think it's going to be cheap energy - guess again. It will be decades before the costs of building wind farms is re-couped, Commercial wind power in countries like Spain is much more expensive than it is from traditional sources.

I like the idea of having my own power source, just for the sake of independence, but could never afford the cost, just like solar panels.

As far as commercial wind farms - I don't know how thousands of acres of windmills is less of an eyesore than any other means of generating electicity.

i will prefer to got with solar power.. In our region plenty of sunshine is available so we can make most of it by generating power..

[IsiahPunch]

i will prefer to got with solar panel.. In our region plenty of sunshine is available so we can make most of it by generating power..

Anybody else using solar power..?

[cgleathercraft]

I will seriously look into solar when I make a house/land purchase. Doing it to a rental doesn't make much sense :/

I've heard of people powering small sheds for several (4+) hours with a kit from harbor freight and a few deep cycle marine batteries. A kit like that won't power a house by any means but it can offset some costs. Plus panels are getting cheaper. The biggest costs are the battery bank and power converter.

Its hard to get a standard quote on a system unfortunately. Companies usually build a custom setup based on current and future usage. At least the one's I've seen do that. Good Luck!!!

[WyomingSlick]

hello all, i am soooo frustrated with hydro rates...for 2 months we have a hydro bill of 1100.00 canadian. now to me..this is very outragious! if we don't pay by june 10th they will cut us off...surprise surprise..we just paid them 500 on the 5th of this month. i am totally fed up with thier bullying. hubby and i have been discussing building our own windpower source...wind turbine. does anyone have any experience with this? we can buy a pretty much ready to go system for around 5 grand, unfortunatly..i think i left that money in my other pants i have looked on the internet and so far just a lot of..buy our manuals. if anyone has any input..i would really be greatful.

thanks

What in tarnation are you using that much electical power for? Just a quick check on the net puts the average Canadian residential bill at between 100-200 per month. So, are you talking about electricity for a business then? If you are talking about a residential bill, then I have to wonder if you heat your home with electricity, have an electically heated swimming pool, a hundred 300 watt yard lights, or what?

From what I read, it sounds like Canadian power costs are going to keep rising in the near future as the power producing infrastructure is expanded to meet rising demand.

Faced with a large bill like you enjoy, YES, it is time.....er.....past time to find some alternatives and ways to reduce your consumption and/or produce your own power. Sounds to me like 5 grand for a wind turbine system isn't much compared to your monthly bill.