What Are Wind Turbines?

I looked out my window the other day and saw something different in two of my neighbors yards: wind turbines. Two of my neighbors built and installed their own renewable energy source, I asked them how they did it...

They told me they bought a manual that showed them in easy to follow step by step instructions how to build a turbine for home use. It clearly laid out what materials they would need to buy so they knew just what to ask for when they went to the store.

Basically a turbine is simply a machine that can turn the energy of wind into electricity and then store it for use later or use it immediately. I don't know all the technological ins and outs and you don't need to either.

The total cost was less than $300 and it took just a few days to build. The parts were found right in the local hardware store. They hooked their turbines up to simple batteries so they could save the electricity they create to be used later.

The average savings on the utility bills is around 80%. That will work out to at least several hundred dollars in just a few months, more than enough to recoup the cost of building their turbines in the first place.

One small turbine won't be enough to allow you to go off the grid, but saving 80% on your utility bills, especially when the investment in wind turbines was only a few hundred dollars to begin with, will definitely make it one of the best investments you'll ever make.

So as I sit sipping my coffee and looking at the neighbors windmills spinning happily in the wind, and saving them money, my only question is: when can I start?

Wind Energy And Your Electronic Devices Can Save You Money

I guess we really are the land of plenty, the lucky country, because everybody has a range of electronic devises in their home. TV's, cell phones, DVD players, VCR's, computers etc. The list goes on and on. Most of these devices did not even exist a generation ago. Most families who have all these things would never consider themselves rich but in world terms we are! The trouble is that all these electronic devices use electricity which seems to continually get more expensive. In order to stay "rich" we need to look at ways to reduce our energy usage without getting rid of our toys.

What if you could power all of these devices with your personal electricity; instead of having to buy it from the local power companies? Well you can and you can do it and fairly inexpensively. The most renewable energy source that can be harvested by you is to install your own home wind turbine kit. There are many designs available that will allow you to build your own for just a couple of hundred dollars.

If that seems a bit of a stretch for you, here are a few other things you can do.

Most people don't realize that even though their electronic item is turned off it is still in 'stand-by' mode, which means that it is still using electricity...and costing you money.

If you're not going to be using that TV in the basement for a long time then unplug it. I know it can be a bit of a hassle since you may need to re-set the channels, but if you unplug it when you don't need it, you can save yourself quite a bit of money over the course of a year!

Your computer is another energy hog. Many of us leave our computers on virtually around the clock all year long. I've heard conflicting opinions of whether or not it is good to turn your computer off daily, some say it's best while others say it's not good for it. The least you can do is to set your computer to an energy saving stand-by mode when not in use. It's sometimes referred to as sleep mode. That way you will be saving electricity without having to reboot your computer every morning before you use it.

None of these changes are going to make you the next millionaire. But all of them, with wind power, can combine to make quite a dent on your energy bills. These are simple energy savings techniques that don't take much time and you don't need any money or very little money. With such little effort and the potential savings, why wouldn't you do it?