(Written For Repellemblog.com)

 

Wind power isn’t something you normally think of when you think alternate energy sources. Generally when somebody mentions that their home is ran by clean energy the mind immediately takes you down the path of solar power. At least mine does. What I definitely don’t think about is a home with a windmill in the backyard. Ok maybe I can see one of those ornamental things twirling away near the garden in the shape of something along the lines of two guys sawing a log or a duck flying south with it’s wing twirling a mile a minute. Either way a home powered by wind isn’t something many people consider. However now that several states have started offering up tax incentives for switching to wind power, the environmentally conscious all across the country find themselves…well chasing windmills.

 

According to the American Wind Energy Association sales of wind systems climbed 62% last year and now average around $17 million a year!! If that’s not amazing enough, they also say that windmills are powering over 100,000 homes. Windmills are quickly turning into a very cool alternative to relying on city ran utilities. Just ask Tom Rhamy. Rhamy owns a 3000-watt wind turbine on his home in Kern County California and says “I just love the feeling I get when I watch my electricity meter spin backwards, because the more often my meter spins backwards, the less I have to pay Southern California Edison”

 

The $30k price tag is a draw back for some and probably does make wind power hard to acquire for those living on a budget, but with the systems paying for themselves in less than 5 years (through savings on your utility bill) if you can swing it why not? And don’t worry about not having enough wind; the turbines can be raised to over 70 feet where they are practically guaranteed to catch the breeze.