Unlike the majority of blog postings regarding the Honeywell Windgate Wind Turbine by Earthtronics, I actually did some research for this article. In the process, it struck me that a homeowner in Massachusetts could possibly end up paying only $700 for a fully installed home wind turbine that would otherwise cost around $6,000.



This magical price reduction is the result of combining the now familiar 30% IRS energy tax credit with rebates from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust (MRET). (Those of you living in other states can start here to investigate potential rebates, or call your state's version of the Department of Energy for more information).

Here's the way it works. The MSRP for the Honeywell turbine is around $4,500 and I've guesstimated installation costs at around $1,500 for a total of $6,000. I've low-balled the cost of install since it requires only bolting the turbine to your roof with pre-engineered hardware and wiring the all inclusive control package (inverter, etc.) to your home. If you decide to mount the turbine on a freestanding pole or tower the installation costs would be considerably more depending on the type and height of the tower.

Starting with the $6,000 estimated cost, we'll first deduct the 30% tax credit ($1,800) for a remainder of $4,200. From this we'll deduct $3,500 courtesy of MRET to arrive at the promised $700. The $3,500 MRET credit is the basic amount allowed for a small wind turbine rated at 2kW (kilowatts). On top of the $3,500, provisions have been made for additional rebates based on the turbine's subsequent verifiable power production.

In Massachusetts, the small wind rebate application is, by law, the responsibility of the installer. However, since the Honeywell turbine won't be available until October 1, 2009, I can't say for certain if it has been placed on the list of state approved turbines.

As of this writing, repeated phone calls and an email to MRET concerning the Honeywell's eligibility have not been returned.

Power Output

As I mentioned earlier, the Honeywell turbine it is being marketed as a 2,000 kW (kilowatt) generator. In other words, it is rated to produce 2000 kW over the course of a year, or approximately 166 kW per month - 18-20% of the average household's annual power usage. In order for their turbine to generate this amount of electricity, the 5.7' prop would have to encounter average wind speeds of 16 mph.

But, as any wind surveyor will tell you, there just isn't that much wind blowing down around the average urban/suburban home. The reason is too many buildings, trees, etc. obstructing the flow of wind and creating turbulence - the #1 enemy of wind power.

Of course there are exceptions. If you live in the central plains states you'll encounter a higher wind class owing to the lack of obstructions just mentioned.

Sure, you will get wind at very low altitudes, but in most cases the velocity and consistency won't match the manufacturer's predictions. At 15-18 feet (the height of a typical one story house) you would be hard pressed to encounter mean, average, or any other measurable wind speeds greater than 12 mph.

At 12 mph, a 5.7' prop (the diameter of the Honeywell) would generate approximately 67 kWh of electricity per month, or about 40% of what is claimed in the ads. At $0.12/kWh this would translate to an estimated annual energy savings of $96.

Availability

According to Earthtronics, the actual developer of the turbine, the units will be available at Ace Hardware Stores around the 1st of October, 2009.

When I visited the Ace Hardware website I found no mention of the Honeywell turbine so I contacted customer service. The very lovely and helpful gal who answered my call told me although the turbine would indeed be sold by Ace Hardware, it would be up to the individual franchisee to stock the item.

She further went on to give me a telephone number I could pass along to the owner of my local Ace store in case he or she didn't know how to order the turbine.