Seize the breeze with wind turbines
This electricity is then sent to the national grid, and it’s likely you’ll already be using some of it at home - almost 30% of the UK’s electricity was generated by wind power in 2023.
But it’s also possible to set up a miniature version of these huge turbines at home, generating electricity to power your home directly. Though you’ll need a lot of space - and be willing to pay a sizable upfront cost - a wind turbine will produce zero-carbon energy, for free.
Who can install a wind turbine at home?
While a domestic wind turbine will be much smaller than those you’d see on wind farms, you’ll still need plenty of space, and an average back garden won’t cut it. This is because the turbines need to feel the full force of the wind to be effective - if there’s buildings in the way, for example, they’ll only generate a paltry amount of power.
But if you live in a rural area and have a lot of open space around you, a wind turbine might suit your needs. The higher your home, the more wind there’ll be and therefore the more energy you’ll create, so it’s even better if you live atop a hill.
To check whether you’ll be able to create enough energy to justify installing a wind turbine, place an anemometer or a wind gauge - devices to measure wind speed - where you’d put the turbine. Leave it there for a couple of months to get the full picture. The average wind speed needs to be at least five metres per second for a wind turbine to be worthwhile.
Do you need planning permission?
Whether you’ll need to get planning permission to install your wind turbine depends on whether or not you meet certain explicit criteria, which varies country to country. In England, you can install a turbine without seeking planning permission if you meet the following requirements:
- You live in a detached home surrounded by other detached homes
- You don’t have a heat pump installed
- You’re only installing one turbine; and the turbine isn’t higher than 3m above your chimney for roof turbines, or higher than 11.1m for standalone turbines,
Types of wind turbines
Wind turbines can either be mounted on a pole, or attached to your roof. Free standing turbines can generate around 6kW of electricity, while those on a roof are smaller and less effective, generating around 2kW. To put that in context, the average UK home uses between 8kW and 10kW of electricity a day.
How much money can you save with a wind turbine?
Installing a wind turbine on your roof will cost around £2,000. Keep in mind that since this type of turbine doesn’t generate a great deal of power, the savings you’ll see on your energy bills will be limited, and you likely won’t make that money back for a long time.
In comparison, the upfront costs of installing a pole-mounted wind turbine outside your home are quite significant, at around £35,000. This includes the turbine itself, the installation process, and getting connected to the grid.
But because wind turbines provide you with a free source of electricity, you’ll make a fair chunk of this back through the reduction on your energy bills. According to the Energy Saving Trust, these savings can go up to £510 a year if you have a 6kW turbine that picks up enough wind. Plus, if your wind turbine generates more energy than you can use, you can sell some of it to the grid through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), which could put up to £400 a year in your pocket.
Maintaining your wind turbine
Your wind turbine will need to be checked every few years, and each maintenance will set you back around £200. Plus, although you can expect your turbine to last over 20 years, you may need to replace its inverter at some point, which can cost an additional £1,000-2,000.
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