Small Wind Electric Systems: An Alaska Consumer's Guide Page: 4 of 27
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small wind energy system can lower
your electricity bill by 50% to 90%,
help you avoid the high costs of
extending utility power lines to
remote locations, prevent power
interruptions, and it is nonpolluting.
How Do Wind Turbines Work?
Wind is created by the unequal heat-
ing of the Earth's surface by the sun.
Wind turbines convert the kinetic
energy in wind into mechanical
power that runs a generator to
produce clean electricity. Today's
turbines are versatile modular sources
of electricity. Their blades are aero-
dynamically designed to capture the
maximum energy from the wind. The
wind turns the blades, which spin a
shaft connected to a generator that
makes electricity.
First, How Can I Make
My Home More Energy
Efficient?
Before choosing a wind system for
your home, you should consider
reducing your energy consumption by
making your home or business more
energy efficient. Reducing your
energy consumption will signifi-
cantly lower your utility bills and will
reduce the size of the home-based
renewable energy system you need.
To achieve maximum energy effi-
ciency, you should take a whole-
building approach. View your home
as an energy system with interrelated
parts, all of which work synergisti-
cally to contribute to the efficiency
of the system. From the insulation in
your home's walls to the light bulbs
in its fixtures, there are many ways to
make your home more efficient.
" Reduce your heating and
cooling needs by up to 30% by
investing just a few hundred
dollars in proper insulation and
weatherization products.Home Energy Use
Based on national averages
Water
heating
14%
Heating and
Lighting, cooling
cooking, 44%
and other
appliances
33%
Refrigerator 9%
The largest portion of a utility bill for a typical
house is for heating and cooling.
" Save money and increase
comfort by properly maintaining
and upgrading your heating,
ventilation, and air-conditioning
systems.
" Install double-paned, gas-filled
windows with low-emissivity
(low-e) coatings to reduce heat
loss in cold climates and spectrally
selective coatings to reduce heat
gain in warm climates.
" Replace your lights in high-use
areas with fluorescents. Replacing
25% of your lights can save about
50% of your lighting energy bill.
" When shopping for appliances,
look for the ENERGY STAR label.
ENERGY STAR appliances have
been identified by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
and U.S. Department of Energy
as being the most energy-efficient
products in their classes.
" For more information on how to
make your home energy efficient,
see Energy Savers in the For More
Information section.j,
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Small Wind Electric Systems: An Alaska Consumer's Guide, report, April 1, 2007; Golden, Colorado. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc887750/m1/4/: accessed May 10, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.