| By :
Roger Brown
The wind turbine costs you see on the Internet are not right, in most cases. They represent only one aspect of the total cost of getting a system up and running. In the long run, it is very hard to lose with a wind turbine, even if you don't optimize your front end cost. That's because your time horizon is the 20-30 year life of wind devices. If you are able to shave 25%- 50% off of your electricity bill at home that amount of money over that long a period of time will dwarf the investment. That is what your perspective needs to be, but you of course everyone still wants to optimize your purchase. That is why it is wise to include all likely costs in your analysis. There are a number of additional expenses that you must at least consider: * Mounting platform or tower - depending on how high you are mounting the turbine, this can be an expense as large as that of the wind device itself. While the best wind is always found up high, you have to weigh the extra electricity you will be able to produce there against the cost of adding the tower. * Replacement parts - the key wear item on a wind turbine is the blades. They are exposed to the wind the most of course and are the most significant moving part. It is good to invest in blades that are made of a material that will last a long time and hold up in a variety of weather conditions like, polycarbonate or, a lightweight metal. It is also a good idea to keep a spare set of blades on hand, since lead times for replacement can be long, depending on your source. * Planned and unplanned maintenance - planned maintenance with a wind device is really no different than with any other mechanism. You need to change the oil, as the movement of the internal parts causes wear and fragmentation of the metal parts interior to the machine that interact with each other. For a small wind turbine, annual maintenance should only cost $100-$200 per year. But, you need to budge 10% of the cost of the turbine for unexpected maintenance events. Wind turbine costs you find advertised are usually just wrong and need to be correctly and more completely assessed. Windmills can be a great way to cut electricity prices at home but you have to be realistic about what your costs will actually be or you will be hugely disappointed.
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