Thank you!!!! We got a big rebate for putting in the windmill too. We are going for the battier back up next. My brother in law who owns a recycling center just got 25 batteries in from the state that they used for back up when the power went out. We can get them dirt cheap all we need is a good converter. He has one that came with the batteries but, it’s over 10 years old.
MsLady:
I’ve lived in the north. You’re better off sticking with wood as a renewable resource, and planting back what you harvest, than using solar.
Much easier timewise, much cheaper to implement. You can generally get by on a well forested quarter acre, for use in heating.
If you are already generating about a quarter for the use of electricity, Wood would pretty much take care of all your heating costs, and let you use the wind power for some of your electrical.
“all we need is a good converter. He has one that came with the batteries but, it’s over 10 years old.”
I would not lose sleep over the age of the converter. It probably has very few hours of service and they generally last many years.
Batteries are another issue, even if perfecetly maintained, they generally aren’t good for more than 5-6 years but I have heard of people getting 10 years out of them.
If you have the safety equipment and knowledge, batteries can even be cast and manufactured at home but the lead paste is very toxic and I wouldn’t try it myself.