Save energy in the home

Mains electricity is actually a fairly useful thing. It is consistent and these days in the UK it is even fairly reliable give a gale force storm or two. The problem with it though is that it can be fairly costly to install in places a distance from the main grid, it doesn’t cope well with harsh condition such as damp or water, and, lets face it, it can be a dangerous old thing when you put your shovel blade through the cable. The other key issue is that the vast majority of mains electricity generated in the UK is done so by dirty great big power stations burning coal, gas or using highly radioactive nuclear material. Not the most earth friendly technologies by a long shot. One great alternative to using mains power and something that is especially effective in remote or un mains friendly locations is to harness the natural energy of the wind with a energy saving small wind turbine like a Rutland 504. Although possible to power appliances directly from such a wind turbine, a consistent supply is what is generally needed so a battery bank (maybe even just made up of one car battery) is what you would store your power in. This could then be used to power any manner of 12v (or 24v) appliances or even with use of an inverter, 230V appliances.

One of the best and most effective ways to use this energy however is for lighting and this article will focus on this. Low energy lighting got a fairly bad press in the past as the low energy mains lighting bulbs that were around made it feel like you were living in a mine shaft for the first 10 minutes of operation. These days the technology has come along a lot so 12v low wattage bulbs or fluorescent lights provide effective lighting for long periods of time at very little cost to yourself.

Whether you are trying to light a small shed, a larger remote barn, a garage, your driveway or your garden, there is an energy saving solution for you that will be ready and waiting thanks to the small turbine charging the system. IR sensors and timers can also be used to add a bit more complexity to a system for security or safety lighting. If you are worried about too many calm and sunny days (perhaps not in England?) you can easily combine your wind turbine with a solar panel to cover all weather situations.

For more significant power requirements large turbines such as the LE-300 from Leading Edge or the Rutland 910-3 can be used, again with an efficient solar panel, to charge the battery bank you need. All in all whether to cut down your carbon foot print or provide power where mains isn’t practical to do so, a small scale energy saving wind turbine could very well be the solution for you.