Wind turbine to off set cost of geo thermal ???

[tipsy]

Very new to this forum but interested to get feed back from others. We are currently in the process of planning a timberframe bungalow- approx 4000 sq ft. We are expecting to use geo thermal heat as well as a heat recovery system. However we are still hesitant because of the cost of electricity during the cold months. Is it possible to install a turbine that would off- set these unpredictable costs ? We are building close on the west coast so we know wind will never be in short supply. Would the cost of a turbine large enough to produce this much energy be less than the esb over say 10 years?

 

[quentingargan]

Hi Tipsy. It really depends on your site and how much wind you have, but I would raise the following concern... The viability of a wind turbine depends on four values for your electricity;
15c that you buy it for in the day time
7c you pay at night
19c that you get for the first 3,000 units you export
9c you get for every unit you export over 3,000 units per year.

At its worst point, if having geothermal means that you are using electricity at night that you could export for 19c, and which would normally have cost you 7c off-peak, your finances go haywire. On the other hand, if you have a superb site, and you are exporting more than 3,000 units, even after geothermal, then your electricity consumption is only "costing" you 9c.

If you'd like to learn more about wind turbines for the domestic market, I run short courses, but have just put the "classroom" element of these online here.

I'm no great fan of geothermal, and find that many people are putting it into houses which are so well insulated, that the fuel cost for other fuels such as pellets, wouldn't be that much. If you spend €20K on a geothermal unit in a house that costs €3K per annum to heat, that's one thing, but if your heating bill is only €500, how can you justify it?