Wind turbines are extremely effective at reducing your carbon footprint, and are quickly becoming the cheapest way to produce electricity. Wind turbines produce no pollution, and, more importantly, by using this green technology you will be offsetting the pollution that would have been generated by your utility company. Not only that, if you were to ever produce more energy then you use, the remaining electricity heads back to your utility company and they pay you for it. (Not quite as much as you pay them, however).

Wind turbines have an average lifetime on 20 years, which can offset about 1.2 tons of air pollutants and 200 tons of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, a leading contributor to climate change and global warming. With the great energy tax credits and local incentives that come along with residential wind turbines and large wind farms, there is little excuse left to not purchasing one.

If you’re thinking of going green and installing these alternative energy resources, there are definitely a few things you need to know. First of all, wind turbines may not be as dependable as products like solar panel systems; however, they can still cut your utility costs by 50 to 90 percent, and will still save you thousands in the long run. They are also space efficient, and extremely environmentally friendly.

Second, know what your city ordinance says about installing a high-rise wind turbine in your neighborhood. If you’re looking at residential wind systems, consult your home owners association as well. If you’re a friendly neighbor, it might be best to ask your adjacent homeowners if they would mind.

I know that in my neighborhood, the HOA would have a heart attack if anyone was to install a wind turbine. The regulations here do not allow anything to reach above 7 feet.

Third, know how much energy you use. As with any large green technology purchase, you need to do your research. By checking out your monthly utilities bill, you can easily find out how many kilowatts per day you use. On average, a home uses 9,400 kilowatt-hour of electricity per year, which would mean that home would have to purchase a wind turbine with a range of 5 to 15 kilowatts.

It would also be wise to know if you even live in an area with enough wind to power your home. Head over to www.windpoweringamerica.gov (or U.S. Department of Energy) for wind resource maps to see exactly where your neighborhood is and whether it’s a good idea to get a wind system, or perhaps a solar panel system. Certain parts of North Dakota, Kansas and Texas are currently producing enough wind energy to power all 51 states, so if you live in these areas it’s safe to say that a wind turbine would work for you.

Wind power kits and residential wind turbines are becoming more popular, with wind farms popping up in Iowa, Colorado, Minnesota, and even New York. In one year alone, wind turbine installs have risen 31 percent.