The Answer, My Friend …

Is the answer blowing in the wind?

In a previous post we bulleted some advice on how to market in these leaner and uncertain times. The first bullet said this:

• Introduce a new product or service with an angle on where your customers are heading, not where they’ve been.

Easy to say, right? … but just where is it that your customers are heading? I think we can all agree that one place they’re heading is “green,” and it is up to home architects, builders and marketers to lead them there. In other words, it is up to US.

We can be tame and tip-toe up to it with “eco-friendly” materials and beefed-up insulation and the like, or we can go for the gusto and smack photovoltaics on the roof. Square footage is decreasing … energy efficiency (or even better, self-reliance) is a goal most people are now in touch with — one that seemed like a fringe idea just a few years ago. Now it’s Main Stream.

What energy efficiency will you build today for tomorrow’s home owner?

Wind generation of electricity in Minnesota is typically pictured like this early (1994) pilot project by Northern States Power. Owned by Xcel Energy, Buffalo Ridge is now one of the highest and windiest wind farms in the region, with 450 turbines generating up to 300 megawatt hours of electricity annually.

But why not smaller residential scale installations? They haven’t been considered efficient or productive enough in the past to be feasible, but that is changing. According to the American Wind Energy Association which has lots of good baseline information:

Homes use approximately 9,400 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year (about 780 kWh per month). Depending upon the average wind speed in the area, a wind turbine rated in the range of 5 to 15 kilowatts would be required to make a significant contribution to meet this demand.

Technically, wind energy is an extension of solar, to the extent that heating of the atmosphere by the sun generates wind. Wind turbines for electrical generation don’t have to be the big-bladed horizontals that we’re used to seeing, but can actually be configured either vertically or horizontally .

Horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT) are the familiar tri-blade modern windmill. These guys are big because blade length = generating efficiency. Beside the benefit of ground clearance, the tall tower is also required to raise the blades far enough above ground turbulence to be efficient. This height requirement makes HAWT generally unsuited for residential application for anything short of a rural dwelling … and even then, just because they will work doesn’t mean you want a spinning monstrosity next to your home.

But there are functional and elegant vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) today that handle multi-directional (turbulent) winds and can function in tighter quarters, without towering 100 ft. into the air … we just aren’t used to seeing them. How about this delicate design from quietrevolution?

This changes the entire design imperative, and now these things can start to look down-right *elegant* when compared to those giant propellors. How about this rippled marshmallow affair from Helix Wind Products?

But there’s no need to stop there. If they can look fun and funky … why not elegant and cool? Once the mechanics are worked out, aesthetics can be wrapped around functionality. This one is compliments of  Green by Design.

You know your customer, don’t you? Their history and their profile? Their sense of style and practicality? Imagine what your customer will be focused on now and for the future and aim for that.

There is a pretty good overview of residential wind generation at the green blog RiverWired. The door is just opening on some of these things and there are not solid easy answers right now, but if it were easy … Clearly, those who do their due diligence and build what the market is waiting for will lead the way and prosper from that leadership.

Is residential wind the power wave of the future? That’s a big question, and one that is your job to figure out as builders and architects and engineers. We’re just trying to plant seeds. Once you get it figured out, it’ll be our job to help you sell it.

T&T

[NOTE: Don't miss this summer's opportunity to gain information, training and accreditation in the Minnesota GreenStar-Certified Green Homes & Remodeling program.]