subject: Wind Turbine Prices - How Will You Estimate The Overall Outlay? [print this page] Wind turbine pricing is all over the boardWind turbine pricing is all over the board. When you're looking for a wind device for your home, it can be very confusing. You can buy a wind turbine for $500 that seems to do almost exactly the same thing as a wind device for $15,000.
On top of that, the prices are very deceptive because there are additional costs involved in each and every project like this. The purchase price of the unit in most cases is nowhere near the total installed cost of the wind device.
Here are the major components of cost and what you must include in any thorough analysis of your options:
* Purchase price of the wind turbine. This of course is the price that you pay when you buy the when turbine kit from the manufacture. It is prudent to make sure that you understand thoroughly what parts are included in the kit. Many times manufacturers will leave out even key components to make their price appear less than their competitors. That being said, the purchase price of the wind turbine is still only one component of the overall cost.
* Depending on where you are going to install it, the mounting cost can be very different. If you're going to put the wind turbine up on your roof for example, the pedestal may be relatively short and not that expensive but you must make sure that it is securely fastened to the roof and is unlikely to harm the underlying roof structure. That's in contrast to the case if the wind turbine is going to be installed on a tower, however. The tower can be as expensive as the wind turbine itself. So, you have got to make sure that you think through with a contractor the cost of putting the wind turbine up and connecting it you to your set of batteries or to your home's electrical system.
* Then, you need to purchase a set of replacement blades and other parts that wear out fast and consider regular maintenance costs as well. Blades are the item that wears out the quickest. Many times there is a long lead time on getting blades in, therefore, if you do not want to be left bladeless, it's a good idea to stock a spare set. Bottom line is you need to budget a certain amount for replacement parts in your total analysis of costs.
* Lastly, the commissioning of the unit or, the cost required to get it up and running must be calculated in as well.
All in all, wind turbine pricing doesn't have to be all that baffling, but you need to make sure that you include all the elements of the total cost when you're doing your homework and comparison-shopping.
