Sheep Dog Hollow's green renovation is almost finished

This is going to be one of my last blog posts in the Monitor about Sheep Dog Hollow, our green renovation adventure. The greening aspects of the project are almost all complete, from the geothermal heat system to the low-E windows to the on-demand water heaters.

So we’re looking to future green options – and the one that’s currently caught my attention is wind. In my previous two posts, I discussed how to determine whether wind would be a viable option for you and then gave a thumbnail sketch of the initial challenges – which include getting town approval to put up a big tower on your property to measure the air speed overhead.

“To really know for sure where you’re at, you need to put up your own anemometer and do a little bit of a wind study of your own,” says Bruce Lichenwalter of Northeast Alternative Energy.

An anemometer is a little mechanism that measures and can record wind speeds. Many states – most of which are out West, although others include Vermont and Virginia – have anemometer loan programs that homeowners can take advantage of.

The Department of Energy’s Wind Powering America site has a map that shows which states have them. Their mission, like the one in Virginia at James Madison University is "designed to empower landowners by generating their interest in wind energy through the borrowing of meteorological towers and encouraging wind development.”

Connecticut, where Sheep Dog Hollow is located, alas, doesn’t have such a program, but it’s easy to buy an anemometer – they can cost as little as $35. The big expense comes from the tower, which should be the recommended 30 feet above the tree line.That could cost from a few thousand dollars to as much as $25,000 or $30,000.

Since I haven't undertaken this challenge yet, I’d recommend other sites, such as otherpower.com, which touts itself as the “cutting edge of low technology.” It has a great page that has far more detailed information about towers and how to build them. It’s also a great primer on getting started in wind.

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