Save on Your Monthly Electric Bills by Building Your Own Windmill

Now that we're aware that the whole world may completely run out of its fuel reserves and will leave us utterly powerless when that happens, we need to think of ways to cope with the impending energy crisis. We need to start conserving whatever power we have left and begin using, harnessing and developing alternative energy sources such as solar and wind to generate more power and break our dependencies on fossil fuels.

Building a windmill to utilize the power of the wind doesn't come very cheap. But we shouldn't look at the initial investment but at the long-term benefits of using this alternate power solution. In the long run, a windmill will turn out to be a huge money saver because it can generate electricity at almost zero cost. The installation cost will be replaced with an equivalent amount in savings from having free electricity and dramatically reducing, if not totally eliminating, monthly electric bills.

But before you go ahead and build your windmill, here are some of the things you need to consider first:

1. Do you have enough wind? The ideal average speed of wind in a good windmill location at should be 11 miles per hour, but you can still get good result from a slightly lower average. In fact, it has been observed lately that some people have setup windmills at areas with less than 11 miles per hour wind speed.

2. Start with a good and solid plan on how you will setup your own windmill at home. Also, estimate how much power output the windmill can reasonably generate.

3. Look for durable materials to use. Because windmill will literally work against wind, the materials must be sturdy enough to withstand the normal wear and tear, and even heavy gust of winds.

4. Buy components intelligently. Make sure to compare the prices before you make any purchase. Some online sellers are selling at cheaper rates so it's worth checking them out. But always keep the quality and the budget in balance.

If you don't have the slightest idea on how to create a windmill and is looking to get instructions online, these are what you should look for:

1. Component descriptions. All materials needed for the project must be enumerated and explained in details and pictures. It would be better if sources, whether offline or online, are mentioned. Look for something that can give equipment and seller information near your area. Also, it should provide you with other options, should the material is unavailable.

2. Easy-to-follow instructions. Not all instructions are the same. There are some that are full of technical jargon. The instructions must be clear and easy-to-follow and if some technical terms are absolutely unavoidable, they must be explained in plain, easy-to-understand words.

3. Visual illustrations: Pictures are worth a thousand words. It will be a lot easier if the instructions are accompanied by how-to-do pictures than by a lot of words. Sometimes, pictures alone can effectively illustrate the whole assembling process.