Homeowners are looking to wind turbines to reduce electric bills and help the environment.

TURNER – At $15,000, the 50-foot windmill wasn’t cheap when Bruce Gallup and his wife, Lindy, bought it a year ago, but it gave them exactly what they wanted: a way to cut electrical costs and reduce their impact on the environment.

It also gave them something they weren’t expecting: notoriety.

Two or three times a week, potential wind devotees pull into the Gallups’ driveway, wide eyes fixed on the tall turbine they’d caught sight of from the road.

“We’ve become like the referral center,” Bruce Gallup said. “People constantly ask about it.”

How much did it cost? they ask. How much electricity does it produce? Is it noisy? Is it worth it?

Where can they get one?

Turbines have been controversial in recent years, with recreation organizations and nature groups opposing large-scale private wind farms in western and northern Maine.

Publicly owned, single turbines have been less controversial. Saco has a its own turbine, as does Farmington. Auburn is considering one.

But individual wind turbines are booming in popularity in a surprising locale.

Backyards.

Going green, saving green

A generation ago, windmills converted wind into mechanical energy – harnessing the breeze, for example, to help farmers pump water. Like those old-fashioned windmills, today’s electricity-producing turbines work when the wind blows the blades.

But modern turbines are technologically advanced, complete with computer brains responsible for everything from calculating how much electricity has been generated to shutting down the turbine during hurricane-force winds.

In part because of that technology, turbines can be expensive, ranging from $14,000 to $19,000 installed.

In order to be effective, experts say, wind turbines should stand at least 30 feet tall and be placed at least 20 feet from trees, buildings and anything else that could obstruct the wind.

They recommend placing turbines in areas that get a yearly average wind speed of at least 8 mph.

In Maine it can be hard to find spots with enough wind. The coast is good. Hilltops are good. Valleys and wooded areas aren’t so good.

Still, Mainers are finding places for them.

According to a report from the Governor’s Task Force on Wind Power Development, more than 50 small and residential-scale wind turbines were installed in 2007, including one at the Kennebunkport home of former President George H. W. Bush. The group expects 150 to be installed this year, a three-fold increase.

All Season Home Improvement, an Augusta-based contractor, says it is the largest installer of residential wind turbines in the country. It’s put up 100 in the last two years and has another 35 scheduled to be installed in the coming weeks.

“It’s the only part of my construction business that is rapidly growing right now,” said company president Bob Greig.

One of his 35 scheduled installations will happen in the backyard of Dawn Marie and Ben Lehnus. It will be the first wind turbine in Auburn.

Long concerned about the environment, the couple used solar panels at their former home in Nebraska. They moved to Maine in the early 1980s and wanted to do something with renewable energy here, but other matters took their time, attention and money. Then, about a year ago, they began seriously looking at their options.

“We talked about it and talked about it and talked about it and I said ‘Man, I just want to go all green,” said Dawn Marie.

They considered solar panels and geothermal heat, but a wind turbine seemed the easiest and cheapest way to start, despite its $14,000 price tag.

“Why not? We’ve retired. The only thing I can compare this to that’s comparable money-wise is buying a cheap car, which I wouldn’t do and I don’t need and I don’t want,” said Lehnus.

They believe their 32-foot wind turbine will cut their $100-a-month electric bill by up to 80 percent, but they’re as interested in producing clean, renewable energy as saving money. That’s what they told their son-in-law when he pointed out it would take them nearly 15 years to recoup the cost.

“He said ‘Mama, you’re not going to live long enough to get your money back.’ And I said ‘So what?'” Lehnus said. “Somebody’s going to benefit.”

No for everyone

The Gallups also got their turbine to save both money and the environment.

The couple, their two children and myriad animals live on a 20-acre farm on Route 117 in Turner. They’d considered environmentally friendly energy sources in years past, but everything seemed to require a lifestyle change they weren’t able to commit to.

Then, a little over a year ago, they saw information on new wind turbines at a local fair. After some research – including using online wind maps and wind gauges to determine the expected wind level at their property – they plunked down $15,000 for a turbine.

“The energy crisis really kind of pushed us,” Lindy said.

The family now runs the wind turbine and a solar system. Their monthly electric bill used to average about $250. Their most recent bill? $25.

“My wife and I were high-fiving each other,” Bruce said.

It’s hard for the Gallups to tell how much of that lower bill is due to the wind turbine and how much is due to the solar panels they’ve installed. They believe wind has been responsible for at least a chunk of it.

On the windiest days, the Gallups actually end up giving power to the electric company. Their monthly bill is credited for the extra electricity.

“I’ve been really impressed (with the turbine). Some people say it’s kind of an ugly thing or whatever. I think it’s really kind of a nice thing. It’s kind of aesthetic to me,” said Bruce. “When it’s turning now I’m always thinking ‘Great, I’m producing electricity rather than having to pay CMP.'”

But experts warn that wind power isn’t for everyone.

First, turbines require precise locations – in a consistently windy area that’s close enough to the house to connect the power but far enough away from other obstructions – and not every property can accommodate them.

“A lot of people think they have the wind and they don’t,” said David Coomer, owner of SolarMaine in Brooksville.

His company does about 15 or 20 wind studies a year for homeowners looking to install a turbine. Only one or two turn out to have enough wind.

Second, there’s the expense. Although they can save homeowners 30 to 80 percent on their electric bills, it can take up to a decade – sometimes longer – to recoup the cost. Experts say turbine owners won’t be happy with wind power unless they’re pursuing it to help the environment as well as save money.

“There is no guarantee with what a wind turbine is going to do, and if your sole purpose is financial, I recommend people don’t buy one,” said Greig at All Season Home Improvement.

‘Worth it’

But for homeowners who have enough wind, who are realistic about what a turbine can and can’t do and who are as interested in the environment as they are in saving money, experts say wind power can be great.

And since technology is improving – making the turbines smaller, more efficient and more effective in lower winds – they believe more and more people will be able to take advantage of wind.

“I don’t see, basically, any limit to the potential,” Greig said. “There’s just hundreds and hundreds of sites in Maine where homeowners live that are potentially good for wind turbines.”

So far, a handful of families have put up turbines in Turner. As one of them, Gallups are happy to share their experiences with anyone who drops by.

They haven’t had their turbine for a full year yet and they figure it will likely take them seven years or more to recoup its cost, but they’re already happy they put it in.

“So far it’s been worth it,” Bruce Gallup said.

Dawn Marie Lehnus won’t have her turbine for another week, but she already expects she’ll be as happy as the Gallup family.

She can’t wait to get it.

“I want to watch that thing spin,” she said.