Electric alternatives?

[BJewels79]

Tell me about any sort of ways to generate your own electricity. Solar panels? And?? This would be for a rural residential home. How much savings could one possibly see in the electric bill (which currently runs around $200/month)?

[hildare]

We purchased a home that has geothermal h/ac; it's expensive to install, but there are so many tax rebates for this that it is something worthwhile to consider (and while we're not generating it ourselves, it's pretty jam-up). You might want to take a look, There was an NPR bit on it not too long ago, here.

and, I'm not sure how much savings it would be for you, there are too many factors such as home size, how you set the thermo, etc.. our house has geotherm hot water too. it's a pretty significant savings for many people though.

[BJewels79]

We're in north Florida and run our AC around 77 currently. In the winter I prefer the heat no lower than 70. The home this would be for currently has NO central air/heat....only a wood heater. We'll be replacing the wood heater that is there now(it is rusted through most likely) and putting in central heat/air also. We'd love to be able to get the most efficient systems in place to lower our monthly bills from the beginning. (this will be a reno of a 100 yr old home with high enough ceilings and enough shade (etc etc) and such that we could have open windows well into the summer comfortably!) ALL of the appliances except the washer/dryer will be replaced. So refrigerator/electric stove/dishwasher/water heater....looking for the most efficient for the cheapest amount of $$ (of course!) We'll also be adding insulation in the attic, (possibly some in the outer walls), and redoing all ceilings (just removing drop ceilings...originals are still there and beautiful!)/floors (adding carpet and possibly tile)...and some walls will need repair and paint for everything!

[funfunkyfantastic]

How about this: http://www.ehow.com/how_2294407_buil...generator.html

I believe there are also some videos on youtube about magnetic generators as well. Supposed to put out much more energy than it uses.

You could also try makin your own mini wind farm... not sure how much it'd produce, but yeah.

[EdnaMarie]

If you have water, hydro-electric power is much more efficient and less environmentally damaging than wind farms, per kilowatt. Can't remember where I read it but I'd look into it. In Afghanistan, micro-hydro power is the generator of choice where there are rivers. The small stations sit on the side of the river and there's no dam so it's not very disruptive to the ecosystem.