Awsmom-That's good to know!I used to shock my neighbors too!

Yep! When my neighbors limbs fall off I do offer aid! My first aid kit is always stocked and ready to go! LOL!!!!

Actually I am popular with my neighbors as I have an AED (automatic difibrillator) at my house!

Awsmom-your neighbors limbs are falling down?Do you offer medical aid?(sorry-I was still laughing about Jotys bugs!)

AWEA is a great resource for learning about the wind industry and wind turbines (both commercial and small, home scale). Here are some links below

Manufacturers of small-scale wind turbines. I think most people in industry would recommend Bergey as the best available product.

http://www.awea.org/smallwi...

AWEA FAQs on Residential Wind Turbines (look in drawer 1 under Install):

http://www.awea.org/smallwi...

Here's a link to EMS, a group who remanufactures turbines for repurchase and installation (among other things). The president and a lot of the guys who work for EMS are from Tehachapi, although the group is now based out of Gary, SD. They used to maintain an office in Tehachapi, but I'm not sure if they still do or not.

http://www.energyms.com/pro...

awsmom...feel free to come up here and help yourself! and if you buy milk in cartons, rinse them out and let them dry, then put one under the wood and put a match to it - works great to start your fires.

lol Ginger...ain't no bugs on me! :) 

I love my wood burning stove.  My house is open floor plan 1300 sq ft and it does a great job of heating the house.  I keep it a toasty over 70 degrees in the winter--alot warmer than my friends using propane.  I like the way it offers an "even heat" instead of it chilling off then hot air blasting as with a furnance. Yes, the wood is messy and can be a hassle to lug into the house but it is worth it.   It takes a while to learn how to build a fire and get it started and adjust the vents but it is worth it.  Start your fire before the house becomes cold helps too. I'm always on the lookout for down limbs at my neighbors/friends house!

Joty-Supposedly if you cut the trees in the coldest part of winter,the beetle won't migrate due to the stage it's in then.They used to also recommend that people to tightly tarp the wood for a year.Have to say though,that nobody would want to keep buggy wood on your property if you don't have to.Our choices are free wood or expensive propane,so for us,it's a practical/cost issue.

Ginger....  a pot on top for humidity...  yeah... that would work.   

Joty... I have no idea what pellets are???   Pellets?  Made of what?

Well, this landscaper has been in business for over 25 years - so we're going with what he told us. PLUS, my hubby peeled back the bark from a log...and it was still loaded with the little buggers. Wood burning unfortunately is harmful to the environment, but there is nothing like a nice roaring fire on a blustery night. 

Joty-from what I've been told,once the tree is dead,the bark beetles have already left and you can keep and burn the wood.I had wanted a pellet stove,particularly for the thermostat and self loading,but the price was right on the wood stove,and then when the big freeze came a couple of years ago everyone ran out of pellets,so I was happy that we went with wood.I know I can always find wood.I have occasional asthma too,and asked a doctor about the pros and cons,and she said that central heating dries the air out so much that a fireplace insert or woodstove with a pot on top for humidity is actually better.

Sparks, using pellets instead of wood is greener, and better on your lungs. One of our daughters has a three bedroom house, one pellet stove - and that keeps the entire house warm. She lives up north where it is colder also. I have asthma, had it all my life - but I would never give up the fireplace! We just had to cut down three of our big ol' pine trees because of the bark beetle. We thought we'd cut and stack for next winter. A landscape contractor with whom my husband occasionally consults with said no way - get rid of it. The beetles would simply crawl from the logs to the next tree! So, we took it all to the dump. 

Ginger, I was thinking of having a fireplace when the house was first built...  I thought no, I will rarely use it because I have asthma... My occasional cigarette is bad enough.  lol   However, my neighbor has a wood burning fireplace and when I hang out with him and his wife I feel very comfortable.  Their house doesn't smell bad and I breath just fine.   I will have to look into wood stoves...great idea.  Thanks.

Sparks-Do you have a wood stove or fireplace insert?They can really help.We rarely use our heater unless we haven't been able to have a fire going.Mother Earth magazine has some passive solar heating ideas that are low cost and sound good too.

Thanks for the correction.  I based my "knowledge" on what my customers say to me (I sell American products in Germany)as we sometimes strike up conversations comparing our countries.  I also work at a camp with a large international staff from Checkoslovackia, Sweden ,Uk and other parts of Europe. But we Americans utilize the Lions Share of the the worlds resources and energy, but Japan and esp. China is catching up.

JR...  You took the words right out of my mouth.   Germans spend about the same as we do a month on gas, the only difference is they are getting much more bang for the buck..

I was thinking about getting my own mill.    Yes, they are expensive to buy and then you have to pay for installation as well..but they will pay for themselves in about 10 years.  The reason I haven't bought one yet is because of the flipping NOISE.  I can probably deal with it, but will it be fair to my neighbors who live up in these hills for peace and quiet? The whirring sound of the windmills’s generator tops out at 40 to 45 decibels so I hear... that may be irritating to many who live close by.

When I bought this house I made sure it was the right size for my needs...I didn't buy a large house like the one I have in AZ.  I also bought all energy saving appliances and paid extra to have my house insulated properly.  I don't leave lights on or use the A/C much...OK I could do better on saving energy when it comes to the A/C..  However, I do try to limit myself to cooling only one room if I don't have company.   I have two large flat screen TVs, ....I only watch one of the TVs for a couple hours at night... I do have one of the computers going most of the day, but I have a switch that turns off all the electricity at night or when I am traveling so that my electronics don't suck up power while I'm gone or asleep.   I have a well that takes electricity, and I try to conserve water by washing my dishes by hand instead of the dishwasher and placing a brick in the toilet tanks... I have a lot of little trees that I have planted and I know I use a lot of water on them...  However, I am using Grey water to water most of them.   I have changed all my light bulbs to energy smart bulbs.    My electric bill at my house in AZ was 5 times the amount of what I pay here and my lifestyle hasn't changed much at all.  My electric bill averages about $60.00 a month for the year. So I am feeling OK about the cost I personally spend on electricity and I feel I am fairly green in that respect.

My problem is propane gas...   During the winter months because I use propane gas to heat the house and because I hate the cold...  I am spending an average of $250.00 a month from mid December to mid April on propane gas.   Were as during the summer because I have my water heater turned way low and I don't need to heat the house anymore I am spending about $5.00 a month...  Yep, quite a difference in propane gas use.  lol  I spend less than half in this house on propane than I do in my house in AZ .... I am not complaining about the cost at all... although I would like to find a greener way to warm me up.

Any ideas on how to heat my house in order to be more green?  My house is only 2 years, but sadly I neglected to think about installing storm windows...  would they help?   Or is there another source I can use to heat my house that would be greener?  I can't bundle myself in blankets or heavy clothes...I can't be that nice to our planet yet, I'm a bit spoiled.   Any ideas?