[whitby_sam]

Solar, Wind or both? I'm keen to reduce my electricity bills and do my bit towards saving the environment.

Environmentally the best place to start would probably be to sell my V8 Audi but its just too nice and worth next to nothing (to trade it in for a more economical model of similar age and size would cost me far too much). Plus its 4x4 so useful in winter, the boot's huge and the leather recaros are wipe-clean so its almost suitable for trips to the farm store and the vets LOL!

So... Power. Is it better to go for solar, wind or a combination of both and what are the planning implications for a small wind turbine?

[Fluffywelshsheep]

Well if you v8 can do all that then you must have choice it for that reason,
I personally would love a landrover lol
but i don't think it's very practicall for me as i live in a middle of village (no need to off road lol)

[stephen]

i think im right in the following but not 100% sure!!

for most wind turbines you need a planning application and if they ruin the view of the landscape in any way you wont get one!

i think for solar you wouldnt need planning but cant rember why! also you can have them on A-frames insted of on the Roof!

and dont forget you can heat your hot water using the sun! or alternativley get a heat sump(??)  put in? as far as i understand it its a giant hole in the ground with pipes put down into it and it uses the constant heat from the earth to provide warm (but not hot) water so ideal for central heating systems!

in the uk you can apply for a government grant this will be a max £2700 but this grant is not per project it is per household!

also you can sell any surplus electricity back to the national grid, not (as i understand) the ammount you pay for it but its better than nothing!

 try the following links for some more info!

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/what_can_i_do_today/energy_saving_grants_and_offers

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/index.htm

http://solarpower.co.uk/

hope some of this has been of help!! of course the safest thing to do would be to spend hours on hold while you get transfered from dept to dept at your local council!!