|
|
small wind
Factsheet:
How Do Small Wind Systems Affect Property Values?
Download this document as a pdf (137k)
There is no evidence to support the concern sometimes raised that the existence of a residential wind turbine will lower property values on adjacent or near-by properties. Michael Bergey of Bergey Windpower writes,
"The fear of diminished property values is a charge that is sometimes raised by abutters or other concerned neighbors that for whatever reason do not want the small wind turbine installed in their neighborhood. But, there is no evidence of this having ever occurred. Our customers have sold their homes, and adjacent lots they owned, and they have had direct and nearby neighbors sell their homes. In all cases but one the wind turbine was not an issue. In the one case where the turbine was an issue the turbine had been partially installed on the abutting property due to a faulty survey. This situation was resolved amicably between the turbine owner and the new neighbor."1
Property values have not declined
- Informal surveys of property values around three small windmills in the Rochester, NY area showed that the asking price for most property near residential wind turbines was higher than the assessed value." 2
- During the permitting of Dave Blittersdorf's 10-kilowatt Bergey wind turbine for his family's rural home on 10 acres of land in Vermont, a distant neighbor presented two letters from real estate appraisers subjectively claiming that the wind turbine would decrease the value of other homes in the area. Data disproving this came during 2001 when the neighbor closest to Blittersdorf's wind turbine sold their home in 24 hours above the listing price. The new neighbors wanted to live in a neighborhood that was concerned about the environment and loved the idea of being next door to a wind turbine. 3
- Mr. Bruce Bailey of AWS Scientific, a consultant in wind energy, states that "properly operating windmills do not negatively impact neighbors nor harm property values."4
Some home buyers would pay more for renewable energy
A survey of 300 California homeowners, conducted for the California Energy Commission by a market research firm, found that 50% of homeowners surveyed "would be willing to pay more for a home equipped with solar and wind technology," according to an article in the March 15, 2002 issue of Realty Times, a publication dedicated to real estate news and advice. The study also found that 60% of homeowners surveyed "would be more interested in a home that has a renewable energy system already installed versus a home that does not."5
References
1. Michael Bergey, Bergey Windpower
Other Fact Sheets Available on Small Wind Energy
What is Small Wind?
How Much Noise Do Small Wind Turbines Make?
Do Small Wind Systems Kill Birds?
What About Visual Impact?
Small Wind Systems and Public Safety
The Economics of Small Wind
TOP
|
|
| |
 |
Take Action: Tell Congress to support a tax credit for small wind!
|
|
 |
|
|
