Is a residential wind turbine cost-effective and affordable?

The installation is expensive, maintenance adds further costs… and above all: you need plenty of wind.

In Belgium, the average wind speed at the height of small wind turbines (hub height max. 15 m) is generally too low: 6–7 m/s along the coast, but only 2–4 m/s inland. A small wind turbine typically starts generating electricity at around 2.5 m/s, and to be truly efficient, wind speeds of 10–12 m/s are required — far higher than what a small installation can capture at that height.

Even at the maximum permitted height, wind speeds remain limited. The higher a wind turbine stands, the stronger and more consistent the wind it can harness… but in a private garden, it is rarely possible to build a tall turbine capable of capturing the higher wind speeds needed for efficient production. Moreover, sufficient open space around the turbine is required to ensure stable airflow that is not disrupted by buildings or other obstacles.

On top of that come the investment costs, maintenance expenses, and the requirement for planning permission.

In short: the issue is not a lack of wind, but a lack of height. For small residential wind turbines, that is the real constraint on cost-effective energy production.