Home Wind Turbine ROI Calculator
Plug in turbine size, site wind class, all-in install cost, and the local electricity rate. The calculator returns estimated annual generation, energy-value savings, payback period, and 25-year net return — including the 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit if applicable.
How the math works
Annual generation is estimated as rated capacity × 8,760 hours × capacity factor. Capacity factor varies with average hub-height wind speed; the calculator uses representative values per IEC wind class drawn from the WindExchange Small Wind Guidebook and NREL distributed-wind data.
The 25-year net column applies a 0.5%/year derate to account for blade leading-edge erosion and component aging. It does not yet model maintenance contracts, inverter replacement at year ~12, or time-of-use electricity pricing — these typically reduce the net by 10–25%.
Want to compare against solar or against a generator? Read home wind turbine vs solar panels and wind turbine vs generator for backup power.
Caveats
- Capacity factor depends heavily on hub height — a 60 ft tower in trees performs nothing like a 100 ft tower in open ground.
- Manufacturer rated power is at a specific reference wind speed. Real-world output is usually lower.
- Net-metering rules and export tariffs vary by state and utility. Default export rate here is conservative.
- The federal credit (IRC §25D) covers residential installs. Commercial installs use IRC §48 ITC and have different rules.