Q. Do you have any direct, personal feedback from anyone using a Bergey 850?

A."We installed the Bergey 850 in March of 1994. According to Karl Bergey, we probably had the first one erected after their test machine. We were the ones who found the furling problem in their original design.

The 850 was designed to survive. The Bergey design philosophy was to overbuild this machine rather than depend on controls. That is why it can survive 90 mph winds with no load on it AND without furling. We inadvertently tested this when we installed the machine.

A. mistake in the manual instructed us to use fuses that were too small for the 1kw (yes, the 850 will peak out at just over a kilowatt) power output. Then a design flaw (now corrected, of course) prevented the turbine from furling. The winds came to our small hilltop installation and it was not pleasant. Over 90 mph winds, the turbine would not furl and it was freewheeling (no electrical load to slow it). What else could go wrong? Fortunately the floods and earthquakes stayed away. By not furling, it sounded like a helicopter and was kind of scary.

Today, the furling problem has long since been fixed. We installed an electric water heater to make use of excess power that the 850 sometimes gives us. This has the added advantage of always keeping it under a load (it becomes loud when freewheeling).

Am I happy with the 850? I am delighted. The wind can be very obnoxious here. Now we are making it work for us." - Bob Gobeille

Q. I own a house in Wellington, Colorado, about 10 miles north-northeast of Ft Collins (20 miles south of the Wyoming border), and wonder if you know whether the wind here would make home wind power a financially viable option. My electric rate is about $0.07/KWH here.

A. Wind power is very site specific. I would first of all try to get as detailed wind specs as possible for your region. Check with the weather bureau, airports, any close by state or national parks, etc. You need to know year long average wind speeds, daily hours of wind, seasonal peaks and lulls, and severe weather patterns. If the average wind is 10 mph or more, you may have a great site.

Q. I am interested in any details you can forward me about your Air 303 wind-turbine. How much does it cost? How is performance, guarantee, construction materials?

A. Basic cost is $550, 3-year warranty, good quality, easy installation, a little noisy at some wind speeds, people really like them a lot. We have had some breaking of blade tips in high winds (over 90 mph) in cold temperatures (10 degrees below zero) but they are easy to replace and covered by warranty.

Q. How much would it cost to send an Air 303 to Australia?

A. Air Parcel Post (2 weeks) $160; Surface Mail 6-8 weeks) $50; FedEx (est) $160-300

Please e-mail us technical related comments or questions to technical@thesustainablevillage.com.