Testimonials
March 10, 2008: My Skystream is working fantastically, getting 20kwH+ on a windy day. We have even seen over 3000 watts on the remote display.
David Keppel
South Auckland, New Zealand
Read about his eco house
I recently got an email with a question about the amount of noise a Skystream produces. He was concerned with it bothering his neighbors and didn't want to take the chance of starting a feud that could go down in history with the Hatfields and McCoys.
Well in our experience with our Skystream, which sits about 125' from the house on a 45' monopole tower, we rarely notice the sound coming from it. Once in a while if you listen close you can hear the hum it makes when the wind is really cranking out side, but otherwise we usually don't even notice it's there.
Joshua Janes
Oak Harbor, OH
Photos, videos, Skystream community at www.keepturning.com
March 5, 2008: Price was a leading factor. Actual projected savings and payback on our investment were also big concerns. Aesthetics also played a part in our decision and we thought the Skystream structure itself was very attractive to look at. We felt our neighbors would not consider it an eyesore either. We were still not 100% convinced but after talking with Charles Crumpley (WeKnow Technologies), he totally convinced us of the viability of the Skystream. He spent hours with us during the first consultation and thoroughly answered any question we threw at him. We consider ourselves above-intelligence consumers and were half-way expecting some "slick" presentation with empty answers and promises. Charles knows the technology through and through, can back it up with proven facts and statistics, and he is very passionate about wind power. His enthusiasm spilled over to us and know we are convinced, as well.
Of course, we want to try to help the environment, what with all the news reports all about going "green" and we wanted to be a part of that movement. We also believe that if/when we ever retire and sell the house (downsize), having a wind turbine up and running and saving on electric bills would be a big plus to any future owners.
Nancy Riddick
Caddo Mills, TX
February 27, 2008: For many years I have been interested in harnessing the power of the wind. I have always been fascinated with the idea of using the wind, which is available most anywhere, to make a light bulb shine or a television operate. In Chicago, there are many, many building codes and restrictions so a windmill there just wasn’t going to be feasible. But then we moved to the Ozarks in Southern Missouri and I realized a new found potential. We live remote enough where local building codes aren’t an issue, so now I had the “clearance” to install one. Why would I be interested in installing a windmill? The reasons include:
- We felt it is important to reduce our use of fossil fuels wherever possible. Everyone needs to do their part. We recycle, use energy star appliances, consolidate driving trips, use florescent bulbs, run only full dishwashers, etc. This is just a “next step” for us.
- The useable life of a windmill seems to be longer than that of the average solar panel.
- The aesthetic look of all the panels did not appeal to us.
- Solar panels do not work at night, whereas the wind can blow most anytime.
- The average amount of sunlight is decent here, but the average wind speed seemed a little better.
- The installation appeared to be less intrusive.
Now all that existed was to find the right vendor. I quickly realized that there is a host of vendors and the cost spectrum is vast. I decided on Southwest Power (Skystream) for a few reasons:
- The company has local representatives and I found that extremely helpful in answering my general questions.
- The cost was somewhat affordable.
- The product is highly regarded with insiders and owners across the internet.
- A person in the neighboring town has a Skystream installed and I visited with him to confirm the quality of the windmill.
The overall install took a week, which was mostly time for the concrete to set properly. After the concrete is ready, and the wiring is laid, this is a 2-4 hour install at most. We love our windmill so much, we named him ‘Sparky’. He’s doing a great job.
Chad Monteith
Rogersville, MO
News article
January 18, 2008: I am very, very happy with Skystream and after seeing first hand the quality of the components inside the turbine I am certain all our customers will see many, many years of service. You guys have been great, and the only way we can say thank you is in the form of sales and service. We at Btek are happy to know that we can facilitate an installation in any type of weather. We have installed in 98 degree July weather and we are now installing 4 turbines in 20 degree January weather As you can see the turbines go through a wide range of temperature variation. We certainly are testing these turbines to their limits, with results that exceed our expectations in terms of power produced. The Skystream has and continues to prove itself worthy in our harsh Canadian climate.
Once again, thanks for all the support and dedication your team at Southwest has given us. It is clear that you guys share the same passion for renewable energy as we do here at Btek.
The Sky's the limit, and together we can do it one backyard or property at a time.
Sincerely,
Alexander Bonello
Btek R.E. Products
www.btekenergy.com
November 5, 2007: We just started our SKYSTREAM up 2 days ago. This is the first one in Delaware. It was pretty exciting to come home yesterday and see my electric meter running BACKWARDS. Since it's only been operational for a couple of days I haven't tracked any benefit yet, but early indication leads me to believe that our electric bill will be greatly reduced or eliminated. I'll let you know the end of Nov.
John E Tokash
Middletown, DE
It’s all the rage in our neighborhood. People are really excited. They can see it, but there is no noise any of them can hear. It’s really attractive. People have commented already, ‘it’s a pretty turbine.’
Rena Wilson Jones
Urbana, IL
I am the first to have this system in my area (that I know of) and since install have several people ask me how/when/where to get one too! It actually has encouraged me to reduce my power use by running the AC less (major power user) and fans more. This is something I should have always done, but with the Skystream my goal is to see how low I can get the bill. Last month it was reduced by 100 dollars, not a bad return on the money in any ones book. Now if Congress will get their head out of the clouds, maybe this will be more of a common sight and we will reduce our energy intake across the country. It’s a win win for everyone!
Rick Johnson
Castroville, TX
When the Winds blowing....The Powers Flowing. After two years of researching Residential wind turbines, the Skystream was the logical choice. I was the guinea pig to install the first Skystream in our area, but since them we have sold 4 turbines and have a long list of clients waiting. We already have plans of installing a second Skystream next spring. The sales and support team at Southwest Windpower is always there and willing to help, Thank You!
Troy Rudy
Northern Illinois Wind Co.
Freeport, IL
The Skystream is doing its job as advertised. There were lots of variables that I wondered about when I used this tower but it all seems to be working very well... I am very pleased with the turbine...It was steadily putting out 800 to 1000 watts yesterday. It makes a slight whine sound that increases with the speed of the turbine. At wind speeds of near 20 MPH or so you can start hearing the blades. We consider it very quiet.
Gene Kinslow
Fordland, MO
As everyone tries to survive the current storm conditions up here in Maine, and throughout the Northeast, I thought you would like to know how the Skystream3.7 has been dealing with the winds. Sunday night, after 8" of snow had already accumulated, the snow turned to freezing rain, and my nightmares of the "Ice Storm of 98" began to come back again. The snow and ice conditions had trees falling even before the winds picked up. My Oregon Scientific weather station keeps a record windspeed of 63.5 MPH from Jan 2002, and I believe that record was broken early Monday morning, but because of the ice, the weather station stopped recording the windspeeds. The Skystream3.7 spun flawlessly thru all the winds and gusts, producing 45 KWH's of power in the past 36 hours.
Bill Dingle
South Paris, ME
Winter 2007
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