While I’ve not thoroughly investigated Honeywell’s offering, as an architect who designs zero energy homes I have looked into the microturbines in my state that make similar glowing claims, and I encourage everyone to do their homework to get actual performance data from NREL, and to go with established renewable energy manufacturers & installers who’ve got a couple of decades of experience and have stuck with the business through the famine times and aren’t just showing up now at the feeding trough for the gov’t stimulus feast. The last time there was major gov’t funding for renewables in the 1970’s there were a lot of startup businesses making shoddy products that went out of business or production shortly thereafter, and we are seeing a repeat of that trend now.

In my state there have been two new businesses manufacturing microturbines like this who’ve been getting gov’t funding from the stimulus $ due to their ability to create manufacturing jobs, but apparently the state either didn’t do their homework or doesn’t consider performance a requirement for funding, because one manufacturer hasn’t been 3rd party tested, and the other discontinued the National Renewable Energy Lab testing they paid $thousands for, because the results were so far below their claims and the test model was continually vibrating loose its fasteners and falling apart. Both report their power performance based on high windclass speeds that only occur on less than 5% of the state’s landmass at heights that are at least 30 feet above the surrounding trees (many trees in our wooded state are 60-80 feet tall). They base their payback info on their power production at these rated windspeeds, which 99% of the homeowners will never see on the tiny pole mounts and roof mounts that the companies provide. Actual data-monitored performance of the devices at the low urban mounted locations the companies have been installing at indicates payback would take 30 years or more, assuming no further investments of $ are needed to keep it running, which is a totally unrealistic assumption given what was seen in the NREL testing. Since most turbines need maintenance every 3-5 years to stay running, including likely parts replacements in 30 years, its possible that some of these microturbines might never achieve payback. While I live with and recommend renewable energy to my clients, it is critical to design RE to fit your needs and use time-tested products with system design and installation done by installers with decades of experience in your climate. And always maximize your investments in efficiency improvements (which will pay back much faster) before you spend money on energy generation.