Home energy guide
How much does a home wind turbine cost?
Home wind is pricey: a 6 kW pole-mounted turbine costs about £35,000 fitted and saves roughly £650 a year in Great Britain. Unless your site is unusually windy, it's the most expensive home renewable per pound saved.
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Work out your own numbers with the wind turbine calculator →
The headline figures
A 6 kW turbine on its own pole costs about £35,000 fitted and, on a good site, saves about £650 a year in Great Britain (Energy Saving Trust). There are currently no funding schemes to help.
Turbines on buildings are cheaper to fit but tend to be smaller (about 2 kW) and less efficient, says EST. It doesn't give a price for them, and we haven't found an official figure to quote.
See the numbers
| Figure | |
|---|---|
| 6 kW pole-mounted system, equipment and installation | About £35,000 |
| Typical building-mounted turbine size | About 2 kW |
| Saving from a well-sited 6 kW turbine | About £650 a year in GB, £800 in Northern Ireland |
| CO2 saved | About 2,600 kg a year in GB, 2,200 kg in NI |
| Funding schemes | None currently |
VAT
A turbine installed in a home has 0% VAT until 31 March 2027, then 5% from 1 April 2027 (HMRC VAT Notice 708/6). Buy one without installation and it's 20%.
See the numbers
| Price before VAT | 0% (to 31 Mar 2027) | 5% (from 1 Apr 2027) | 20% (kit only, no installation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| £35,000 | £35,000 | £36,750 | £42,000 |
The 20% column is only for comparison; a DIY kit would cost less than an installed system.
What drives the price
- Size. Bigger blades catch far more wind, but cost more and need more room.
- The mast. A free-standing one needs foundations, often a crane, and a cable to the house.
- Site works. Distance to the house, ground conditions and access all add up.
- Surveys and planning. A wind survey, a planning application, and maybe noise and wildlife reports.
- Grid connection. Your installer applies to the network operator; bigger systems may need more.
Running costs
Turbines have moving parts, so they need regular servicing, and the inverter will probably need replacing at some point. We haven't found an official figure for typical maintenance costs, so get a written service price from each installer and include it in your sums.
Payback: bring a book
On EST's figures, a £35,000 turbine saving £650 a year takes about 54 years to pay back. Selling spare power helps: with some export income, it might come down to about 35 years. Still a very long wait.
See the numbers
- £35,000 ÷ £650 ≈ 54 years, before export income or maintenance.
- Smart Export Guarantee (Great Britain only, installations up to 5 MW): if the turbine also exported 3,000 kWh a year at 12p, that adds £360, so payback falls to about 35 years. The export figure is our assumption.
Compare that with solar: about £7,600 for a typical system, paying back in 9–12 years (Energy Saving Trust). Our wind vs solar guide goes through it.
When the numbers can work
- an exposed rural or coastal site with strong, steady, unobstructed wind;
- lots of electricity used on site, especially in winter when it's windier;
- a farm or business that can use a bigger turbine, where the cost per kW is lower;
- off-grid homes where the alternative is a generator.
EST says turbines are less suited to built-up or sheltered areas. Read how windy is windy enough before getting quotes.
Getting quotes
Get at least three quotes from MCS-certified installers (EST's advice). Ask each for an output estimate based on wind data for your exact spot and mast height, not a regional average. Ask for service costs and warranty terms too. Then pop the numbers into the wind turbine calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a 6 kW wind turbine cost?
About £35,000 for equipment and installation, according to the Energy Saving Trust (checked 27 October 2026). Installation in a home has 0% VAT until 31 March 2027.
Are there grants for home wind turbines?
The Energy Saving Trust says there are currently no specific schemes to help fund a wind turbine. You may be paid for exports under the Smart Export Guarantee in Great Britain.
How long does a wind turbine take to pay back?
At EST's £35,000 cost and £650 a year saving, about 54 years before export income. Very windy sites do much better.
Is there VAT on wind turbines?
Installing one in a home is zero-rated until 31 March 2027, then 5% (HMRC).
Related guides
- Small wind turbine payback (UK and Guernsey)
- Planning permission for home wind turbines
- How windy does your site need to be for a wind turbine?
- Are roof-mounted wind turbines worth it?
- Wind turbine or solar panels: which is better for your home?
- All home-energy calculators
Sources (checked 27 October 2026 unless stated)
- Energy Saving Trust: Wind turbines: costs, sizes, savings, CO2, funding, MCS quotes
- HMRC VAT Notice 708/6: energy-saving materials: wind turbines zero-rated to 31 Mar 2027
- Ofgem: Smart Export Guarantee: up to 5 MW, GB only
- Octopus Energy: Outgoing Octopus: 12p export example
- Energy Saving Trust: Solar panels: solar comparison
- Building-mounted turbine prices and maintenance costs: not verified
- Export volume in the payback example: our assumption