Sussex man saves more than £1,200 on bills by buying wind turbine

Retired IT consultant Nigel Baker bought into a wind farm in Wales which is set to save him thousands.

Nigel, from Hellingly, was one of 900 people in the UK who bought into Graig Fatha Wind Farm, a project by Ripple Energy.

People can buy their share of the windfarm which will pay for construction costs which is a one-time payment. The average purchase per customer has been £2,300.

Nigel said: “When I originally joined Ripple Energy, I was living in the South Downs National Park, and solar panels were not permitted development, nor was the house suitable.

Graig Fatha wind farm in Wales (Image: Supplied)

“I wanted my investment to generate enough energy for my family, which is when I decided to join Ripple Energy’s first project – Graig Fatha Wind Farm.

“The renewable power that Graig Fatha generates puts green energy back into the grid and the savings are directly applied to my monthly energy bill. Not only that, but when I move, the renewable energy moves with me.

“Everyone’s experience is different, but as well as the opportunity to own my electricity generation, the financial benefits have been far better than anticipated.

“I have a friend who has joined Ripple Energy, and both of my children have too.”

Nigel saved £1,242 in the first year, is set to save £3,531 in the second and £20,715 in the total lifetime of the wind farm. Wind turbines are generally built to last 20 to 25 years.

A spokeswoman for Ripple Energy said: “Renewable energy such as wind and solar are the cheapest forms of energy, and Ripple Energy enables people to part own large scale wind farms and solar parks, having the low cost, green electricity generated supplied to them and apply the savings to their bills directly.

“It Is launching a new initiative called Generation Yes, a campaign to invite the public to show their support for consumer owned energy projects, showing that the UK wants more renewables, and we want them fast.”