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Mark and Tami Wygant have seen more than 100 people stop to gawk at their new windmills since they installed them atop their Newell’s Creek home Thursday morning.
The modern windmills are not the same windmills that Don Quixote saw in Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra’s most famous novel. These are modern windmills, which are perpendicular in part and horizontal in part. One neighbor walking by Friday afternoon thought they might have been TV satellites. But when he learned they were windmills, he was able to make out the wind turbines.
But, Mark and Tami Wygant were not on some quixotic adventure when they installed the windmills. They wanted to produce their own green energy and to save money long term.
The Wygants’ journey to the windmills began three years ago when Tami was pregnant with their son Alex, the second of their three children. Twice, she went door-to-door with a petition to have deed restrictions changed in Newell’s Creek to allow solar panels. But she could not get enough signatures both times.
Two years ago, however, Gov. Jack Markell signed a state law that stated homeowners have the right to install wind turbines on their property provided they followed some guidelines. However, nothing changed with regard to the deed restrictions regarding solar panels. That gave Mark Wygant the idea to pursue wind turbines.
In the interest of full disclosure, the Wygants informed the neighborhood association’s attorney, Tom Cahill of BC Communities, of their intention to move forward with the windmills in anticipation of complaints. Then, they spoke with Camden Town Manager James O. Plumley III.
The Wygants argued that they were following the same path as the Camden-Wyoming Fire Department, which had received a substantial federal grant via the state for its solar panels. The federal grant also helped Camden pay for the expensive geo-thermal system in its new Town Hall, Mark Wygant pointed out. After a couple of meetings, the town of Camden was open to the idea, he said.
Indeed, upon hearing of the windmills, Camden Mayor Richard E. Maly said the Wygants' initiative of creating their own, green energy was a great idea.
"Hopefully, the neighbors won't have a problem with them," he said.
The energy grant to both the town of Camden and Camden-Wyoming Fire Department came from federal stimulus funds via the U.S. Department of Energy, Maly said. The actual administration of the grants was handled by the Delaware Energy Office.
Mark and Tami Wygant have seen more than 100 people stop to gawk at their new windmills since they installed them atop their Newell’s Creek home Thursday morning.
The modern windmills are not the same windmills that Don Quixote saw in Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra’s most famous novel. These are modern windmills, which are perpendicular in part and horizontal in part. One neighbor walking by Friday afternoon thought they might have been TV satellites. But when he learned they were windmills, he was able to make out the wind turbines.
But, Mark and Tami Wygant were not on some quixotic adventure when they installed the windmills. They wanted to produce their own green energy and to save money long term.
The Wygants’ journey to the windmills began three years ago when Tami was pregnant with their son Alex, the second of their three children. Twice, she went door-to-door with a petition to have deed restrictions changed in Newell’s Creek to allow solar panels. But she could not get enough signatures both times.
Two years ago, however, Gov. Jack Markell signed a state law that stated homeowners have the right to install wind turbines on their property provided they followed some guidelines. However, nothing changed with regard to the deed restrictions regarding solar panels. That gave Mark Wygant the idea to pursue wind turbines.
In the interest of full disclosure, the Wygants informed the neighborhood association’s attorney, Tom Cahill of BC Communities, of their intention to move forward with the windmills in anticipation of complaints. Then, they spoke with Camden Town Manager James O. Plumley III.
The Wygants argued that they were following the same path as the Camden-Wyoming Fire Department, which had received a substantial federal grant via the state for its solar panels. The federal grant also helped Camden pay for the expensive geo-thermal system in its new Town Hall, Mark Wygant pointed out. After a couple of meetings, the town of Camden was open to the idea, he said.
Indeed, upon hearing of the windmills, Camden Mayor Richard E. Maly said the Wygants' initiative of creating their own, green energy was a great idea.
"Hopefully, the neighbors won't have a problem with them," he said.
The energy grant to both the town of Camden and Camden-Wyoming Fire Department came from federal stimulus funds via the U.S. Department of Energy, Maly said. The actual administration of the grants was handled by the Delaware Energy Office.
“The application was made by the town and included the fire department,” he said. “Funds were used by the town to improve insulation in the new Town Hall and the Fire Company is using their funds to improve the efficiency of its heating and cooling system.”
Mark and Tami Wygant would pursue some help from the feds via the state as well.
In addition to the Delaware Energy Office, the Wygants had to meet with Delmarva Power to see their project through. The interconnection agreement with Delmarva Power was important so that when their home would overproduce energy they would feed that back into the power grid – in essence selling that energy to Delmarva Power.
Plus, when the windmills are not spinning, the Wygant home will still obtain its electricity from Delmarva Power.
The National Code Inspection Agency was scheduled to conduct an inspection Monday morning and the town was scheduled to conduct its own inspection, the Wygants said.
In the meantime, the Wygants have seen all kinds of people stop at their home and take pictures of the windmills with their cell phones.
“We’ve had 30 more neighbors that we’ve never met before [come by],” Mark Wygant said Friday.
“We have three or four people interested in it that are going to stop back by to get information on installing some,” Tami Wygant added.
The gray windmills, which match the home’s vinyl siding, are visible from the nearby Walmart in the Shoppes of Camden Town Center just off U.S. Route 13.
Mark Wygant received a couple, astronomical estimates on how much it would cost to install the windmills, including one that topped out at $57,000. But the jet engine mechanic for the Delaware Air National Guard in New Castle took on the endeavor himself at a cost that was significantly less. He found a manufacturer in China and imported the windmills.
Mark Wygant installed the windmills with the help of his father-in-law, Paul Haass, who owns Coffee Construction Company from Middletown and Kent Signs, which provided the crane to help install the windmills on Thursday morning.
“I’m a do-it-yourself homeowner,” Mark Wygant said. “I have a tendency to go over the top with a lot of things. I started doing some research, put up a small wind meter to get information on the local winds. And the Internet is such a great place to find information.”
They have paid for the project out of pocket. In addition, the Delaware Energy Office’s Green Energy Program is providing them with a $10,000 grant toward the installation. They also plan to take advantage of a federal tax write off for 30 percent of the installation costs, Mark Wygant said.
And they will receive carbon credits for producing green energy, said Tami Wygant, a table games dealer at Dover Downs.
All told, the Wygants – parents of daughter Laci and sons Alex and Owen – believe the windmills will pay for themselves within two to three years.
“After that, it will just be pure profit,” Tami Wygant said. “It’s going to be a big difference not having to worry about that money coming out of our pocket.”
