Wind Turbine on Roof of David Cameron’s House
David Cameron is now planning to reinstall a wind turbine on the roof of his £1 million five bed-roomed house in Kensington after a wave of criticism forced him to take one down after only a week in 2006.
Neighbours objected to the wind turbine declaring it an eyesore and to make matters worse it had been placed on a different wall other than the one the Kensington and Chelsea Council had given him permission for.
Barbara Want the widow of the late Radio 4 World at One presenter Nick Clarke and who lives next door to David Cameron led the fight against having the wind turbine removed. She previously said. "It will be an awful eyesore in a conservation area and it is a false attempt to show he is environmentally friendly.”
Mr Cameron has spent a small fortune on turning his Kensington house into a ‘green’ home but environmental groups dismissed it as a gimmick.
Making a statement, Mr Cameron said that, in the fight against climate change, "Politicians must practise what we preach" and he has now submitted a fresh planning application to reinstall his £3,000 turbine.
House Wind Turbines
Domestic wind turbines are being fitted amid a wave of global warming fears and a hope of money saved on energy bills. Those that live in windy areas can sell any excess electricity back to the national grid.
From roof fitted to garden ‘tower’ turbines, they come in a range of sizes, prices and powers but living close to neighbours can sometimes make planning permission somewhat problematic.
Weather can also be a downside of the turbines as one such householder David Nisbet found out when he fitted his 11.5m high wind turbine in his Essex garden.
He had to first overcome 22 planning objections from his neighbours as they were concerned about the noise and visual impact the 6kw turbine would cause.
Seeing two windmills outside the Ford plant where he works he was motivated by finance and environmental issues to install the wind turbine that cost him £10,000 plus a £5,000 grant from the government. These government grants are no longer in force.
With 80% of his electricity being provided during the summer months he estimates it will heat his home throughout the winter and will save him up to £1,000 a year in heating bills. His investment will hopefully be paid off in 10 years time.
Years ago it was the sight of many television aerials on house roofs that were an eyesore in the UK – could it be that all houses in the future will have their own domestic wind turbine with the hope of windy days?
