Is Earth 4 Energy a Scam?

If you are like many of us and have been researching ways to reduce energy costs using wind or solar power, you may have seen ads for Earth4Energy. They claim that their plans will enable you to decrease or even eliminate your electrical bill. When I first saw this I was quite skeptical, and If you’re like me, you probably also asked yourself, "Is Earth4Energy a scam"?

Not only does this relative newcomer to the solar and wind power arena make the rather big claim that you’ll cut or eliminate you electrical bill, but they also claim that just about anyone can build these structures with common tools and no special training.

I had already built a few solar projects including solar collectors, solar cells and a solar shower. Also my friend and I built a wind turbine so I was interested in whether Earth4Energy could actually live up to their claims.

This newly released guide is geared towards people that want to use alternative energy, particularly solar and wind energy, to lower their residential energy bill. Michael Harvey, the author, alleges that you can reduce your energy bill by as much as 80% and possibly eliminate it completely if you use both solar and wind generators.

In the solar section of the guide, Harvey provides a useful explanation of solar energy and how you can use it to lower your electricity bills. He then provides plans ranging from building a simple, inexpensive portable solar power generator to a complex grid-tied solar panel system. I was impressed that the instructions and drawings are clear and well explained and easy to follow, even if you don’t have much building experience.

In the wind section, Michael Harvey provides a similarly accessible explanation of wind power. This includes issues that must be addressed when dealing with wind turbines and windmills. If you decide that buying a commercially available wind turbine is the right decision for you, you’ll appreciate the buyer’s guide. However, if you decide instead to build your own, you’ll appreciate the detailed yet clear plans and diagrams for building your own wind generator.

An advantage to building your own wind turbine is that the materials are affordable and readily available. I’m not sure I agree that you can build one for under $200. The materials maybe be a bit more depending on where you live but I’d say he’s not too far off.

As skeptical as I was, it seems that Mr. Harvey is indeed providing
a useful and worthwhile guide for people who want to use solar or wind power. The plans are so easy to follow that his guide really is geared to the average DIY-er. Where I am, the cost was closer to $250 so his estimates are a bit low, but that may simply be due to spiraling energy costs increasing the price of everything! Despite my initial skepticism, I have to say Earth4Energy is NOT a scam!