$60k-$80k

Installed cost of a wind-power system that can provide the 900 to 1,000 kilowatt hours used by the average American home each month, according to Mick Sagrillo, a wind-energy specialist for Wisconsin's Focus on Energy program. The American Wind Energy Association puts the cost at $40,000 for a system that can power most of a home. (The photo shows a wind-power system at a house in Hinesburg, Vermont.)

During his April 22 Earth Day speech in Newton, Iowa, President Barack Obama announced changes in federal rules that would benefit wind-power companies. "It's estimated that if we fully pursue our potential for wind energy on land and offshore, wind can generate as much as 20 percent of our electricity by 2030 and create a quarter-million jobs in the process," said the president, speaking at the Trinity Structural Towers Manufacturing Plant, a former Maytag plant where windmill towers are now made.

While the president's announcement focused on commercial applications, you as a homeowner can qualify for a 33 percent tax credit (capped at $4,000) when you install a residential wind-power system.

Sagrillo thinks its a wise to pair a small wind-power system with a solar-photovoltaic system, which costs about the same as a wind-power setup. "Most renewable-energy systems are seasonal; wind is a fall/winter/spring resource, while solar peaks in the summer," he says. "And you'd save somewhat by sizing the wind system for winter and the solar system for summer rather than year-round use."

Keep in mind that hybrid systems duplicate or add equipment, which results in higher installed costs and a longer payback period, according to Jim Nanni, associate director of the Consumer Reports appliances department. (Note that payback for a system that could provide all a household's electricity needs would take decades.)

Sagrillo advocates conservation as the initial step to save energy and lower your utility bills. "The first thing we tell people to do is look at efficiency. It's always more effective to use your electricity wisely than to produce—and sometimes overproduce it—yourself," he said.—Gian Trotta | e-mail | Twitter

Essential information: Try these 25 simple ways to save energy.