Once you've read through this site* click on the Otherpower logo on top of this page, go to the bottom of the next page and click on Links. Start at the top and read through the links. Don't miss WindStuffNow.com for Practical info on VAWT's.

     If you have a question, try to find the answer or at least a good bit of info on here before you post. If someone responds to your question, take some time to study the answer before reposting. If someone asks a question off the top of their head with out researching it, posters sometimes get cranky. OH, and when searching the forum, use Google search.

*no one alive has read completly thru this site, as it is packed with info but not always linked or organized. So again, bookmark and organize for yourself!

I'm a city-dweller as well, but still find this site very interesting and practical.  If I may, a few suggestions...

1. Read the old and new forums, and practice using the Google search function.  That will help with...
2. Be prepared to develop some thick skin.  New folks get pounded on a lot for asking questions that have already been discussed at length.  Heck, folks like me that have been here awhile get pounded for making the same mistake. :)  But don't let that stop you from...
3. Ask questions!  But be concise and provide plenty of detail.  Your initial post is pretty good in those respects.  TomW (a moderator and long-timer) can provide you a link to what he expects all posts to have.
4. Start conserving.  Every watt-hour that you don't consume is another watt-hour you don't have to generate or pay for.
5. Get yourself a logging weather station for your location.  I've been to Amarillo several times, and can tell you that SE of town is WAY different that downtown when it comes to wind.  I'm not sure where the METAR station is in Amarillo (probably at the airfield), but what it collects is bound to be different that your wind-generator location.
6. Smart small and have some fun.  I know you said you wanted a VAWT, but I started out with a 4 foot PVC bladeset, an Ametek PMM, and some scrap batteries in my backyard.  I then threw up some solar panels on the roof when the neighbors got worried about my HAWT tower.  Incidentally, that leads me to my last suggestion...
7. Make nice with your neighbors.  They can be your biggest supporters or your biggest hindrances -- with both wind and solar.  Heck, my neighbors don't like my TV antenna, think my panels are tacky, and got the city to put heat on me regarding my generator tower.

You're using about 1400 watts 24/7.  That's a lot.

But adding heating loads to the electric is a BIG bump.  It takes a LOT of electrical power to do a LITTLE heating.

You might want to look into solar for the house and water heating, rather than adding that to the electric just as you're considering converting to local generation.  A square yard of collector averages about 5 kwhr/day at your latitude (presuming predominantly clear weather and no shading obstructions).  An expensive solar panel will convert maybe 15% of that to electricity but a cheap homebrew heating panel will get more than half of it.

Welcome to the most useful forum on the net for information about renewable energy. Although the forum is mainly focused on wind generated electricity all other RE topics are covered quite deeply.

I've been through your area several times and I noticed the trees exhibit a trait call "Wind Induced Tropism". This is when the trees grow in a reaction to a sustained wind from a particular direction. If my memory serves me the wind direction was west southwest. I also noticed the trees didn't grow very tall. This effect is an indicator that the winds are quite strong as well as sustained. I would venture that the wind exceeds the 12 MPH rating more often than not.

A VAWT capable of providing long term usable power will be a massive undertaking. Even with a very large back yard the outlook is not good. Do some searches of this board and you may well see why.

You might be very surprised at how well HAWT's work, if configured properly, even close to the ground. Several small turbines working together might work better in your setting than a big super machine.

I would hope you will consider the alternative of solar power in an urban setting. Solar panels don't shed blades in storms and never make a sound. With your big back yard you could install several KW of solar and indeed get off, or connect to, the grid very quickly. Solar panels are very expensive up front, but pay for themselves in the longevity they provide. Well made and well maintained panels have warranties and life expectancy well exceeding 20 years. I suspect improvements in the technology will push that number higher, and power output to match, in the next few years. I am aware that your area has some severe hail storms, as I rode into one on my motorcycle back in the day, so this is something to consider. Insurance on PV's might be available and something to research as well.

As for connecting to the grid I can't advise you. I know there are many that have done this, but the payoffs are counterpointed by the hoops most utility companies make you jump through. Also they do not pay you at the same rate they charge you. By lowering consumption and doing some research you may well find that RE can do you and your family a great service.

I concur with the above comments.  This is a fantastic site which I have read for many years.  I also live in Amarillo.  We have a fantastic wind resource -- this is the reason that the USDA chose to locate its wind energy station in Bushland.  They told me that our average wind speed is 14.3mph at 30 feet.  We also have excellent solar insolation, so I concur with the above posts that PV should not be ignored.  We may have the best combination of wind resource and solar insolation in the country.

I am located on Dowell road 2.5 miles north of the Cadillac Ranch.  I have 7.2kW of solar panels on trackers and a Whisper 3000 on an 80ft. tower.  I put a new controller on the turbine in mid August, and it is presently reading approximately 5,800kWh produced since that time.  We have such an amazing wind resource here that I have been contacted by cars passing in front of the house to comment on the fact that the turbine is not turning because it is such a rare event. I also have a Proven 6kW turbine which I plan to erect later this year.

If you are interested in other renewable technologies, I have a geothermal heat pump, 400 evacuated solar tube collectors which heat my home through a radiant heating floor, solar air heaters which heat my barn, masonry heating fireplaces, and other interesting items.  

Locally, we have a great resource in Dave Regal -- he owns Earth Solar on I27 which sells RE equipment.  He can be contacted at www.earthsolar.com.  He is both knowledgeable and reputable.  We also have Dave Stebbins who has an amazing home that can be seen in a back issue of Home Power Magazine and who teaches the RE class at AC: he has a field trip each year which shows the students his home and my home to see both smaller and larger systems.  And, the renewable energy department at West Texas A&M with Dr. Ken Starcher is also very helpful.

Feel free to come and visit.  If I am not home, just leave a card on the door, and I will contact you.  I have read this site for so many years that I could not remember my original name and password, so I just chose a new one to post to you tonight.  Good luck with your system.