What would happen if

• Hobby farm

Did you ever feed a working steam engine? I mean cut the wood, haul it, stack it, split it, and shove it into the fire box? Ever even just shovel coal for one? Then clean out the cinders and swab the flues. I have.

That power company electric would start to look real cheap sooner than you think.

I would plan on firing the boiler with junk mail.

I once visited a fellow who made his own electric for years. He had a gas well drilled and at first used a very old large 1 cyl. engine with huge fylwheels. Then later he went to multi cyl. engines. He had 2 alike so when 1 needed serviced he could run the other 1. When they needed overhauled he would rechrome his own liners. A very interesting and resourceful fellow he was.

Kent

Second, if you run your generator at times of peak consumption, you may actually SAVE the utility money! That's because their most expensive power is "peaking" capacity. Reducing peak load reduces the average cost of electricity to the utility.

If enough people were to start generating their own electricty then the demand for new power plants would be less so the cost may come down for the ones left buying it.

But unless you lived in a coal area the devastation to our forest because of the increase in wood use for fuel may offset any gain you made.

So the question is do you have enough land to support that much wood and the time to cut it??? Most do not. Even people with hundreds of acres most likely use it for pasture or crops and could not grow wood fast enough to keep up with the steam engine use.
Even with enough land do you think 1 in 10 are devoted enough to take the time each week to cut that much wood.

Look good at your electric bill and you should see generating the electricty is not real high. It is the fuel surcharge that drives the bill up. And is that the electricty company's fault or his fuel supplyer's fault.