THERE is not enough wind in Worcester, and anybody planning to fix a wind turbine to their home could be wasting their money.

The situation came to light after a city man ordered one for his home, only to find it would not be cost-effective.

Michael Coyne, of Eastbank Drive, Northwick, ordered a turbine in September.

But a delay in getting planning permission fortunately gave him time to find out that installing it would not reduce his bills, so he cancelled his order.

"This is a big blow to Worcester," he said. "It really is a waste of money. It cannot pay for itself - it's a no-goer for Worcester, despite what other people might think."

The average wind speed travelling above the Faithful City falls well below the amount required to make a wind turbine cost effective.

Experts say this is a big blow to residents looking at ways to reduce their bills and help the environment.

It also comes less than two weeks after communities secretary Ruth Kelly announced proposals to shake-up the planning system making it easier for homeowners to install energy efficient measures on their homes.

In order for a wind turbine to be cost effective, companies recommend wind speeds to average about five metres per second (mps) at 10 metres (33ft) above ground level - the usual height for small scale wind turbines.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) windspeed database the average wind speed across Worcester is 4.7 mps. The windiest areas are around St Peter's and Warndon at 4.9 mps, while the heart of the city only has 4.6 mps.

These wind speeds would be best described as a moderate breeze.

A spokeswoman for Windsave Ltd- a company that installs wind turbines - said: "If a particular property is experiencing about 4.7 mps it's probably not worth your while but it really does differ from property to property and area to area so we encourage people to have a site assessment. If there is not enough wind they don't have to pay anything."

A British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) spokeswoman said: "This is not a common problem but it's an absolute priority if people are looking to get a small wind turbine to check wind resources in your area because there is no point getting one if you don't get any high energy wind."

Worcester City Council development control leader Alan Coleman said the authority has known about the lack of wind for some time following a number of pre-planning applications to put up domestic turbines.

He said residents could still apply to put a turbine on their home but warned it might be a waste of money.

"We are quite happy to give them all the technical information we have at our disposal," he said. " It's down to the individual to make their own choice based on the information they will be given."

How windy is your area?

Worcester city centre (WR1) - 4.6 mps St John's (WR2) - 4.7 mps Northwick and Perdiswell (WR3) - 4.7 mps Warndon (WR4) - 4.9 mps St Peter's (WR5) - 4.9 mps

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