When the conversation at a dinner party turns to a specific topic, the cosy atmosphere quite often heats up. 

That`s exactly what I heard so often when people start talking about the impact of wind turbines being built near their homes and the effect it has on the value of their property. 

A new study in the US has debunked that myth. According to The Berkeley Lab study, some home sale prices dropped for properties within one mile of new wind projects, compared to those farther away. However, the impact was only detected in more populated areas, it was temporary, and it appears to be related to concerns raised while the projects were still in the early stages.

Another study from the University of Berkley surveyed the sale of 300 million homes and the construction of 60,000 wind turbines in the US. The study covered home sales from 1997 to 2020 and also found that the impact of wind turbines on house prices is much smaller than generally feared: In the U.S., it’s about one percent for a house that has at least one wind turbine in a 10 km radius. 

Now I do think that since this is a highly emotional topic for homeowners, it will be viewed differently in different countries and cultures. However, having much better actual data on the topic will help reduce the fear when the headline in the local paper reads “There is a wind part coming to a place near your home!”