How Windfarms affect reception

Windfarms or wind turbines can potentially affect the reception of television services. This is due to the reflections of the television signals from the blades of the turbine, resulting in multiple television signals being received.


The blades are a moving object and can rotate at different speeds and can change their orientation. This results in the effect on television reception being variable and often hard to predict. Should there be more than one turbine the effect can be even harder to determine. 

A windfarm can disrupt television reception by causing intermittent loss of services, pixelation or freezing. However, the symptoms are also the same if you are experiencing a weak signal or interference from an electrical device. It is, therefore, important to first rule out reception problems from all electrical devices in your home. It may also be useful to see if any neighbours are having a similar problem before assuming it is related to a windfarm.

When a windfarm is being planned the local planning authority may decide to place an obligation on the owners under the Town and Country Planning Act. This obligation is for them to take necessary precautions so they don’t cause interference to television reception. If you believe the issue is with the windfarm, you could contact the owners direct or check with the local authority for advice to see if such an obligation was applied.

Windfarm