V90 wind turbines will now have to be built at least 500 metres from homes. (CBC)

The province of P.E.I. has confirmed that it will increase the distance wind turbines must be from homes, but not by as much as some were looking for.

The setback distance will now be four times the height of the turbine, as measured from the ground to the top of the blade. For the biggest turbines, the V90s, that would mean increasing the setback to 500 metres. Currently it is 375 metres.

Noise was the biggest concern in making the change, and Jack Saunders, manager of provincial planning with the Community Affairs Department told CBC News Tuesday the change should keep noise levels around homes to under 45 decibels.

Saunders said that's comparable to the sound of a refrigerator hum.

"In this type of area, you cannot satisfy everybody, all the time," he said.

"You're lucky if you can satisfy everybody some of the time. It's just personal opinion, people are affected differently by what they believe to be a nuisance and noise. If they see it as a nuisance, then it'd be very hard to satisfy."

Gary McRae, of Anglo Tignish, is among those not satisfied. His western P.E.I. group, Save Our Unspoiled Landscape, was looking for the V90 setback to be at least 750 metres.

"We fought them two years and they moved that little bit," said McRae.

"So it didn't seem to make much difference. All we're going to do now is try to fight them to keep them out of our backyards."

The new rules don't apply to existing wind turbines or in municipalities that have their own bylaws.

While the new guideline meets standards set by Health Canada, it does not meet the 35-decibel standard set by the World Health Organization. Some provinces have guidelines based on 55 decibels of noise from the turbine.