gas versus electric mower

[greenskeeper]

I may be going too far off on a tangent, but I think the last few posts bring up an interesting point. Is it cleaner to have an electric car/mower if the electricity is produced using coal. Furthermore I never understood how a utility company can sell you "clean energy" when some of the energy they produce comes from dirty sources.

A power plant will always be more efficient in producing power than the internal combustion engine if you are looking at the amount of power produced compared to emissions.

Monkey Mama: I assume the electric company has an option to pay a little extra on your bill to have energy that is produced by solar or wind. How does this change their portfolio of energy? Do they move from dirty means of producing energy to clean ones?

All power produced it put up on the grid. When you ask for clean energy your payment is sent to that particular company, even though the actual power you are using is most likely from coal or natural gas.[/QUOTE]

[glmattox]

Our electricity is 100% green energy - so works out for us. We charge the electric mower with wind and solar from the electric company. With the rising cost of gas, and concerns about greenhouse gases effects on the environment, electric yard tools are becoming extremely popular. There are more and more companies these days that are starting to produce electric yard tools. Electric yard tools or electric cars help to reduce noise pollution, and cut smog emissions. Electric weed eaters have been around for years, and now to accompany them, we have electric lawn mowers. The average gas lawn mower holds just under, to one gallon of gas. With gas prices reaching well over two-dollars a gallon, the amount of gas you must purchase to mow your lawn for even just one summer quickly adds up. Compare that to the electric lawn mower, which costs about fifty cents of power per battery charge, and you can see just how much money you will save.
Electric cars also a better option for the environment. Gas powered lawn mowers not only contribute to small particle pollution and green house gases, but can also cause health problems to those that use them. The gases and emissions released by a gas powered mower can contribute to heart disease, asthma and other respiratory infections.
Electric mowers may also have a harder time cutting through thick or tall grass. If you have extremely thick or tall grass, you should look for the electric lawn mower with the highest amount of horse power. The higher the amount of power, the easier it will be to cut, although it is also important to remember, the more strain you put on your mower, the shorter the battery life.
While there are a few down sides to using an electric mower, it is still quite easy to see that all of the good points greatly outweigh the bad. Electric mowers will inevitably save you a great deal of money, and help to make our environment far more safe.

[dawnwes]

Well, we have over 2 acres and need a riding mower. We have a nice gas one so we won't be changing anytime soon. If we had the option of electric and it would do the same job in the same amount of time for the same cost, we might consider it.

[bjl584]

Well, we have over 2 acres and need a riding mower. We have a nice gas one so we won't be changing anytime soon. If we had the option of electric and it would do the same job in the same amount of time for the same cost, we might consider it.

An electric mower is good for a small yard in "suburbia" but not at all practical for a larger piece of property. I don't foresee the day where an all electric mower will be able to handle a large yard like you have.

[Frugal]

WE have an electric, and it runs fine. Craftsman from Sears, I believe.