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Old 01-22-11, 05:00 PM   #8
hamsterpower
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard View Post
I used my neighbor's Toro 1800 18" single stage electric snowblower for about 50 minutes, and used 0.59kWh. I was using it quite hard -- I cleared about 18" of snow from three storms from most of a driveway that can park about 6 cars lined up; and a 40' path to my compost bin through even more snow, and also cleaned up the other driveway (I live on a corner lot)! In 50 minutes...

The hourly energy use is ~0.708kWh = 0.34 cup of gasoline per hour. At my local (relatively expensive) electrical rate of about 17 cents / kWh, that's about 12 cents worth of electricity per hour.

This is pretty impressive performance, I think. If I was going to buy an electric snowblower, I would get this one, which is slightly larger and a bit more powerful than the Toro model, and it is significantly less expensive:


(click on image for link)
I have the Toro 1800 too and I can vouch for it's very impressive performance. I read lots of reviews before deciding on the Toro over the Snow Joe. If you look closely at the two you will see how narrow the chute is on the Snow Joe. Since clogging is a real concern, that was the final deciding factor. In two full winters of use the only time I gave up using the Toro I have, was a very heavy snow fall where the plows had compressed the end of the driveway too much. My Toro easily cleared the two 18" falls we've had this year.
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