[BLOG] Mowing the Lawn for 2.5 Cents

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Mowing the Lawn for 2.5 Cents | EcoRenovator.org

Yep, that’s all it takes for my to mow and edge my front lawn. A cool 2.5 cents. How is this possible? With electric garden tools.
Electric lawnmowers aren’t new…

…But, they are gaining in popularity. A few years ago I remember someone using an electric lawnmower and I was mightily confused. Why was this person dragging a cord around their lawn? What benefit could this possible have? These days, however, I know quite a few people with electric lawn mowers or even new-old-fashioned push mowers, including myself. Here’s why I made the switch:

* my old lawnmower was dying,
* even before it was dying, it smelled horribly and puffed smoke,
* remembering to keep it filled with gas and buying that gas was a pain,
* I did some research on 2-stroke emissions
* electric mowers use less energy
* electric mowers cost less to operate
* electric mowers are quieter
* electric mowers are lighter and easier to push around

2.5 cents for a lawn-trim

I knew my electric lawn mower was better than my old gas mower, but I was curious about just how much energy I was using. So, I decided to hook up my trusty Kill-a-Watt and take some measurements. Here’s what I learned:

* Lawn mower: 480 wh in steady use, .14 kwh to mow the front lawn
* Edger: 1200 wh in steady use, .11 kwh to edge the side walk

Altogether, the trimming on the front lawn takes just .25 kwh, which at 10 cents per kwh means I’m only paying 2.5 cents in electricity to spruce up the lawn.

Anyone else using electric lawn tools?