In our July 12, 2023 article, we wrote "Regional ban on small 2-stroke engines considered." Communities in Colorado's Front Range are struggling to meet national clean air standards. In the article we include some links to the Mow Down Pollution website mowdownpollution.org. (https://www.mowdownpollution.org/residential-2022/)
For this article, we'll take another look at the status of the program in 2024. Vouchers to offset the cost of electric lawn and garden equipment are for residents of Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer and Welding Circuits. We are on the waiting list in 2024 as we are personally looking for a replacement for our gasoline chainsaw. (https://raqc.formstack.com/forms/mowdown_waitlist_2024)
According to their website, they will offer coupons through Ace Hardware and Home Depot in 2024. Only one bonus is allowed per household per year. In our case we wanted to replace the gasoline saw with an electric saw. We must recycle natural gas items to receive a $75 portable tool coupon. Since we wanted to use our local Estes Park Ace listed at participating retailers, we had to use this coupon in-store rather than online, which is also an option. Visit the mowdownpollution.org website and select the "Accommodation" and "How It Works" tabs to see all the information about the steps required to receive a bonus. (https://www.mowdownpollution.org/how-it-works/)
If you want an electric lawn mower, you can get a $75 coupon with no recycling requirement. If you want to recycle a gas lawnmower, the value of your coupon to buy an electric lawnmower is $150. The closest recycler to Estes Park is Eco-Cycle of Boulder. You must drain gas and oil equipment responsibly. Be sure to get a recycling receipt as this is the required documentation before receiving an email coupon from the Colorado Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC).
The status of grants for commercial and public entities for 2024 is unclear. We emailed questions to the RAQC but did not receive a response close to publication deadline. The website has contact information for questions if anyone wants to follow up on the answers.
Part of our search for a new chainsaw is our 2023 investment in a wood stove that will qualify for the IRS deduction for home energy costs. This exemption is valid until December 2032 and is one of the many positive and tax-friendly elements of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Our high-efficiency wood stoves qualify for up to $2,000 on our annual tax return 2023 for the stove and the work installed in it. . Claims are submitted on Form 5695, Residential Energy Credit. (https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/energy-efficient-home-improvement-credit)
Efforts continue to encourage the replacement of highly polluting gas powered lawn and garden equipment. As we wrote in the July 12 article mentioned above, Colorado is considering imposing restrictions. A December 15, 2023 article by Sam Brush of CPR News states, "Colorado sets new rules for gasoline-powered lawn equipment." (https://www.cpr.org/2023/12/15/colorado-regulation-gas - power-lawn-tools/) The Air Quality Control Commission "has given initial approval to regulations limiting the use of power plants with gas from small utilities, starting in the summer window of 2025 between June 1 and August 31 with electric equipment. Local governments, school districts and federal lands on the Front Range will be affected. The final vote is expected to take place in February.
The commission considered but did not make a proposal to ban large retailers from selling gas appliances. The government has not issued any new regulations for commercial landscapes. The story refers to a government model that says gas appliances “will represent the third largest source of smog-causing pollution in the future. Forecasts also show that lawn care will be a bigger source of ozone components than cars by 2026." An interesting reference to the commissioners' lack of interest in banning sales by retailers was written in a CPR article : "Some members said the market is already moving away from gas appliances, considering Home Depot recently announced its 85 percent rating. "In 2028, lawn care equipment that works with electricity will be sold."
In RAQC "Lawn & Park Emissions Reduction Strategy” on the RAQC.org website.
(https://raqc.org/lawn-and-garden-emission-reduction-strategy/)
Given the many benefits to commercial landscapers of replacing their equipment with battery-powered electric equipment, it doesn't make sense to replace their equipment with more gas-powered equipment. We discussed this in detail in a previous "Together We Build" article in the EP Trail newspaper, published in print on June 2, 2023: "Small two-stroke engines have a big impact on the climate." We wrote: "In all categories, battery-powered leaf blowers are more powerful, lighter, quieter, cheaper, and cost almost zero to maintain." The YouTube show "A Breath of Fresh Air," which we used as a resource, describes the return on investment (400 hours of running time), and a link to this video is included in Estes Park's January 2022 ESTF report. .his/vB78qCS1jvw)
Finally, we asked our friend Todd, a local resident who walks the path of sustainability in many ways in his daily life with his wife Amy, for advice. He has a standard DeWalt 20V 12 inch with a 4Ah battery that he says should last a few hours. He had it for about a year or a cutting season. He uses it to cut branches up to a length of about 15 cm. He says, “I love how easy and smooth it is.” There is no smoke and it lights up every time I pull the trigger.” He still uses a gas chainsaw to cut down trees and logs. He didn't buy a replacement for the big chainsaw.
So far in our research we've seen Ego models with blades up to 20 inches. The model weighs less than 10 pounds and is even 18 inches tall. Since we already had the Ego brush, the ability to use the same battery and charger was very appealing. The Ego brand is offered by Ace Hardware and we are very pleased with the thread cutter. But we would do more research and analyze our individual needs before taking the simple step of electrifying lawn and garden equipment to further reduce our carbon footprint.
Thomas Beck, AIA, NCARB, is an Estes Park, Colorado-based architect who has been deeply involved in sustainable building practices since studying at CU Boulder in the 1970s. www.twbeckarchitects.com
