Electricity may seem like the cheap, green way to go, but natural gas is also a popular choice for energizing many common indoor and outdoor appliances. And with good reason, too -- this fossil fuel is efficient, reliable, economical and environmentally friendly. In fact, it may surprise you to learn that natural gas is actually considered the cleanest fossil fuel. It emits 45 percent less carbon dioxide than coal and 27 percent less carbon dioxide than oil, so it's safe to say that choosing natural gas appliances is a responsible way to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It's easy on your wallet as well, helping you save money when compared to other conventional energy sources available for residential use: According the U.S. Department of Energy, it costs about 68 percent less than electricity per British thermal unit (Btu), the standard measure of energy. While the initial cost of natural gas appliances may be slightly more than electric options, the long-term operating costs can be significantly lower, especially for heating, cooking, and drying clothes. (Just make sure that your home has natural gas lines available to hook up your new appliances, or the cost of installing new lines can outweigh the long-term savings in operating costs.)
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Homeowners have chosen natural gas appliances for cooking and heating for decades, while other appliances are relatively new on the market. For example, natural gas air conditioning is relatively new and growing in popularity because it's efficient and eco-friendly. Natural gas furnaces have been around longer and are a more popular choice because they help heat your home faster than conventional heating methods. In fact, air from such a furnace can be up to 25 degrees warmer right out of the vent than an electric heat pump. Natural gas is one of the most popular fuels for residential heating, used in about 56 percent of U.S. households, according to the American Gas Association.
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Natural gas heating options abound. Natural gas water heaters can heat up to twice the amount of water in the same time as an electric unit, so you’re less likely to run out if long, hot showers are commonplace in your family. They can also cost less to operate and continue to heat water even if the power goes out.
Gas logs and fireplaces bring warmth and charm into your home without the mess of wood logs and ashes. Gas space heaters help keep small areas in your home warm and comfortable, whether used in place of central systems or as a supplement in drafty rooms.
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Other home appliances use natural gas effectively as well. Home chefs and professionals alike love gas ranges because they provide even cooking, low simmering temperatures and burners with high heat output. Natural gas dryers can dry clothes twice as fast as conventional dryers, while using less energy. Electronic drying sensors and temperature controls help make the drying process gentler on clothes so they last longer.
You'd be surprised at how you can put natural gas appliances to work entertaining guests at home. You can dazzle your friends before they even get to your front door by using outdoor gaslights, which add curb appeal and functional lighting to your home’s exterior, whether mounted on a pole, exterior wall or porch ceiling. Once they get inside, lead them outside into the backyard or patio and treat them to a dinner made on your natural gas grill. Why wait for charcoal to heat to the right temperature or worry about keeping your propane tank filled when a natural gas grill is ready to cook gourmet meals when you are? These grills also ensure even cooking temperatures and are energy efficient -- both factors that some would say justify the extra cost of a gas grill.
Keep the party going by installing natural gas pool and spa heaters for your outdoor swimming areas. They help keep water temperatures comfortable, so you can extend your swimming season or enjoy your hot tub throughout the year. Plus, gas pool and spa heaters are energy efficient and warm the water twice as fast as electric heaters. If you don't feel like swimming or soaking, you can still chill outside with a patio heater. Durable and effective, these patio heaters let you enjoy your outdoor spaces throughout the cooler seasons. They add about 10 degrees Fahrenheit (5.6 degrees Celsius) to the surrounding air, so they're best when temperatures range between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit (10 and 15.5 degrees Celsius). If you want to get a little fancy, natural gas fire pits, one of the newest gas appliances, bring the warmth of a cozy campfire to your home’s patio or deck. What's more, they're safer for the environment than a traditional fire: since these campfires don’t burn wood, they don’t release harmful emissions into the air.
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While natural gas is an excellent fuel source for many appliances, it’s not a practical choice for some everyday conveniences that require electricity, like a toaster, stereo, television or hair dryer. However, natural gas can provide power for these appliances through distributed generation, or using natural gas to generate electricity in the home through a microturbine and gas fuel cells.
Natural gas appliances are clean and convenient ways to heat your home and make it possible to enjoy your backyard and pool when it's a little chilly outside. The best part is that they're pretty easy to find if and when you need them.
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Homeowners in California are undergoing a significant change in how landscaping is done. As of January 1, , homeowners and lawn care and landscaping professionals no longer can purchase gas-powered lawn and garden equipment from California retailers.
The new law aims to drastically reduce the harmful air quality endangering the health of residents across the state. As the first state law of its kind, it does present weighty implications for anyone needing to buy a new mower, leaf blower, trimmer, or chainsaw.
Why is Lawn Love writing about the new California green lawn care law? Well, Lawn Love is based in San Diego. Lawn Love’s founder, Jeremy Yamaguchi, says the law’s phased-in impact and state incentives will help ease the transition.
“California’s new law is following the trend the industry is taking anyway,” Yamaguchi says. “Much like electric cars, electric and battery-powered mowers, leaf blowers, and trimmers are becoming more common, especially here in California.”
Yamaguchi noted the law bans only the sale of new gas-powered equipment; homeowners and pros can use their current equipment until it needs to be replaced. In turn, “as a result, the switch to greener lawn care equipment is not going to be as abrupt as you might think.”
Let’s look at what California’s green lawn care law means for homeowners, lawn care professionals, and retailers.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the state’s green lawn care law (Assembly Bill No. ) in October , barring selling new gas-powered equipment using small off-road engines (SORE) in . This ban includes all gas-powered lawn and landscape equipment, generators, pressure washers, and chainsaws.
According to the law’s sponsors, SOREs pose serious health risks to the equipment operators, the surrounding neighborhoods, and the environment at large. Here’s why: These small engines emit high levels of particulate matter (PM), reactive organic gasses (ROG), and nitrogen oxides (NOx).
This new legislation is part of the state’s strategy to lessen greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. The bill states California currently exceeds EPA and state ozone standards across many areas of the state. As such, it is the first state in the U.S. to attempt to curb emissions by outlawing the sale of gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.
Beyond reducing air pollution, one of the benefits of the new law is an improvement in the health of lawn care pros and landscapers.
“Gas mowers and leaf blowers spit out a fair amount of exhaust. The roar of leaf blowers can damage the ears,” Yamaguchi says.
Since the market now has many zero-emissions options available for homeowners to purchase, the state felt it was the right time to implement stringent regulations. The number of electric and battery-powered lawn care tool options should continue expanding as more companies develop alternatives to gas-powered equipment.
The state is providing $30 million in rebates to homeowners and landscapers to help ease the transition from gas-powered equipment to more environmentally friendly choices.
First, know that any gas-powered lawn equipment you own is still legal to operate. But under the new law, you won’t be able to purchase any new gas-powered lawn and garden equipment (manufactured after Dec. 31, ) from a local retailer.
Translation: You can use what you already have until it no longer works. At that point, even the most diehard gas-engine enthusiasts will have to come around to using electric or other zero-emissions lawn tools.
As with most new legislation, there are supporters and protesters.
Many homeowners who have made the switch are immense proponents of battery-operated electric mowers and trimmers.
Some homeowners – and many lawn care and landscaping professionals – however, prefer the power, performance, and durability of gas-powered equipment. Especially for large lawns or tough landscaping jobs.
Others worry about the charging constraints of battery-powered models and the higher upfront costs.
According to Christine Potter, president at Stanley Black & Decker’s outdoor unit, a hand-held electric trimmer can cost up to 25% more than a gas-powered one, and a push mower can run as much as 50% more.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website gas powered products.
As technology continues to improve, the hope is that battery performance and power may improve, and costs may drop slightly. Plus, the incentive programs will help to offset purchasing more expensive equipment.
Are you in the market for battery-operated equipment but feeling overwhelmed by all the choices? Lawn Love can help:
Truthfully, it seems like the law’s biggest impacts will be felt by lawn care and landscaping professionals. These guys and gals depend on large, powerful, gas-powered equipment daily to do their jobs. In other words, they’re spending a good amount of money on commercial lawn care equipment to run their business.
Unfortunately for them, there is a vast disconnect between the intent behind the legislation and its practical application.
Plain and simple: Commercial-grade, battery-powered mowers, trimmers, and leaf blowers lack the power and durability of gasoline engines, and they are considerably more expensive.
That will change in time, Lawn Love’s founder says.
“Commercial electric and battery-powered lawn care equipment will get better and more powerful,” Yamaguchi says. “As products get better, switching to greener lawn care equipment won’t be a major hardship for lawn care pros.”
To help the industry, the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) feverishly attempted to push the implementation timeline back to for landscape professionals and other commercial applications.
Don’t get the wrong impression — the industry association supports the transition to zero-emissions equipment and the resulting improved air quality. Instead, the NALP wants to give manufacturers more time to prepare the equipment.
According to the National Association of Landscape Professionals:
“The primary issue with the impending regulation is the failure to acknowledge the differences between commercial and residential uses and take into account the fact that commercial zero-emission equipment is currently not yet comparable to gas-powered SORE because of:
The delay would have given the manufacturers time to improve the performance of commercial equipment and bring the cost down, making the switch more feasible for landscapers. Especially the estimated 51,000 one-person California companies run by Latino immigrants.
Regardless, increased equipment costs will trickle down to customers, resulting in higher lawn care service costs.
The silver lining of this new green lawn care law for California brick-and-mortar retailers is they can now sell off anything they have in their existing inventory. So, if they already have gas-powered equipment, they can sell it.
But once those gas-powered mowers, string trimmers, leaf blowers, and chainsaws are gone, they’re gone. Retailers won’t be able to purchase any other new gas-powered SOREs, and their product line will be made entirely of zero-emissions lawn and garden equipment.
What this new California law means for online retailers remains to be seen. In theory, online sellers shouldn’t be able to sell and ship gas-powered SOREs to California customers, but it may not work in practice.
Several incentive programs are available across the state to help homeowners purchase new zero-emission lawn and garden equipment. Local air quality districts run the programs, so the details vary.
To determine if your county has residential or professional landscaping equipment rebates, head to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) website.
I was one of those homeowners resisting the move to more environmentally-friendly lawn care equipment options. I loved my powerful, reliable gas push-mower and trimmer.
And then, earlier this season, the gas tank on my trimmer cracked, and I found myself standing in Home Depot looking at a new weed whacker.
After an extensive conversation with a sales associate and some advice via text from a friend who has been a professional landscaper for many years, I opted to go with an electric Ryobi string trimmer. I also purchased a Ryobi electric leaf blower that uses the same battery.
Honestly? I like them. My yard is an average-sized residential lot, and they easily have enough power to do the job well. I love that the string trimmer is noticeably quieter than my old gas Echo trimmer, and the battery life is better than anticipated. I can use one battery in both the trimmer and leaf blower 2-3 times before the battery needs charging.
Electric trimmers and leaf blowers definitely have my vote of support in situations similar to my own. And even though Idaho has yet to pass legislation similar to the California green lawn care law, my gut feeling is I’ll look at electric push mowers when my 20-year-old gas-powered Honda finally gives up the ghost.
However, I see the shortcomings of battery-operated equipment in different scenarios. Especially for homeowners keeping up with a 2-acre lot or those with many trees and other stuff to trim around. Constantly switching out batteries or waiting for them to charge and having less powerful equipment to work with will add extra time and effort to an already laborious job.
You can still use the gas lawn mower you’ve already purchased. The new California legislation applies only to lawn mower sales starting in — it doesn’t prohibit using gas-powered lawn tools you already own. Plus, stores will be allowed to sell out their current inventory.
The small engines banned by California’s new law are small off-road engines (SORE); they are spark-ignited and rated at or below 25 horsepower (hp). They are commonly used in lawn and garden equipment, including mowers, leaf blowers, chainsaws, logging equipment, and specialty vehicles.
President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act in , which includes a tax credit for electric vehicles. Large, commercial grade lawn mowers are included in this act and can qualify for a 30% tax credit up to $7,500. Small residential mowers are not eligible for the tax credit. However, some rebate programs are available within the state of California.
READ MORE: Get answers to a full 15 FAQs about California’s Green Lawn Care Law.
Moving forward, California’s green lawn care law means big changes for homeowners in the Golden State.
For some, it means transitioning the equipment in their garage to battery-operated mowers and trimmers. For some, it means their lawn care professionals will transition their equipment to zero-emissions commercial-grade equipment – and purchase lots of batteries to power the new equipment
And for everyone across the U.S., California often is a harbinger of changes that will sweep across the country. New York already plans to adopt its own restrictions on gas-powered lawn care equipment. Some cities have already limited gas-powered leaf blowers because of their noise.
As Yamaguchi noted, California’s green lawn care law is part of a trend. Electric vehicles are catching on across the U.S. Elecric and battery-powered lawn care equipment may not be far behind.
If you need help with your lawn care, whether or not you’re in California, Lawn Love’s local pros will keep your grass green, trim, and healthy. And you won’t have to worry about any new rules regarding lawn mowers, trimmers, or leaf blowers.
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