Did you know that power tools don’t have to be run on petrol nowadays? It’s true! Soon the noisy, gas-guzzling power tool will be a thing of the past, to be replaced with ultra-modern…battery power.
Now, we know what you’re thinking. Battery-powered power tools are a bit rubbish, aren’t they? If you’d asked that question about 5 years ago, we would have definitely agreed with you! But the truth is that battery technology has come a long way, and modern battery-powered tools are not just as good as petrol tools, but they perform better in a lot of ways.
But as a business owner, why do you care about battery power vs petrol or diesel power? Simple – it’s better for your business, your people and the environment if we use battery. And here’s why.
Better for the Environment
Let’s start with the most important element, at least to us. Petrol power tools, while effective, aren’t great for the environment. At the moment, more than 89% of power tools used by councils and private landscaping companies in the UK are powered by petrol engines, which collectively consume over 6000,000 litres of fuel every year. That would fill about 3.5 Olympic swimming pools! On top of that, burning petrol for power produces fumes and other airborne pollutants, and the laws around filtration aren’t nearly as strict for power tools as they are for cars. In fact, when subjected to emissions tests, results showed that in just one second the most popular commercial leaf blower emitted more airborne particulates than the legal limit for road vehicles per kilometre. That kind of carbon and nitrogen emission is not only bad for the environment, but also for the health of the people using the tools on a daily basis.
So it’s safe to say, if you want to be sustainable, you need to avoid the use of petrol-powered tools. Since battery-powered tools don’t rely on fossil fuels, there are no carbon emissions at all, and no fuel consumption either. And as an added bonus, battery-powered tools are also much quieter to use, so you cut down on the noise pollution as well as the airborne pollution.
More Efficient Grounds Maintenance
Ok, this one sounds a little selfish, but trust us that, as a business owner, you want your grounds maintenance service to be as efficient as possible. Efficient maintenance means we get more done in less time, and you save money on that time. Sounds good, right? Battery power tools help us achieve this in a few different ways. For one, operators aren’t being subjected to noisy power tools all day, which means they are less fatigued by the work. It also means we can start working earlier and finish later, since battery tools are much quieter and don’t impact your surrounding neighbours. There are also fewer ongoing maintenance costs (there are no spark plugs to replace, fuels to mix etc), which means lower overheads and a more effective service. And finally, no spending money on fuel, which once again brings the overheads down, and makes employing grounds maintenance a much more viable option for more businesses.
Better for Your People
We’ve already touched on how battery-powered tools are better for our people, but how are they better for yours? Well, for a start, no one will have to work through the constant buzzing of a power tool running for hours during the day – which we all know makes it impossible to concentrate. Battery tools are much quieter to run, so it won’t disturb your teams or the general public while we work. It also means you don’t risk disturbing the natural habitat of the local wildlife, which is illegal at certain times of year.
There are no fumes being released, so you don’t have to worry about going outside and breathing in petrol fumes while they’re just trying to take a break or enjoy an outdoor space. And all battery tools are equipped with a safety mode, rather than the idle mode of petrol tools. This means that at soon as the operator takes their finger off the trigger, the tool turns off. So they are much safer for the operative and any members of the public around them, and prevents any unfortunate accidents.
At Pod Landscapes, we are always looking for ways to improve what we do, and we firmly believe that battery powered tools are a big part of that. We take pride in being as green as we can, recycling all of our waste, using the most efficient vehicles and machinery, and planning our journeys to minimise fuel usage and reduce our carbon footprint. We’re 100% committed to replacing our petrol equipment with battery-powered tools as and when it’s viable, and in fact we have already started building up our battery-powered tools where they are available. If you’re interested and would like to know more, we would love to help. Just get in touch with the team today for a chat about battery-powered grounds maintenance.
