The Great Outdoors is not going to be so great

As it moves into the landscape industry-

California moves toward ban on gas lawn mowers and leaf blowers-

https://www.latimes.com/california/...toward-ban-on-gas-lawnmowers-and-leaf-blowers

If your looking to stay ahead of this, keep an eye on the dates. I guess one could just buy out of state.

And yeah, everyone seems to dislike the noise of lawn equipment but most are not interested in paying the up-charge to do without it.

OM

Omega Man said:

As it moves into the landscape industry-

California moves toward ban on gas lawn mowers and leaf blowers-

https://www.latimes.com/california/...toward-ban-on-gas-lawnmowers-and-leaf-blowers

If your looking to stay ahead of this, keep an eye on the dates. I guess one could just buy out of state.

And yeah, everyone seems to dislike the noise of lawn equipment but most are not interested in paying the up-charge to do without it.

OM

Click to expand...

All my friends in New England have moved to Ego electric stuff. None of them are using gas except for snow blowers these days. I've got an electric leaf blower, electric hedge trimmers and no lawn. The school behind me uses all electric stuff except for the mowers they use on the soccer fields. It's kinda the norm where I am. The only folks using gas powered stuff are mostly the pros.

With the drought, nobody has a green lawn anymore, so mowing isn't really a thing and with the county paying people $3/sq. ft. to remove lawns, there are fewer and fewer lawns here to mow.

And, once again, remember that you can continue to use your gas powered stuff, but they won't be offered for sale here any longer after the cut off date. It's a few years off, but the market has already started providing solutions.

Why do you seem so fascinated with what goes on out here? Isn't Mass. on board with eliminating ICE as well: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a35104768/massachusetts-ban-new-gas-cars-2035/ It's taking effect where you are the same year as us.

With regard to gas engine devices like generators and the like, official legislation hasn't yet passed, but is expected by 7/1/22 and the ban won't take place until 2024. So, we've got 2.5 years to figure it out. Most of us are already set and the market has solutions. As far as generators go, check out some of the 3.5kw battery packs and the like.

And thank you for spelling the name of my state correctly.

kbasa said:

All my friends in New England have moved to Ego electric stuff. None of them are using gas except for snow blowers these days. I've got an electric leaf blower, electric hedge trimmers and no lawn. The school behind me uses all electric stuff except for the mowers they use on the soccer fields. It's kinda the norm where I am. The only folks using gas powered stuff are mostly the pros.

With the drought, nobody has a green lawn anymore, so mowing isn't really a thing and with the county paying people $3/sq. ft. to remove lawns, there are fewer and fewer lawns here to mow.

And, once again, remember that you can continue to use your gas powered stuff, but they won't be offered for sale here any longer after the cut off date. It's a few years off, but the market has already started providing solutions.

Why do you seem so fascinated with what goes on out here? Isn't Mass. on board with eliminating ICE as well: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a35104768/massachusetts-ban-new-gas-cars-2035/ It's taking effect where you are the same year as us.

With regard to gas engine devices like generators and the like, official legislation hasn't yet passed, but is expected by 7/1/22 and the ban won't take place until 2024. So, we've got 2.5 years to figure it out. Most of us are already set and the market has solutions. As far as generators go, check out some of the 3.5kw battery packs and the like.

And thank you for spelling the name of my state correctly.

Click to expand...

Beyond being a PSA (public service announcement), my amazement is only specific to your state because it seems like it is the first to institute it. While I would like to discuss how taxpayers feel about buying lawn, I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t go well
I also wonder if the big push to electric power, BTW- https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthrea...e-lived-long-enough-for-my-all-electric-house , is a premise for a return try at generating power through atomic fusion?
I’m a big fan of electricity in general but it has to perform (for me) real close to its ICE replacement for me to get on board.
OM

For several years (in Kansas) I had a gasoline powered weed wacker (string trimmer). I needed to use it on a couple of spots in the five acres about twice a year. Every time I needed to use it the process resembled either world war III or a Three Stooges comedy trying to start it and make it run. After the little plastic priming bulb broke, and starting fluid did not impress it I finally threw the bedeviled device away. I bought an electric one.

The one I bought was a plug-in so I sometimes needed a long cord. I still have and use that one here in Texas, 16 years later. If I were to get one today I would get a battery powered one and be very happy. The improvements in battery technology in the past ten years is amazing.

Omega Man said:

Beyond being a PSA (public service announcement), my amazement is only specific to your state because it seems like it is the first to institute it. While I would like to discuss how taxpayers feel about buying lawn, I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t go well
I also wonder if the big push to electric power, BTW- https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthrea...e-lived-long-enough-for-my-all-electric-house , is a premise for a return try at generating power through atomic fusion?
I’m a big fan of electricity in general but it has to perform (for me) real close to its ICE replacement for me to get on board.
OM

Click to expand...

We figure it's going to cost us about $20 - 25K to put in storage and panels. But, we'll never pay for electricity or power again. If we have enough capacity to charge an EV, we'll never buy fuel except to go in the hot rods and the bikes. Add in an ability to have energy security and storage for a couple/few days - before we start using our cars as storage for the house, and I think it's financially viable.

Here's the thing I see. People seem to have difficulty conceptualizing providing power in ways other than centralized generation. Clearly, here in Ca., transmitting power over long distances has lead to our fires. So is it good for us anywhere out here in the west to be transmitting power over long distances? I think we're at a tipping point as photovoltaics gain efficiency and costs continue to decline where its not only financially viable, but financially advantageous to move to residential generation.

At the utility level, renewables are now cheaper than coal: https://www.irena.org/newsroom/pres...y-Beat-Even-Cheapest-Coal-Competitors-on-Cost

I'd say that if we modeled energy generation on phone technology, we're about ready to see the equivalent of the first smartphones when it comes to home power generation. It's close.

As a side comment, we don't have much water. Most folks don't have lawns. We offer rebates for things like installing high efficiency water fixtures, faucets, furnaces and water heaters as a way to help minimize water usage. Lawns are already expensive to maintain, so a small financial incentive is pretty OK with the folks here. As another example, I was able to get a Flume water usage monitor I installed on my water meter. I can tell you exactly how much water we use. I can tell if my irrigation gets a leak or if there's a leak in the house in our radiant floor heating. $50. The water district is fine with investing in conservation efforts.

Omega Man said:

And yeah, everyone seems to dislike the noise of lawn equipment but most are not interested in paying the up-charge to do without it.

OM

Click to expand...

Not me I like the sound of lawn equipment in my neighborhood even on Sunday morning. It means everyone is keeping it looking good. I have both electric & gas powered everything. My electric stuff is 82 volt & my gas powered stuff is top of the line. I use the electric for the light work & the gas for the heavy work. My electric mower takes one hour and two batteries to cut my lawn & my gas powered mower takes 20 minutes. I do like my electric leaf blower to clean my deck, porch & sidewalk because I can keep it in the house & with a push of a button it is working.

saddleman said:

Not me I like the sound of lawn equipment in my neighborhood even on Sunday morning. It means everyone is keeping it looking good. I have both electric & gas powered everything. My electric stuff is 82 volt & my gas powered stuff is top of the line. I use the electric for the light work & the gas for the heavy work. My electric mower takes one hour and two batteries to cut my lawn & my gas powered mower takes 20 minutes. I do like my electric leaf blower to clean my deck, porch & sidewalk because I can keep it in the house & with a push of a button it is working.

Click to expand...

Sounds perfect to me
OM

My state, Kommiefornia, is full of stupid. Banning generators, when they will be needed more and more, is just virtue signaling. Sure, generators make dirty power, but you only use them when you have to. Not everyone is rich enough to have a Tesla power wall, and the government forgets that all too often. I can't want to leave this state.

saddleman said:

Not me I like the sound of lawn equipment in my neighborhood even on Sunday morning.

Click to expand...

You should tour Europe then, where the national bird is the long-necked weedeater... you can hear it sing all. day. long.





I find the noise from power equipment to be the most absolutely annoying, buzz-killing experience ever, especially at sunset. It's even worse than constant spewing about coronavirus in every thread imagineable.

jstrube said:

I can't want to leave this state.

Click to expand...

But... but.... the riding in remote NorCal is among the best in the world!

Visian said:

But... but.... the riding in remote NorCal is among the best in the world!

Click to expand...

It is. But if I lived in Atwater, I'd want to leave, too.