send in a question of your own

My gas lawn mower is finally broken beyond repair, so I've been borrowing a friend's battery-powered mower. I'm thinking of getting one in the spring if it doesn't mean paying a lot in electric bills for recharging. My friend doesn't keep track of his bills, so I'm hoping you can tell me how much it'll cost to keep this kind of mower charged.

(Posted August 27, 2010)

A: Sure thing. Charging these mowers doesn't cost much. Your exact cost will depend on the model you use, your electricity rate on your utility bills, and how often you need to charge the mower.I can give you an estimate for one charge for a specific mower, using Vermont's current average residential electricity rate of 14 cents per kilowatt hour.

Let's say you get a mower that runs for 45-60 minutes on a 36-volt battery. A full recharge of that battery will cost about seven cents in electricity. Multiply that amount by the number of times you expect you'll recharge, and you?'ve got a season's worth of estimated charging costs.

As you can see, you aren't likely to see a big difference in your electricity bills. But you will definitely notice the difference in air quality. Some estimates put the contribution of gas mowers to nationwide air pollution as high as five percent. This is due to poor combustion of gas and oil and to spills during refueling. Thanks for asking about a topic that lots of people are thinking about these days.

- Li Ling for The Home Team

Have a question about energy use in your home? Ask the Home Team! Contact Li Ling, Bob and Kathleen or call toll-free: 888-921-5990 to speak with a customer service representative.