Monday, January 27, 2014

New EPA rules give propane use a boost






















We fire our gas grills with it. Soon we might also use propane to power up small engines for mowing and other lawn maintenance work.
New rules from the Environmental Protection Agency call for a shift to cleaner-running machines starting this year. Gas-powered landscaping equipment  is one of the targets.

“That’s one of the bigger polluters,” said John Jessup, executive director of the North Carolina Propane Gas Association.
Five years ago one or two companies offered propane-powered mowers, such as the commercial model shown here. Now 14 do, and still others plan to, Jessup said. It’s not just mowers that are getting a makeover. Tankless water heaters, heating and cooling systems and appliances are also buzzing on propane, which can be more efficient and cheaper than electric power, Jessup said.
Natural gas is the top alternative to electricity for heating, water-heating and appliances in Charlotte, and propane doesn’t really offer advantages in cost or performance, Jessup said. So that left little room for propane – until the EPA demanded better pollution control.
“Compared to the emissions on gasoline engines, propane is about 60 percent cleaner,” Jessup said. “It makes a huge difference.”
Sullivan: http://homelifeclt.blogspot.com; Twitter: @sullivan_obs

3 comments:

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Unknown said...

It's great that the EPA is making strides towards supporting cleaner engines. I'm not sure how efficient these propane engines are, but it seems like a great thing to develop. Thanks for the informative post! http://www.lpserviceinc.com/aboutus.html