Noise pollution is a real problem with gas mowers, as any late sleeper on a Saturday morning knows. But they can be more than a nuisance for those who use them. Loud noise can contribute to hearing loss when it exceeds 85 decibels. A gas-powered moto mower producing 95 decibels should be used no more than an hour a day. Switching to an electric mower will ease the stress on your ears and your neighbors.

Cordless, electric lawn mowers are much easier on your ears compared to their gas counterparts. The average electric mower makes no more noise than a washing machine, while a gas-powered lawn mower can make as much noise as a motorcycle.

Besides giving your eardrums a break, battery-powered mowers offer a compelling environmental benefit. They pollute much less than gas-powered rotary tiller mowers. Gas lawn mower manufacturers are designing more efficient engines to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s new emission standards for lawn-and-garden equipment, but many lawn mowers predate these new standards. Even new gas mowers that meet the EPA standards still spew a higher percentage of VOCs into the air than automobiles.

Electric mowers are much kinder to our air. They have no exhaust emissions and don’t require a gas can susceptible to evaporation and spillage. Generating the power to run electric equipment does produce pollution at the power plant. However, that process is more efficient than it is in small gas engines. Furthermore, power plants must meet federal and state pollution-control regulations.

Cordless, battery-powered lawn mowers are quiet and work great for small to medium-sized lawns, require less maintenance and cause less airborne pollution than gas-powered mowers. Electric mowers still are at a disadvantage on larger lawns, however, because they are not self-propelled and can have trouble handling heavy or wet grass. Upfront cost is considerably more than a gas-powered mower, but cordless, battery-powered mowers should save you money over time, thanks to lower energy and maintenance costs.

If you already own a battery-powered lawn mower, home PV-conversion kits also are available so you can use PV panels for recharging. Several online sources sell the panels and components needed to make a working solar-charged conversion. A solar-charged, battery-powered lawn fertilizer mower can be the ultimate in maintenance-free, nonpolluting, cost-saving lawn care. The only drawback is the upfront cost.