Ann Arbor announces discounts and rebates for electric lawn care gear

The city of Ann Arbor recently announced new discounts and rebates for electric leaf blowers and other electric lawn care equipment. The discounts and rebates will be available from March 1 to May 31 through two new programs. The goal is to help lower the cost of transitioning from gas to electric lawn care equipment in accordance with a new Ann Arbor ordinance that will prohibit gas-powered leaf blowers in 2028.

"We're announcing the programs now so that people can get themselves prepared," says Julie Roth, energy manager at the City of Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations. "Both of these great opportunities are time-limited."

The Electric Lawn Care Equipment Discount Program will provide discounts on electric lawn care equipment. Designed by the city in cooperation with two local retailers, Grainger Industrial Supply and WEINGARTZ, it's open to Ann Arbor residents and lawn care and landscaping businesses that serve Ann Arbor customers. Interested parties can visit the city's website and review the list of eligible equipment and discounts, as the discounts vary between the shops.

The Electric Leaf Blower Rebate Program provides rebates to businesses that supply lawn care or landscaping services to Ann Arbor properties. Rebates are available for 50% of the cost of the purchased equipment, up to a maximum of $400. They can be used for electric or battery-powered leaf blowers purchased at any retailer and may be a part of a battery/charger kit. To receive rebates, applicants must trade in old gas-powered leaf blowers. The city will post a link to the rebate application and the trade-in process on its website starting March 1. Roth says that $100,000 has been set aside for the program. She cautions that it could close earlier than May 31, depending on when the funds are exhausted.

"The program is designed to further help our small businesses, because we know that it's one thing for an individual homeowner to have to replace a gas leaf blower with an electric one, or stop blowing their leaves and mulch them into the yard, or use a rake," she says. "But for commercial businesses, it's a bigger task to transform their whole equipment fleet, and we understand this."

Roth is encouraging business owners to visit the city's website, where they can see case studies of lawn companies that have already made the transition. Notably, there is a video of interviews with lawn care business owners. 

"There are a lot of good tips and tricks, ideas, thoughts, and best practices that they've amassed," she says. "They talk about how it's going for them and what benefits they've experienced."

Roth says she's excited about the benefits that the city, as a whole, will experience. She says using a gas leaf blower for an hour can result in approximately the same amount of emissions as driving a gas-powered car for 1,000 miles.

"It's pretty significant in terms of air quality and emissions, the health of people who are using gas leaf blowers, as well as the noise pollution that comes from using them," she says. "Since electric leaf blowers have come a long way in terms of their ability to do similar work, we're really excited about the impact that this will have on our community."

Jaishree Drepaul is a writer and editor based in Ann Arbor. She can be reached at jaishreedit@gmail.com.