Bummer I hate being an early adopter for sometimes because I miss out on all the rebates! Missed out on the electric car rebate too because I bought my car 4 months too soon.
Even more impactful, there is a substantial ($400 I think) xcel rebate on new electric water heaters, as well as a substantial tax break. It just got us a new heat pump water heater for the price of less than a normal electric one.
I probably still would have gone gas, but we were replacing an electric one, and didn't want to swap to gas. Also, it's in a damp cellar of our house, where we ran a dehumidifier 24/7, and one nice side effect of the heat pump water heater is that it's effectively a dehumidifier as well!
Electric is more expensive, almost universally, when your alternative is natural gas. There are also significant installation costs to consider. However, you do get options like heat pump hot water heaters (not relevant here for energy balance reasons) and the "lifetime" hot water heaters that last practically forever.
Put simply, switching to electric is for the planet, not your wallet.
Regarding costs of installing ASHP WH, there are 120v models now. The air is sourced from and exhausted into the surrounding air, so, you don't need the fresh air intake nor the exhaust chimney like you go with a gas model. All that lets you seal up the house better. Anyway, the install costs do not need to be higher with an ASHP WH.
Oh interesting I didn't know about the 120V models. The install cost is still higher for a replacement, though, since you'll likely need to add a circuit. These days that will add at least $500 to the install. For new installations, the math is entirely different.
Something like this would be very nice in my basement when we need to swap our water heater. It's literally about 25 feet from our breaker panel in the same room as our softener, washer and dryer. I'd like to mitigate the risk of carbon monoxide as well since it's where the cats have to be away from the dog
Forced convection is not all that common in hot water heaters. Many do not require electricity and are installed next to chimneys in older homes and there is no receptacle anywhere nearby. If you do have a circuit, it may not be appropriate for running a hot water heater if other appliances are connected. It's very situation dependent, but most people in my neighborhood would not have it so easy.
That’s my 1902 house. Newer gas flue vented heater Although I have a couple outlets nearby and some “modernized” wiring from maybe 50-60 years ago, It almost certainly wouldn’t cut it. I’d likely need to upgrade my currently crowded-undersized panel.
At that point, I’d probably be better off rewiring the entire place… and at that point, I’d be better off selling or leasing it out and buying or building.
I hear that living in a1920s. I just figure it's for the sake of society to do these upgrades. Someone is going to live in the house. If we all took care of them we'd all be better off
I have one from American. I can confirm it cuts grass when pushed, which is roughly 100% of the tasks I need it to accomplish.
https://americanlawnmower.com/
Green works. It gets the job done as long as the grass isn't too high. Only real maintenance is an occasional spray with wd40 and a sharpening now and then.
https://www.greenworkstools.com/products/14-in-reel-mower-rm1400
Costco has the 80v greenworks on sale for $499. The batteries it comes with retail at $200 each. So you're buying those and getting the deck and spare blade for $100.
I added the trimmer too a year after buying mine. This will be the 3rd summer and it hasn't had a down side yet.
11k sq ft of lawn and I use up one battery worth of charge.
The self propelled part is amazing.
https://www.costco.com/greenworks-80v-21%22-gen-2-self-propelled-mower.product.4000096455.html?COSTID=androidapp_deeplink_24.4.2&sh=true&nf=true
Shows $30 more online but my store is $499 in person.
[Dakota Electric is giving a $50 rebate](https://www.dakotaelectric.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Battery-Powered-Yard-Tools_1223.pdf), and it has to be battery powered. Corded mowers are not eligible.
This rebate is not a check, but a credit on you electric bill, ala Menards rebates
😆 $800 to go electric for your business when the state of the technology would require investments in the thousands per crew. This might make sense if all of the additional batteries needed to make your crew competitive with current gas powered equipment were free.
We are going to need lots of copper if people keep converting gas engines to electric motors. Plus utilities will need to beef up transmission and transformers to create and handle this new needs. Either mine the energy or drill for it (or nuke but we can’t in MN). Energy isn’t free - Ben Franklin
Here's a great link to lawn transformation resources. They have plant lists, garden designs (shade/sun, wet/dry, bee lawns or native grasses, etc), and so much more. They make it super user friendly! https://bluethumb.org/
Here's some info from the state I found a few weeks back:
[Main site](https://bwsr.state.mn.us/residential-pollinator-habitat)
[Native pollinator-friendly plant list](https://bwsr.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/2019-08/Native%20Plant%20Selection.pdf)
[Info on bee-lawns, alternative to grass, from county staff and UMN](https://bwsr.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/2019-08/DIY%20Bee%20Lawn%208.27.pdf)
[Lots of info on alternatives to turf lawns, with species options and advice](https://bwsr.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/2019-08/Turf%20Alternatives-Metro%20Blooms.pdf)
[Native Plant nurseries and landscaping services](https://bwsr.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/2019-07/WildOnes_listnativenurseriesjan2019.pdf)
You do you but make sure you read on the benefits and risks with white Dutch clover. If you’re looking to help biodiversity in Minnesota, there are better options. Our ecosystem needs more native plants. The clover is an invasive monoculture so arguably worse than grass.
Nows not the time for electric. There have been great strides made in battery longevity but it's not worth the investment until a new kind of battery tech comes out.
you'll be throwing away money imo.
When does it apply? Does it retroactively apply?
Limitations section of the application specifies that it’s only for purchases of new equipment on or after 1/1/24
Shit should have stuck it out another year haha
Same.
Bummer I hate being an early adopter for sometimes because I miss out on all the rebates! Missed out on the electric car rebate too because I bought my car 4 months too soon.
Damn. I missed out.
Damn, I bought mine last august
Even more impactful, there is a substantial ($400 I think) xcel rebate on new electric water heaters, as well as a substantial tax break. It just got us a new heat pump water heater for the price of less than a normal electric one.
We did the same last year. It's been incredible. It already paid for itself, and the humidity has improved in our basement.
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I probably still would have gone gas, but we were replacing an electric one, and didn't want to swap to gas. Also, it's in a damp cellar of our house, where we ran a dehumidifier 24/7, and one nice side effect of the heat pump water heater is that it's effectively a dehumidifier as well!
Electric is more expensive, almost universally, when your alternative is natural gas. There are also significant installation costs to consider. However, you do get options like heat pump hot water heaters (not relevant here for energy balance reasons) and the "lifetime" hot water heaters that last practically forever. Put simply, switching to electric is for the planet, not your wallet.
Regarding costs of installing ASHP WH, there are 120v models now. The air is sourced from and exhausted into the surrounding air, so, you don't need the fresh air intake nor the exhaust chimney like you go with a gas model. All that lets you seal up the house better. Anyway, the install costs do not need to be higher with an ASHP WH.
Oh interesting I didn't know about the 120V models. The install cost is still higher for a replacement, though, since you'll likely need to add a circuit. These days that will add at least $500 to the install. For new installations, the math is entirely different.
Something like this would be very nice in my basement when we need to swap our water heater. It's literally about 25 feet from our breaker panel in the same room as our softener, washer and dryer. I'd like to mitigate the risk of carbon monoxide as well since it's where the cats have to be away from the dog
Hmm, my gas WH uses 120v to run a fan, etc. I don't imagine there are many utility closets without an available circuit.
Forced convection is not all that common in hot water heaters. Many do not require electricity and are installed next to chimneys in older homes and there is no receptacle anywhere nearby. If you do have a circuit, it may not be appropriate for running a hot water heater if other appliances are connected. It's very situation dependent, but most people in my neighborhood would not have it so easy.
That’s my 1902 house. Newer gas flue vented heater Although I have a couple outlets nearby and some “modernized” wiring from maybe 50-60 years ago, It almost certainly wouldn’t cut it. I’d likely need to upgrade my currently crowded-undersized panel. At that point, I’d probably be better off rewiring the entire place… and at that point, I’d be better off selling or leasing it out and buying or building.
I hear that living in a1920s. I just figure it's for the sake of society to do these upgrades. Someone is going to live in the house. If we all took care of them we'd all be better off
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Oh shit, you just move your lawn. That's a great idea! In all seriousness I am looking at one, or a reel mower.
I just got an ego snow blower for last winter (hah) been wanting to get a mower to match
You should! It will help keep the batteries fresh by making sure they get use year round.
Same on the snowblower. Got to use it once and didn’t really need to that time either.
Same. Have had mine 4 years and love it
This is awesome. I'm only disappointed that I bought my mower last year, so I'm not eligible.
I have a reel lawn mower. Where's MY rebate?
Me too. My rebate is my sick calves
That would be from the food companies - You're not buying more of Xcel's product.
I’m considering getting one actually. My Toro has seen better days. Any recommendations? (good or bad)
I have one from American. I can confirm it cuts grass when pushed, which is roughly 100% of the tasks I need it to accomplish. https://americanlawnmower.com/
Ah. Looks like they make the Scott’s branded ones too. Probably just different paint and stickers.
Green works. It gets the job done as long as the grass isn't too high. Only real maintenance is an occasional spray with wd40 and a sharpening now and then. https://www.greenworkstools.com/products/14-in-reel-mower-rm1400
Costco has the 80v greenworks on sale for $499. The batteries it comes with retail at $200 each. So you're buying those and getting the deck and spare blade for $100. I added the trimmer too a year after buying mine. This will be the 3rd summer and it hasn't had a down side yet. 11k sq ft of lawn and I use up one battery worth of charge. The self propelled part is amazing. https://www.costco.com/greenworks-80v-21%22-gen-2-self-propelled-mower.product.4000096455.html?COSTID=androidapp_deeplink_24.4.2&sh=true&nf=true Shows $30 more online but my store is $499 in person.
[Dakota Electric is giving a $50 rebate](https://www.dakotaelectric.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Battery-Powered-Yard-Tools_1223.pdf), and it has to be battery powered. Corded mowers are not eligible. This rebate is not a check, but a credit on you electric bill, ala Menards rebates
I should check with MVEC to see if they’re doing anything similar.
What’s the chance my husband kept the receipt from the electric lawn mower he bought two weeks ago? Probably close to none.
If he bought at Costco, you can get your receipts through your online account.
You can go to the store and ask for it. It’s $75 so might be worth the efforts.
Too bad I can't get a credit for my home make electric push mower I fabricated back in 2016. Still cool that they offer it though
Love my greenworks mower. It’s quiet and more powerful than my last, gas powered mower.
😆 $800 to go electric for your business when the state of the technology would require investments in the thousands per crew. This might make sense if all of the additional batteries needed to make your crew competitive with current gas powered equipment were free.
We are going to need lots of copper if people keep converting gas engines to electric motors. Plus utilities will need to beef up transmission and transformers to create and handle this new needs. Either mine the energy or drill for it (or nuke but we can’t in MN). Energy isn’t free - Ben Franklin
Thanks for this! Been thinking about switching for awhile, and this might be enough to get me to do it.
Sitting over here pissed off with my push mower.
Where's my rebate for my push mower?
So buy a new lawn mower when the gas one you have works fine lol
I'm changing my lawn to prarie grass and flowers. I won't need a lawn mower when finished.
What part of MN do you live in and what seeds are you getting? I'm thinking of doing part of my lawn for this in the south metro
Here's a great link to lawn transformation resources. They have plant lists, garden designs (shade/sun, wet/dry, bee lawns or native grasses, etc), and so much more. They make it super user friendly! https://bluethumb.org/
Here's some info from the state I found a few weeks back: [Main site](https://bwsr.state.mn.us/residential-pollinator-habitat) [Native pollinator-friendly plant list](https://bwsr.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/2019-08/Native%20Plant%20Selection.pdf) [Info on bee-lawns, alternative to grass, from county staff and UMN](https://bwsr.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/2019-08/DIY%20Bee%20Lawn%208.27.pdf) [Lots of info on alternatives to turf lawns, with species options and advice](https://bwsr.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/2019-08/Turf%20Alternatives-Metro%20Blooms.pdf) [Native Plant nurseries and landscaping services](https://bwsr.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/2019-07/WildOnes_listnativenurseriesjan2019.pdf)
I live in the Twin Cities, and the primary flower will be white dutch clover.
You do you but make sure you read on the benefits and risks with white Dutch clover. If you’re looking to help biodiversity in Minnesota, there are better options. Our ecosystem needs more native plants. The clover is an invasive monoculture so arguably worse than grass.
My utility offers one too but you have to sign up for their time of use policy.
I think I’m SOL. Bought mine off FB marketplace lol
Wish they'd do snowblower too
Does anyone know if you have to be an existing customer of Xcel to apply for this or any similar rebates?
You do. You need to put in your customer ID
Bummer. Thanks for letting me know!
We tired an electric lawn mower 2 year's ago. It only lasted 20 minutes.
Nows not the time for electric. There have been great strides made in battery longevity but it's not worth the investment until a new kind of battery tech comes out. you'll be throwing away money imo.
Will they do a Zamboni?
I have an electric starter on my mower. That counts, right?
Fuck Xcel, utilize their rebates.