Wednesday, June 5, 2019
More than 85% of landscape contractors using commercial propane lawn mowers in their fleets are likely to continue adding propane equipment to their businesses, according to the results of a recent survey conducted by the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC).
Of those polled, nearly all contractors started the transition to propane by installing a conversion kit on existing equipment, PERC reports, a quick and inexpensive path to reduce fuel costs and downtime on nearly any brand of commercial mower.
“This latest data is proof positive that contractors who make the initial transition to a propane mower are satisfied with their purchase, and frequently end up purchasing or converting more equipment to propane,” said Jeremy Wishart, PERC director of off-road business development. “The fact that most contractors start out using a propane conversion kit and end up staying with the fuel just shows that the initial investment is often offset by a quick return on investment and leads to long-term use as contractors observe the fuel’s benefits.”
The survey was answered by 374 landscape contractors. Through conducting surveys of contractors, PERC seeks to gain a better understanding of perceptions and purchase habits regarding propane equipment in the landscape market. Most of the contractors who have propane equipment responded they have used it for at least three years and observed their propane mowers have performed as well, or even better, than gasoline mowers.
A similar survey was conducted by PERC in 2016. In the ensuing years, fewer contractors overall are finding propane unapproachable, with 82% of those responding to the most recent poll saying they were neutral, or favorable, toward the fuel. In contrast, the number of contractors responding they were unfavorable toward propane dropped by more than 60% compared to the 2016 survey, with just 14% of all respondents in the recent survey saying they were unfavorable.
In addition, propane mowers received far fewer unfavorable responses than new electric mowers. Where less than 14% of respondents said they were unfavorable, or very unfavorable, toward propane, 62% said they were unfavorable, or very unfavorable, toward electric commercial mowers.
With the new survey data, PERC has identified an opportunity to continue improving contractor experiences with propane: awareness of the council’s Propane Mower Incentive Program remained low among contractors not using propane equipment. The program offers contractors up to $1000 for each new, dedicated propane mower purchase or $500 for each new qualified propane conversion kit, making it a way for contractors to reduce their initial investment and see savings faster. Knowledge of the incentives increased the likelihood of purchasing a mower for 57% of contractors surveyed.
Information on PERC incentives may be accessed at Propane.com/Landscape-Golf-and-Turf-Incentives. Contractors can learn more about how propane can be incorporated into the landscaping and lawn care business, and find other PERC tools, at Propane.com/Landscape.
(SOURCE: The Weekly Propane Newsletter, June 3, 2019)
Of those polled, nearly all contractors started the transition to propane by installing a conversion kit on existing equipment, PERC reports, a quick and inexpensive path to reduce fuel costs and downtime on nearly any brand of commercial mower.“This latest data is proof positive that contractors who make the initial transition to a propane mower are satisfied with their purchase, and frequently end up purchasing or converting more equipment to propane,” said Jeremy Wishart, PERC director of off-road business development. “The fact that most contractors start out using a propane conversion kit and end up staying with the fuel just shows that the initial investment is often offset by a quick return on investment and leads to long-term use as contractors observe the fuel’s benefits.”
The survey was answered by 374 landscape contractors. Through conducting surveys of contractors, PERC seeks to gain a better understanding of perceptions and purchase habits regarding propane equipment in the landscape market. Most of the contractors who have propane equipment responded they have used it for at least three years and observed their propane mowers have performed as well, or even better, than gasoline mowers.
A similar survey was conducted by PERC in 2016. In the ensuing years, fewer contractors overall are finding propane unapproachable, with 82% of those responding to the most recent poll saying they were neutral, or favorable, toward the fuel. In contrast, the number of contractors responding they were unfavorable toward propane dropped by more than 60% compared to the 2016 survey, with just 14% of all respondents in the recent survey saying they were unfavorable.
In addition, propane mowers received far fewer unfavorable responses than new electric mowers. Where less than 14% of respondents said they were unfavorable, or very unfavorable, toward propane, 62% said they were unfavorable, or very unfavorable, toward electric commercial mowers.
With the new survey data, PERC has identified an opportunity to continue improving contractor experiences with propane: awareness of the council’s Propane Mower Incentive Program remained low among contractors not using propane equipment. The program offers contractors up to $1000 for each new, dedicated propane mower purchase or $500 for each new qualified propane conversion kit, making it a way for contractors to reduce their initial investment and see savings faster. Knowledge of the incentives increased the likelihood of purchasing a mower for 57% of contractors surveyed.
Information on PERC incentives may be accessed at Propane.com/Landscape-Golf-and-Turf-Incentives. Contractors can learn more about how propane can be incorporated into the landscaping and lawn care business, and find other PERC tools, at Propane.com/Landscape.
(SOURCE: The Weekly Propane Newsletter, June 3, 2019)
