Manti

These community-powered cities have come together to encourage people to switch gas-powered lawnmowers and snowblowers for electric ones under a new program called GreenXchange. The GreenXchange program is designed to reduce air emissions produced by gas-powered yard equipment and improve air quality. Any residential electric utility customer that lives in one of these cities can receive a rebate up to $300 for exchanging their gas-powered yard equipment for new electric-powered equipment. These cities are committed to reducing air pollution in our communities and encouraging more clean air for the future.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), yard equipment engines, which have had unregulated emissions until the late 1990’s, emit high levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, producing up to 5% of the nation’s air pollution and a good deal more in metropolitan areas.  A new gas-powered lawn mower emits as much air pollution in one hour of operation as driving 11 new cars for the same amount of time. That doesn’t include the estimated 17 million gallons of gas that spill each year while refueling lawn equipment, which is not only harmful to the environment, but can be very harmful for asthmatics.

Fact: According to the EPA, one gas mower spews 88 lbs. of the greenhouse gas CO2, and 34 lbs. of other pollutants into the air every year.

“Since this equipment is used mostly during the hot summer months, when ground level ozone is the highest, it causes problems for asthmatics and aggravates other respiratory conditions. When weather forecasts indicate ground-level ozone (the main component of smog) could reach an unhealthy level, environmental agencies will call an Ozone Action Day. Standard ozone alert day advice is to delay or curtail all gas mowing.” https://www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/faq-environment.htm

 Rebate Amount?

For the disposing of gas-powered yard equipment, you may qualify for the following rebates:

Step 1. To see if you qualify, you must first apply for the rebate. In Step 1 below, the customer must enter some basic information that will be sent to their city’s utility department. You will receive a confirmation email notifying you that your application has been submitted. The city representative will check to make sure that you are a residential customer in good standing and have agreed to comply with the terms of the program. Once your application has been approved, you will receive an email confirming your approval with your Xchange form. 

Step 2. After approval, the customer must dispose of their gas-powered equipment in one of the approved locations: The South Utah Valley Solid Waste District, Nephi City Power, or the Manti City Center. These disposal sites have partnered with the GreenXchange program and are anxious to help improve the environment by recycling the metals. These partners will certify the disposal of the gas-powered equipment and will sign and stamp your Xchange form. Please hold onto this Xchange form because it will be required to qualify for the full rebate.

Step 3. Once the equipment has been disposed of, the customer may buy the new electric-powered equipment from one of the suggested vendors. We encourage you to buy from local businesses to support our community. They can be very helpful in selecting the right equipment for your needs. The rebate check will cover the cost of the equipment up to the allotted amount stated above. The rebate check will not include taxes. Please hold onto your equipment receipt because it will be required to qualify for the full rebate.

Step 4. You are almost done. In the last step, the customer will need to upload the signed/stamped Xchange form for the disposal and the receipt of the newly purchased equipment. After all the steps have been completed, a rebate check will be sent to the customer’s address that is on file with their city’s utility department.

UCAIR is a statewide clean air partnership created to make it easier for individuals, businesses, and communities to make small changes to improve Utah’s air. UCAIR provides education, grants, partnerships and encourages participation. The first step to changing behavior is understanding, which is why UCAIR focuses on education — education about why Utah needs to improve its air quality and education about the things you can do every day to help make a collective improvement.

UCAIR has partnered with UMPA, Provo City, and Spanish Fork City to provide a grant that will allow more participation in the GreenXchange program. UCAIR’s Grants program rewards organizations with creative and innovative ideas combined with resourceful planning to reach measurable emissions reductions.

Utah has a great framework of organizations that care about and help improve Utah’s air quality. UCAIR’s goal is to provide a table where these partners can combine their talents and capabilities to coordinate messaging, share data and strengthen efforts statewide to improve air quality. While UCAIR works very closely with partner organizations, it also seeks to involve Utah residents across the state by crafting and implementing technical solutions for air quality issues.

To learn more about how you can get involved, go to UCAIR.org.