As part of Devon Council’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint, South Hams District Council has purchased a range of Pellenc battery-powered grounds maintenance equipment.

The new machines, supplied and supported by local dealer Radmore and Tucker are already showing significant savings in fuel expenditure and also considerable environmental advantages.

Selected following thorough examination by council supervisors and staff of the different options available to them, the Pellenc products chosen consist of a Excelion grass strimmer, Helion hedgecutter and Airion leaf blower – all powered by the 700P back-pack battery.

The Green Technology™ products, distributed in the UK exclusively by Etesia UK, will be used across the region and at the District Council’s head office at Follarton House to help maintain public parks and open spaces close to office buildings.

“We only have to pay for electricity to charge the battery, so the fuel costs are next to zero and the range is greater compared to petrol so even before we do our analysis at the end of the season we know that our fuel efficiency is much better. Equally important, of course, is the reduction in our carbon footprint,” said David Burkes, charge hand gardener for South Hams District Council.

Following the grounds care team’s visit to IOG SALTEX, they decided that it was the ‘product of the show’ and they organised a demonstration so that they could test the equipment in their own settings.

“The reasons that we opted for the Pellenc products are simple; we have a lot of offices staff in Follarton House as well as hosting weddings and other functions there. Any equipment we use needs to be quiet to operate as we don’t want to disrupt the office staff or intrude on any visitors – something we just couldn’t do with petrol-powered equipment.

For grounds maintenance tasks close to buildings, David particularly likes the four-speed selector on the Excelion grass strimmer: “I like the fact that you are able to work at variable speeds. If I am close to a building, I can use the low setting for low noise and then speed it up when I am further away for a quicker cut.”

In the last five years, Pellenc has gained market recognition by offering a unique range of ‘zero emission’ battery-powered handheld tools, thanks to the development of Lithium-ion ultra-high performance batteries. This exclusive Pellenc technology allows for a drastic reduction in the production of greenhouse gases and noise pollution. It is also comfortable for users, meets new sustainable development demands and offers excellent economic profitability.

“The Pellenc tools have been very reliable and the battery lasts for a whole day of working without a problem. I would recommend Pellenc and have done to others as I’ve been so impressed.”

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit the company’s new website www.etesia.co.uk