The Propane Education and Research Council's mower incentive program has so far led to the discounted purchase or conversion of about 3,100 mowers, which means landscape service providers saved around $3 million to $4 million in buy-down costs and are saving $4 million per year in operational costs.

The landscape industry's appreciation of propane was evident on the show floor at this year's GIE+EXPO as many booths highlighted it.

One with a lot of draw featured a genuine drag racing car, which is not used for green industry projects, but being powered by propane and being a five-time champion, made a good point about the overall acceptance of the alternative fuel.

The vehicle was brought to the show by Metro Lawn Propane Conversions, a division of Amerigas Propane, which is a sponsor of the car. Ralph Poole, a national account manager at the company, talked about the 500 lawnmower conversions they average annually, and the two fueling options available: a cylinder exchange program or a propane dispenser that lets landscape pros fill their own tanks.

Amerigas's distribution network includes 1,200 retail locations, with outlets in all 50 states. In the current market, propane is about 30 percent less than gasoline.

At the Propane Education and Research Council's booth, deputy director of business development Jeremy Wishart discussed the organization's mower incentive program, which was recently renewed, and so far has led to the discounted purchase or conversion of about 3,100 mowers. PERC calculates that adds up to $3 million to $4 million in buy-down costs and $4 million per year in operational cost savings.

With the available rebates, and when, as Wishart says, a landscape business owner can be shown that the power is there and they can save 30 percent, why wouldn't they make the switch?

"Fear of the unknown," stated Wishart.