LPG is seeing increased interest from
groundcare professionals, says Calor’s Barry Ohrman.
It’s clear that, with ever tightening environmental
regulation, groundcare professionals are under increasing
pressure to provide a more sustainable approach, the
most current example being the Control of Pollution
(Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001, governing
the storage of diesel and oil.
There’s also the requirement to deliver an economically
viable solution for groundcare machinery. Typically,
groundcare professionals have powered their machinery
from one or other of two traditional fuels – petrol
and diesel. But there is a fuel that is rapidly gaining
ground, powering a whole range of equipment, from mowers
and golf cars, to utility vehicles and ATV’s.
The fact is that LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) is attracting
attention because it delivers proven advantages in terms
of fuel storage, emissions and convenience.
The regulations mentioned earlier place restrictions
on the bulk storage of oil and siting of tanks, with
strict penalties for non-compliance or leakage, whether
due to poor installation, lack of maintenance or vandalism.
Failure to comply is a criminal, not a civil offence.
The regulations were first introduced in 2001 and come
into full effect from 1st September 2005. Separate but
similar regulations are being considered for Scotland
and Wales. The point is that the owner of the tank is
liable for its proper installation and maintenance.
This doesn’t apply to LPG bulk tanks, which are
maintained and serviced by the fuel supplier.
Running machinery on LPG is also reliable and environmentally
attractive with no measurable difference in performance.
Retrofits for lawn mowers and ATVs are becoming a thing
of the past, as major manufacturers such as Ransomes
Jacobsen, IPU Ferris, Honda, Yamaha, Great Dane and
Scag supply factory fitted LPG models.
Mowers running on LPG produce emissions that are substantially
reduced compared to diesel powered equipment.
LPG is economical compared to petrol – LPG retails
at around 38p per litre compared to 80p per litre for
petrol. The price per litre is even more attractive
with the installation of an on-site bulk tank, with
savings of up to 60 per cent. With limits placed on
the on-site storage of petrol and its transportation,
LPG also provides a convenient fuel option without risk
of pilferage or the environmental damage associated
with petrol spillage.
LPG’s advantages go beyond lawn mowers to golf
cars as well as heating and catering and, again, in
these applications the argument stacks up. There is
currently a surge of interest from golf clubs in running
golf cars on LPG as this offers fast refuelling without
the lengthy recharging required by electric models,
as well as the environmental and storage advantages
outlined above, compared to diesel models.
Let’s look beyond machinery to the facilities
that your members enjoy. Whether it’s efficient
central heating, water heating or quality catering that
your members demand, LPG provides reliable energy as
part of the full package. Here, again, major equipment
manufacturers supply appliances that are factory fitted
to run on LPG, such as Falcon’s Infinity fryer
that uses less energy to produce quality results.
The truth is that you can run your groundcare equipment
and your premises from one single, reliable fuel source.
It’s small wonder, then, that Calor, with Europe’s
largest LPG delivery network and the only commercial
sponsor of the Green Flag Awards, already has a large
number of customers in off mains gas areas who already
take this integrated approach to power, heating and
catering.
Full support and technical guidance is available from
Calor – visit www.calor.co.uk
for further information or to look at examples of current
projects.
Issued on behalf of Calor by Connect PR, Chubb Buildings,
Fryer Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1HT. For further information
contact Mark Simpson on 01902 714957 or email marksimpson@connect-group.com.
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here to download this press release in Word format
Ref: CG141
Released: October 2004
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