Battery power makes business sense at Nurture Landscapes
For Nurture Landscapes, one of the largest, fully integrated landscaping businesses in the U.K., the transition to a fleet of battery-powered machines makes business sense.
By using products without direct emissions and not powered by fossil fuels, they have cut fuel costs and reduced CO2 emissions in their use phase by almost 90%. New customers are turning to Nurture as part of their efforts to meet sustainability requirements. And operators highly appreciate the improved working environment. Everybody wins – and that’s good business.
A natural evolution
A leader in professional landscaping, Nurture Landscapes is responsible for many high-profile parks, public spaces, facilities and institutions throughout the U.K. To stay at the forefront, they have been moving from petrol to battery. According to their company-wide calculations, their fleet of Husqvarna battery-powered machines is reducing fuel costs and CO2 emissions by almost 90% compared to their petrol machines.* That’s good for both their bottom line and the world we share.
| Husqvarna battery products – good for business and sustainability |
|---|
| ◦ Reducing CO2 emissions by up to 90%** |
| ◦ Reducing fuel costs by up to 90%** |
Let’s take a closer look at the work Nurture Landscapes is doing at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, just south of Oxford, England and the “sustainable journey” they are taking together.
The power to change
“The biggest challenge I think the industry faces is a cultural change – moving from a fuel-driven engine to a battery-powered machine,” explains Dave Taylor, Regional Manager at Nurture. “At first, gaining acceptance for battery was difficult, you know: ‘it’s not going to work, it doesn’t have the range or the power’. After considering all the options, we chose the Husqvarna 500-Series professional range of battery-powered machines, which was by far the most appropriate route for us to go down.”
“This kit is capable and up to the job,” says Dave Taylor. “These machines keep up with the two-stroke equipment, and out-perform in many areas. Saving us money and time, while helping us to reduce hand on vibrations. Now we can work around buildings and in places where we were restricted before by noise and fumes, particularly in the summer months.”
“As we see it, our robotic and battery fleet is not only cost saving, but standard improving...it’s going to tell a better story.” Dave Taylor, Regional Manager at Nurture Landscapes |
Setting a new standard
For Nurture Landscapes, being at the forefront also means expanding its robotic fleet. “As we see it, our battery fleet and plans to increase our robotic managed surfaces are not only cost saving, but standard improving” says Dave Taylor. “A machine that, over its life, will cost less than the equivalent petrol or diesel machine. That’s going to be able to run more efficiently, provide a better finished product. It’s going to tell a better story and is carbon neutral. And not only that, a person who once sat behind a machine can now be redeployed to do more inspiring horticultural tasks.”
“A big part of our decision to work with Nurture was their ability to carry out the work to a very high standard, without a reliance on fossil fuels – supporting our commitment to achieving our own goal of net zero.” Duncan Rogers, Asset and Estate Management Director at Harwell Campus |
A partnership at work
Nurture’s customers are very interested in Nurture’s move from petrol to battery power as they are also striving for a climate neutral operation. As Duncan Rogers, Asset and Estate Management Director at Harwell, says: “a big part of our decision to work with Nurture was their ability to carry out the work to a very high standard, without a reliance on fossil fuels – supporting our commitment to achieving our own goal of net zero. We’re very pleased with both Nurture and Husqvarna in terms of implementation. From the outset, new equipment was being used and straight away, we could see how well it was performing. The standard of landscaping has improved quite measurably – and that’s something that we wanted to see from day one.”
Enhancing the green space
“At Nurture Landscapes, we are custodians for a lot of landscaping around the country,” explains Dave Taylor. “And if we can enhance it in any way, for people’s benefit, like the London parks, where people enjoy sitting, having a picnic or playing, an environment where we’re still able to maintain and enhance the space – well, Husqvarna enables us to do that. And that’s great.”
*The CO2 comparison between petrol products and battery products is based on theoretical product specification This result should be used to visualise the theoretical difference in CO2 emissions between a petrol product and a battery product. The calculation is only based on the usage of the product and does not include production, transportation etc.
**Compared to Nurture’s petrol machines
