Robotic lawn mowers in Bauska area: owners' experience and environmental impact
The local paper Bauskas Dzīve surveyed robotic lawn mower owners, who say the devices save time and effort but sometimes get stuck. The robots use little electricity and produce fewer emissions than petrol mowers.
Robotic lawn mowers, which move around and cut grass on their own, are increasingly common on home lawns. The local newspaper Bauskas Dzīve, which covers the Bauska area in Latvia, surveyed several owners to find out how convenient and environmentally friendly the machines are. This summer grass grew especially fast, and many people decided to buy a robot because of the mowing workload.
Owners' experiences
Aleksandrs Bičkovs could no longer mow his roughly 0.4-hectare lawn himself after health problems. He started using a robot, the Orbex S1200G, passed on by his son, and this summer bought a second one, the AYI A1 1400i. Both work with a perimeter wire that limits the mowing area. He says the robot greatly reduces physical work, but the wire sometimes has to be moved, and the machines get stuck on mole hills or fallen apples.
Pensioners Lidija and Voldemārs Dāvidi chose a wireless model, the Husqvarna Automower 312V. They left the setup to the sellers and found the technology complicated at first. The robot mowed about half of the grounds, while the other half was mowed with a small tractor. They also mention illogical behaviour and difficulty setting precise boundaries.
Kristīne, who works abroad, looks after the roughly 0.4-hectare lawn at her mother's country house with a Husqvarna Automower 430V Nera, controlled through a phone app. She still uses a petrol mower for steep slopes, roadsides and corners.
Electricity and the environment
On average a robot uses 0.5–2 kWh per week, or 28–56 kWh per season, costing 15–30 euros a year. For comparison, a standard refrigerator uses roughly 2–5 kWh weekly. The robots produce no exhaust gases while operating, and switching from a petrol mower to a battery-powered robot is estimated to cut carbon emissions by up to 90%.
The main obstacles are complex technology, especially for older people, and a high initial price. The first commercial robotic mower, the Husqvarna Solar Mower, entered production in 1995.
