Pick The Right Snow Blower to Save Your Home From Holiday Snow

man snow blowing driveway

Winter is upon us! As far as landscaping goes, this means it’s time to put away your lawn mower and pull your snow blower out of storage. Get ready to throw some snow!

If you want to ensure you aren’t also throwing too much money at your snow blower, ensure that you have the most energy efficient model for your family. To do this, you’ll need to find something that’s both within your price range and that properly suites your needs. This second part is important because the most expensive snow blower will not always be the best for your family. For example, a family that only needs to clear a sidewalk and porch won’t need a high-powered gas snow blower, but a family with a large driveway certainly might.

So, what kind should you choose?

Gas snow blowers

Classic gas-powered snow blowers can certainly take a beating from winter weather. Gas snow blowers are able to compete with their electric and battery counterparts simply because of their brute strength. Even though those other models are cheaper and somewhat easier to maintain, nothing can match a gas snow blower’s heavy-duty workload.

If your home regularly experiences snow storms that accumulate more than 8 inches of snow, or storms that create a lot of icy snow drifts, then you’ll want to have a gas-powered snow blower at the ready.

Electric snow blowers

Electric snow blowers are a dream for dealing with light to moderate snowfall. Storms that create less than 8 inches of snow, especially the light and fluffy type, are no problem for an electric snow blower. An added benefit of these electric models is that they can be started with the push of a button instead of having to prime and use a pull cord on a gas model. This makes them easier to start and handle.

If you choose an electric snow blower, you’ll likely need an extension cord to reach every party of your walkway or driveway. However, you’ll probably find it is still cheaper to buy an electric blower and extension cord than it is to get a gas snow blower.

Battery-powered snow blowers

Finally, there are battery-powered models that are capable of doing very small amounts of work. A battery-powered snow blower is best for light work, like clearing a walkway or porch. If you live in an apartment or don’t have a large driveway to maintain, this may be our best option.

However, they do have their drawbacks like expensive batteries and limited duty. Given the limited time one of these models can run (because it is battery-powered), you won’t want to try to do your entire driveway with one!

Their expensive batteries are another reason you’ll want to use them sparingly—buying new batteries drives up the cost of the unit and makes it a much less efficient buy.

 

Need to purchase a snow blower or other accessories to fight the snow? Make your purchase through the Star Energy Rewards app and receive cashback on your purchase!