A local UK Environment Agency has made the switch to battery-powered tools, opting for Husqvarna’s zero-emission hand-held range.

Working year-round in the London boroughs of Dagenham and Barking, the Environmental Agency’s Operations Delivery team operates machinery daily to prevent flooding.

Traditionally the team used fossil-fuelled equipment such as chainsaws, hedge cutters and brush cutters, which the Agency says contradicted its road map to reaching net zero.

The team began the process of switching to battery-powered in 2020- Leon Palmer, field team leader says the team is feeling positive towards the switch, citing the range is “easy to use and doesn’t vibrate like the more traditional petrol equipment did.”

So far the team have introduced Husqvarna’s 520iRX brush cutters, the Husqvarna 520iHE3 hedge cutter and the Husqvarna 536 LiXP chainsaw (recently updated to 535iXP).

Palmer states: “We still have to use our petrol chainsaw for the heaviest duty jobs like tree felling but by switching out the rest we estimate we’re saving half a tonne of CO2 emissions every year.

“If every small team like mine, whether in the EA, local authorities, or any organisation working in public green spaces made this change it would make a real difference to reducing our country’s carbon emissions and reaching net zero.”

Additionally the team says making the switch has meant lower incurred maintenance costs, alongside a reduced risk of Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome and quieter field work.