Public commenter urges Austin Energy to pause instant rebates and prioritize scrappage program for gas lawn equipment

At the April 14 Electric Utility Commission meeting, Scott Johnson of Austin told commissioners he reviewed a memo on electric landscaping equipment and asked that the memo be updated to reflect an ongoing instant rebate program that pays customers at participating retailers: $30 for electric lawn mowers and $15 for handheld equipment including trimmers and leaf blowers.

"The memo that was sent to the commissioners does not reflect that the continued in store program where people get an instant rebate when they buy the mower," Johnson said. He told commissioners he had checked with store staff (for example, at a Home Depot location) and found retail employees and customers often did not know about the instant rebate, reducing its effectiveness. "Ultimately, because people don't necessarily know about it until they look at their receipt and say, oh, I got an instant rebate. The program is not highly effective," he said.

Johnson said the main environmental benefit comes from scrapping gas-powered mowers rather than merely subsidizing new electric purchases. He urged Austin Energy management, as they prepare the FY26 budget, to pause the instant-rebate approach and consider redirecting funds to a scrappage program if a scrappage/exchange pilot scheduled later in April proves effective.

Commissioners later asked staff for a post-event report on the scrappage/exchange scheduled in late April and discussed outreach and accessibility concerns for customers who may not be able to transport lawn mowers to exchange sites. Staff said event registrants can be contacted for follow-up and that post-event results could be provided to the commission.

No formal policy or budget action was taken at the meeting on this request; commissioners requested a follow-up briefing on the event’s outcomes and a broader program update at a future meeting.