Estate Living Magazine Issue 30 Smart Environments June 2018 | Page 39

they started off using the leaf blowers right outside the boardroom
while there was a meeting in progress – and the client did not
even notice. Once the testing phase is complete these newer,
quieter machines will replace the existing noisy petrol-powered
apparatuses in almost all their landscaping activities.
While the quietness of these new machines was the overriding
attraction, there are other benefits, Ferreira explains. These
include no fuel costs and much lower maintenance costs that,
together, result in long-term financial savings. Of course, there is
an electricity cost, but it is much less than the petrol costs would
be for a comparable device, and the fact that there are no petrol
fumes is another big plus. ‘These factors,’ he adds, ‘are a value-
added benefit for clients within the hospitality and residential
estates sectors.’
showed, one million healthy life-years are lost annually solely to
noise pollution. So noise is not just a nuisance issue, it’s a serious
public health issue.
For this reason, Servest is in the process of testing new battery-
operated landscaping equipment, including leaf blowers, brush
cutters, hedgers, trimmers and pruners. It’s all part of their
mission to improve productivity, sustainability, and the assurance
of aligning business practices to that of international standards,
says Andre Ferreira, Sales and Marketing Director at Servest. It’s
still quite new so they tested the battery-operated equipment at
the premises of one of their clients. It was quite ambitious but
After all, we have those lovely extensive stretches of garden in
our estates to create a magical peaceful haven for residents and
visitors, so it’s nice that maintaining them does not have to break
the spell.
www.servest.co.za
www.estate-living.co.za | 37