Snow blower Energy efficiency
Gas snow blowers are low energy-efficient. Only two-stage gas snow blowers with four-stroke and overhead-valve engines have a cleaner and more effective burning, but they are expensive machines.
Alternatives
Do you really need a snow-blower? That’s the first question you should ask yourself before buying.
To answer it, do not forget the alternatives: traditional shoveling and snow removal services…
If your snow clearing needs are beyond your physical capacity, why not ask or pay someone to do the clearing? Shoveling and snow service clearing can be much less expensive and also more rational than buying an expensive and polluting machine that requires high maintenance and regular tune-up…
Gas powered snow blowers
Gas snow blowers are more expensive and also noisier and heavier than electric snow blowers, but they are the only true effective way of clearing average and large snowfalls. They come in two classes (two and four-stage blowers) with significant differences in prices and power output.
See: Gas Snow Blowers: Advantages & Disadvantages
Electric powered snow blowers
Electric powered snow blowers are more energy efficient than gas blowers, and they are also cheaper and easier to maintain and to use (they are more lightweight).
But they are unsuitable for gravel driveways, of for wet snow, or for hilly grounds. They only are better than gas powered snow blowers for small snowfalls (up to around 4 inches). They are limited by their low power output.
See, for details: Electric Snow Blowers Advantages & Disadvantages
Green alternatives to snow blowers
Shovels – regular shovels, but also wheeled shovels and electric shovels – are alternatives to snow blowers for small snow clearing needs. See: Snow Shovels: Standard, Wheeled and Electric
Manufacturers and brands
See:
Top Snow Blowers Manufacturers and Brands
The Best of Snow Blowers
See, for snow blower safety issues: Consumer Product Safety Commission's