Only 5% of US homes use propane for home heating, but there’s a lot of evidence that it can boost efficiency and lower costs.
There are many home heating options available to us. Most homes use a central furnace, which pushes air warm air through the ductwork to heat each room as you see fit.
Other homes use boilers, which transport water through a set of pipes, and use radiators to heat the rooms. To function properly, furnaces and boilers both need a fuel source – electricity, natural gas, or propane.
In this post, we will tell you about some of the many benefits of propane for heating your home. As mentioned, a small percentage of Americans opt for propane, but keep reading and you’ll see that the benefits may lead to that number growing significantly in the future as people realize the long-term advantages.
Propane Is Safe
One of the best things about using propane in the home is that it’s safe and non-toxic. You’ll never have to worry about any health issues from burning propane to heat your home or use your appliances.
Tanks are generally impenetrable and can be buried underground. Even in the event of a propane leak, however, it releases as a gas instead of pooling up in liquid form like other gases.
To maximize safety, it’s important to know that propane has a strong, unpleasant smell added to it (similar to rotten eggs), which helps detect leaks easily. This odorant ensures that even a minor leak can be noticed before it poses any danger.
The best thing to do to avoid this is to hire a great company for propane tank installation and maintenance. Your propane tank should be inspected on a regular basis to ensure it doesn’t leak. You can also install a gas detector to get quickly notified when a leak does happen.
It Burns Clean
Propane burns clean, so you don’t have to worry about it causing issues with your appliances. This isn’t the case with other “dirty” fuels, like gas or diesel, which leave behind particulates and nitrogen dioxide. When you burn them, soot and scaling result, which can damage appliances, which then need maintenance.
When you burn clean fuels like propane, the heating efficiency is way higher as well. In fact, clean-burning propane can extend the lifespan of your heating equipment, reducing the frequency and cost of repairs or replacements.
Propane Can Power Everything
There’s nothing in your home that can’t be used with propane, making it one of the most versatile ways to heat your home and use appliances. Anything that can run on natural gas or electricity will also run on propane, so you won’t have to buy an electric stove or water heater.
Here’s a list of appliances commonly used with propane:
- Space heaters
- Hot water heaters
- All cooking appliances
- Washers and dryers
- Fireplaces
- Pool heaters
- Outdoor grills
It’s High Octane
Propane is a high-energy fuel that actually has a higher octane rating than gasoline. It heats up faster and hotter than other fuels, as well as electricity. This quick heating capability means you’ll not only enjoy immediate comfort in your home, but you’ll also lower your energy consumption, leading to significant cost savings.
You Can Get Big Propane Tanks
A lot of homeowners think that choosing gas over electricity just creates more complications, but that’s not necessarily true. With propane, you can choose between tanks up to 1,000 gallons, so your home heating needs can be well-looked after for months before you need to get another propane delivery.
What’s great about having a large tank is that you can use affordable energy companies like Gibson Oil & Gas to fill your tank for months on end. Thanks to economies of scale this usually ends up being significantly cheaper than other types of gas which use smaller tanks that are more expensive to fill constantly. Being able to have several months supply also means if you decide to bury your tank underground, you won’t even have to regularly look at it. You’ll just have to keep an eye on the gauge to find out when you need to order more.
Propane Is Greener Than Other Fuels
As we said earlier, propane was deemed a clean fuel way back in the 1990 Clean Air Act. There are no fossil fuels that burn cleaner than propane, so you don’t have to worry about propane contaminating anything under or above ground.
When you compare it to natural gas, propane has around 60% less carbon monoxide, 20% less nitrogen, and 20% fewer greenhouse gas emissions. If energy efficiency and carbon emissions are a concern for you, propane is about as green as you can be short of installing solar panels on your roof.
Furthermore, propane’s lower emissions make it a highly attractive option for homeowners looking to reduce their carbon footprint without sacrificing comfort.
It Works During Emergencies
When the power goes out in a home powered by electricity, you’re out of luck. If you have a propane-fueled home, however, everything will still work like normal aside from your lights.
This makes it the best heating option for reliability, especially in the colder months when going without heat could be extremely uncomfortable. Even during prolonged outages, propane generators can provide critical power to keep key appliances and heating systems operational.
Of course, you need to make sure that your propane tank is maintained and full. If you’re low on propane and the emergency lasts for days, you could still be in trouble.
Propane Is Convenient
We’ve already touched on propane’s convenience as a fuel source. Homeowners who choose to use natural gas will find it difficult and expensive to create the infrastructure to house it. It’s also worth noting that natural gas isn’t always easy to access in every part of the country.
The propane industry has enough pipelines, vehicles, and tankers to reach pretty much everyone in America. A good propane company will allow you to schedule deliveries and check up on your tank to ensure it’s still in good shape. Many companies also offer automatic delivery services, so you won’t have to worry about monitoring your propane levels.
It’s Affordable
Propane is easily the cheapest option when compared to natural gas and electricity. This is due to a few of the things we’ve discussed here already, like its ability to heat more quickly and the fact that it’s generally affordable to purchase.
Yes, natural gas is much cheaper to buy per gallon, but propane is so much more efficient that it becomes more cost-effective. Coupled with its long-term reliability and energy savings, propane proves to be an affordable solution that can fit a variety of household budgets.
Use the Best Home Heating Option
Home care is important, so getting the best home heating option for your needs is essential. Propane is a better, greener, and more efficient fuel source than natural gas and electricity. It also promises to work with your existing heating infrastructure, so make the right heating choice and get your propane tank installed today.
With its combination of efficiency, safety, and environmental benefits, propane is poised to become an even more popular choice for homeowners across the country.
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