A Guide To Propane Supply

Posted on: 23 January 2018

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Propane is a natural gas that is hard to beat when it comes to powering residential appliances. Most home and business owners will know all about propane water and air heaters. They are among the most common and energy efficient choices when it comes to heating a home. There are a lot of things to consider if you are going to choose propane for your heating. This article explains why propane is a great choice, and what you need to think about when it comes to choosing a supplier.

Why Propane?

So, why is propane such a popular fuel for residential heating? Most importantly, propane burns at a very high level of efficiency. This is measure by its AFUE, which means "annual fuel utilization efficiency." This is widely used standardized measurement which basically tells you how much of the fuel burned is converted to energy. For instance a mid-efficiency furnace will have an 80% to 83% AFUE rating, but a high efficiency furnace will have a 90% to 98.5% AFUE. Furthermore, older furnaces could burn much less efficiently (close to 50%!).

Propane is also an ever-popular choice because it is accessible and available all of the globe. This makes it affordable. More importantly, it is offered by most public utilities. That is, it would be no good installing a propane boiler or water heater if your local public utility didn't provide access to the fuel, unless you are running a tank-only system.

Tanks

Propane is a fuel that is commonly stored in tanks. This means that your entire system can be fueled by the propane in a storage tank. Most residential homes get their furnace directly for the public utility lines. However, some people live in areas where they don't have access to public utilities. So, a tank-only system is the only choice. You can also opt for a tank-only system if you don't want to be reliant on the public utility services. If your home is fueled just by propane stored in a tank, you have to plan and pay for refills. Most will sign up for automatic refills. This means that the propane supplied will automatically come refill your tank when necessary. Modern tanks are equipped with sensors that enable the supplier to get notifications when a refill is needed.

Regardless of how your home is supplied with propane, it is a smart and efficient gas to use.