Propane F.A.Q.s

There are six very good reasons why you should consider propane for your home energy needs:

1. Propane has a wide variety of uses: heating, water heating, cooking, clothes drying, swimming pool water heating, hot tub & sauna heating and emergency generators. Propane is also used to fuel cars and trucks.
2. Propane is a clean-burning, environmentally-friendly fuel that can be stored safely in residential & commercial underground tanks.
3. Propane heating equipment is designed to operate efficiently. Some equipment can be as high as 96% efficient. That means for every heating dollar you spend, you get 96 cents worth of heat.
4. Propane heats water at one-half the cost of electricity.
5. Propane heating and water heating equipment can be installed with special direct venting systems which do not need a chimney. This will save you money on retrofitting and unnecessary construction.
6. Unlike competitive fuels, most of the propane used in the United States comes from North American sources.

By using propane gas in place of less environmentally friendly fuels, you can address such pressing issues as acid rain, the "greenhouse effect," urban smog, and the thinning ozone layer in a very tangible way.

With propane's simple molecular composition, propane-fueled vehicles emit significantly lower levels of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides than gasoline-fueled vehicles. The level of air toxin emissions from propane-fueled vehicles is also low.

Propane also plays a key role in the on-going effort to preserve our environment by conserving energy. Most of the electricity in the United States is produced by burning coal. However, only 35% of the millions of tons of coal burned annually to generate electricity is converted into electricity. More energy, about another five percent, is wasted when electric power is distributed to customers. The bottom line is that users of electricity are left holding the bill for the 70% of energy resources that never get to them.

In addition, burning coal to generate electricity annually releases millions of tons of carbon dioxide and other harmful pollutants into the atmosphere. Unlike fuel oil, which emits 17% more carbon dioxide than gas appliances, propane is clean burning.

If you are deciding about the future with an existing underground storage tank (UST), it might be helpful for you to know that because propane is non-toxic and does not get into the water table, it is exempt from the Department of Environmental Protection (EPA) regulations. In fact, the EPA recommends that water suppliers switch from petroleum to safer fuels like natural gas or propane. The EPA does have stringent regulations on oil and gasoline UST's.

By using propane gas instead of electricity, we can cut these emissions in half and help preserve our environment for future generations.

By a four-to-one margin, the safest way to provide heat is with gas. That's what the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) concluded in its study, U.S. Home Heating Fire Patterns and Trends. In analyzing the comparative risks of home heating devices, the NFPA concluded that the odds of a fire in your home are greater with fuel oil-powered heating units than with furnaces burning gas. In addition, there are many new devices on today's propane gas appliances and equipment that have proven to enhance safety and efficiency.

Propane has an enviable safety record due, in large part, to the stringent codes and regulations developed by the propane industry in conjunction with the NFPA. Every aspect of installation, storage, and tank filling is addressed to assure that each new propane installation will provide a lifetime of worry-free operation. In addition, we conduct regular, thorough training for our service and delivery staff to assure proper handling of propane and propane equipment.

Propane gas is non-toxic, so it's not harmful to soil and water. Since it does not endanger the environment, the storage of propane tanks either above or below ground is not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Fuel oil and gasoline, however, are extremely toxic, and the EPA does impose strict regulations on the storage of these fuels. The propane industry has always focused on strong safety and educational programs among its personnel. Within the last several years, two programs have been initiated by the industry to further enhance this philosophy.

The GAS Check and CETP programs serve as ample evidence of the industry's commitment to insure that propane continues to be a safe and efficient energy alternative for America.

The Gas Appliance System Check (or GAS Check) Program is designed to reduce the possibility of residential accidents by periodically inspecting the entire residential propane system for safety and efficiency, and by educating the consumer as to safe practices with propane installations. The majority of the nation's propane retailers voluntarily participate in this program, which celebrated its 10th anniversary during 1995. Each retailer involved in the program receives special training on how to inspect propane appliances, storage tanks, and piping for safety and efficiency.

Over two million such inspections have been conducted to date, and GAS Check has been recognized by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Fire Protection Association as a positive program to prevent propane related accidents.

Training of industry personnel who handle propane has been performed as long as the industry has been in existence. Recently, however, the National Propane Gas Association has drawn from many of these training procedures to develop a uniform, nationally recognized training program for the various tasks involved in handling propane, its equipment, and appliances. The Certified Employee Training Program (CETP) is being used extensively throughout the country while the program continues to be expanded and updated.