It’s no secret that natural gas is the leading home heating source in many parts of the country, yet here is something most people don’t know: many of the benefits of natural gas are also very similar to propane.
Whether it’s a super-efficient furnace, unlimited hot water, temperature-precise cooking stoves or reliable backup home generator, you can count on all of these benefits in your propane-powered home in the same way people do in homes supplied with natural gas.
But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll discover that propane provides a number of key advantages over natural gas.
Propane delivery is more accessible
If there are no gas pipelines installed near your home, you can’t use natural gas. Propane businesses serve customers in every one of the 435 U.S. congressional districts.*
On-site secure storage
Most propane suppliers have several ways to ensure that you will always have plenty of clean, dependable propane on hand, with programs like automatic delivery, prebuy and other plans to suit your needs. Unlike natural gas, propane customers can contract for and store their energy supply on-site for ultimate security.
Propane delivery is safer
Propane can easily be compressed for safe transport, where it is handled by highly trained professionals using equipment and techniques that are regulated by authorities at federal, state, and local levels. Contrast that to natural gas delivery. If an underground natural gas pipeline gets damaged, customers may lose their supply until repairs get done. If a serious problem occurs with a gas pipeline, the situation can turn tragic, as we saw recently in Massachusetts.
Propane gas line installation is more flexible
In most cases, a propane line can be fed into a home at many different entry points, as long as there’s a tank nearby (while there are some requirements for distance from the home for a propane tank, they are not overly restrictive). This may not be true with a natural gas line.
Propane produces fewer greenhouse gases when burned
Environmental issues have been raised about methane leaks coming from old underground natural gas pipelines. (Methane is a greenhouse gas and the main component of natural gas.) In its original form, propane is not a greenhouse gas and it’s considered a “green” fuel because of its low carbon content.
As a fuel, propane is also safer
Propane has a much narrower range of flammability (minimum and maximum burn temperatures) than natural gas; propane will not ignite when combined with air unless the ignition source reaches at least 920°F.
Read more about the benefits of propane.
*Source: National Propane Gas Association.