Up Your Home Energy Efficiency with Propane

Propane is, without question, one of the most versatile ways to power your home comfort equipment – but that flexibility wouldn’t matter very much if it didn’t also do its job so well.

Today’s propane appliances can routinely achieve efficiency ratings of well into the mid- to upper-90s – a feat impossible just a decade ago.

Although some of that improvement comes from advances in technology, much of it comes from designers taking better advantage of the beneficial traits of the gas itself: by burning hot and clean, propane powers appliances that routinely outperform their other-powered counterparts in just about any home comfort application, including:

• Home heating – A propane gas furnace will heat air to about 130 – 140 degrees and operate in short bursts to keep you warm for as little money as possible. This approach is quite different to that of an electric heat pump, which warms your home by drawing away heat from its surroundings – heat that can be in short supply on a winter night in North Carolina. If the temperature drops low enough, a heat pump must call in the reserves – typically by engaging an inefficient electric-powered backup system that can quickly drive your energy bill through the roof.
• Water heating – A propane tankless water heater can deliver unlimited hot water to your appliances and taps at half the cost of an electric water heater. When you consider that bout 20 percent of the energy you use in your home is spent heating water, that’s a pretty big deal.
• Propane fireplaces and hearths – If you haven’t already replaced the wood in your fireplace with a propane gas log set – or upped the ante on your hearth altogether by installing a installing a propane fireplace insert – you are missing out on a whole host of propane benefits, including efficiency improvements. It costs anywhere from 30 to 60 percent less to operate a gas fireplace per hour than a wood-burning fireplace, which surrenders much of its heat to your chimney.
• Space heaters – High-efficiency propane space heaters are another way to take the efficiency in your home up a notch. By enabling targeted, high-efficiency zone heating to the most used rooms or difficult-to-heat rooms in your living space, your central heating system won’t have to work as hard to keep you comfortable. As a source of high efficiency supplemental heat, propane space heaters are a great choice for home additions, too.

The bottom line: When it comes to efficiently powering your home comfort equipment, (and shrinking your carbon footprint, by the way), it’s hard to beat propane. If you’re thinking about adding a propane-powered appliance, let us know – we’ll help you find a solution with a FREE, no obligation equipment estimate!