When it comes to heating homes, you’re often limited to the service your home provides. Whether you live in a building heated from a central location that you never see, or you live in a house with a furnace fueled by oil or natural gas, you likely never decided how you’d heat it.
Others, especially in rural areas, have a choice in the matter. Their homes are equipped to be serviced by natural gas that’s piped in or propane via storage tanks. Both are abundant, reliable fuels. But there are a few factors to consider before deciding on either option.
Origin
Natural gas is a fossil fuel created millions of years ago from decaying plant and animal matter. It is harvested from below the Earth’s surface and refined into usable fuel in various forms. Propane is isolated from the rest of the natural gas, compressed and stored in a liquid form.
Both natural gas and propane are considered clean-burning fuels, but propane is less toxic when burned. While propane wins the “green” award in this contest, both are better for the environment than coal or oil.
Efficiency
Propane is a more concentrated fuel. One cubic foot contains 2,488 British Thermal Units (BTUs) of energy. By comparison, natural gas provides 1,012 BTUs per cubic foot, which makes propane more efficient, which means you’ll burn less propane in an hour than you would natural gas.
Cost
Fuel prices vary throughout any given period. But at today’s prices, natural gas is cheaper than propane. Once you decide to invest in switching to one or the other, though, you have zero control over rates going up or down and will have to stick with your decision.
As stated, propane is more efficient, so you will need less of it to do the same job. The efficiency of your furnaces or other fuel-burning appliances will also be a significant factor in how much energy costs you incur.
Convenience
Pipes, which go to your appliances, deliver natural gas to your home. Unless there is damage to the pipeline, you will never run out of natural gas. Plus, you’ll never have to go outside in the frigid winter weather to replace a tank.
For this convenience, you give up portability. A propane tank can move with whatever it is powering. If you have a propane grill, for instance, you can place it wherever you need to during a party.
If your home is mobile, you can move it and its heating source, such as if you wanted to change your surroundings or take in a different view. In comparison, gas lines cannot be dug up and resituated without risking your safety and expensive damage to the gas line and your home.
You can stock up on propane tanks and not have to depend on utility companies to keep you warm, which means no more monthly bills, line failures or meter readers walking through your yard.
Safety
Is one safer than the other? Both natural gas and propane are highly combustible. Since propane is more concentrated than natural gas, however, it will burn longer. Natural gas will also dissipate into the air much quicker than propane, so in that way, it is safer. But — as long as gas leaks are not in your regular plans — propane and natural gas are both safe, clean-burning fuels.
Adoption
If you are thinking about switching from propane to natural gas, there are a few important things to consider. For example, are your furnace and appliances capable of running off of gas without being modified? Make sure before you switch, or you may incur the costs of replacing them.
Installing a gas line does require digging up your yard. You may have little say where the line goes or what it goes through as well. Don’t worry though, the grass will grow back, and someday it will be a distant memory. It just may be disruptive at first.
Also, your propane tank will have to go. Depending on your chosen contractor, the removal of your propane tank may be a part of your switch to natural gas. Go over these issues with your contractor in advance and before installation begins.
If you’re switching to propane, it is easier. You will have the same concerns with your appliances, though. Make sure they can run on either fuel and make any necessary modifications before switching.
Next, find a place that’s accessible to delivery trucks for your tank, but not in a spot where it’ll be an eyesore. Because you need to provide a convenient route, however, you may have limited choices.
Whether you choose propane or natural gas, you can feel safe as well as environmentally conscious. Both are abundant and affordable, plus should be a reliable fuel option for many years to come. Until accessible and affordable renewable energy becomes available, natural gas and propane are the best choices for heating and powering your home.
