How Hot Does Propane Burn?

Discover the Value of this Versatile Fuel

When you’re making decisions about energy and your home, you have a lot to think about these days: efficiency, cost, the environment. Lots of customers these days want to know more about propane. They want to know if propane burns hot enough to handle water heating and space heating—especially if they’ve lived somewhere with colder winters and relied on heating oil. Here’s how propane stacks up.

Propane Burns Hotter

Technically, both propane and natural gas burn at the same temperature—3,560˚ Fahrenheit—but unit-for-unit, propane delivers much more heat energy than you get from natural gas. Energy is measured in British thermal units, or Btus. A Btu is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by 1° F.

One gallon of propane generates about 91,452 Btus. When you measure propane gas by cubic feet (the measurement used for natural gas), you’ll see that natural gas generates less than half as much, at about 1,012 Btus of heat. You would need about 27 kilowatt hours of electricity to produce the same number of Btus.

In basic terms, propane delivers more than twice the Btus of natural gas, so you need much less propane to produce the same amount of heat or energy. That makes propane a great value. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, homes that heat water with propane rather than electricity can see average annual savings of $174.

Propane is Versatile

Because propane is so efficient, it’s a smarter choice than electricity for a wide variety of appliances, in addition to heating your home. For example, propane water heaters generate much more hot water at a cheaper cost per gallon.

The same technology that makes propane ideal for water heaters makes it a smarter choice than electricity to power all kinds of appliances that use hot water or heat, including washers and dryers, dishwashers, patio heaters, space heaters, pool and spa heaters. It’s also a chef’s choice for cooking, because it offers power and control that you can’t get with an electric cooktop. Propane is also ideal for outdoor grills.

Propane Is More Reliable

With propane, your supply is right there at your home. When you have a propane-powered stand-by generator, propane will keep your home powered and safe through electrical outages, too. And our automatic delivery and wireless propane tank monitoring services mean you don’t have to do a thing, and you’ll have peace of mind knowing that you’ll always have the propane you need to stay comfortable.

On the other hand, natural gas requires an expensive connection, that may not even be available where you live. You also are stuck dealing with a large natural gas utility for your gas supply. If something goes wrong with their infrastructure, you could be without gas in your home for hours, days, or longer.

Propane Is Greener

So, now you know propane is efficient and versatile. But did you know that propane is a domestically sourced fuel that is also one of the cleanest fuels around? Propane is named as an alternative fuel in both the 1990 Clean Air Act and the 1992 National Energy Policy. It’s also nontoxic and nonpoisonous, so it doesn’t contaminate groundwater or soil if it leaks – which means propane tanks can be safely buried out of sight.

Ready to Learn More?

Whether you are remodeling your existing place, shopping for a new home, or just looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint, propane provides tremendous value.

Talk to the team at Admiral propane. We have the experience and knowledge to answer all your questions and help make adding propane to your Tri-cities area home easy. Ask about all the great propane services we provide, like on-time deliveries, smart payment plans to help keep costs manageable and so much more. Contact us to learn more and become a customer today.