Why Choose Propane Over Natural Gas?

There’s a lot of information out there about natural gas and propane –two clean-burning, cost-effective, gas-based home energy alternatives.

While marketing often tells a story of natural gas as the clear winner in a head-to-head comparison of the fuels, the truth is more complicated than that. In fact, propane offers several advantages over natural gas that could tip the scale in its favor, depending on your priorities.

5 Propane Perks

Here are five key reasons to consider choosing (or sticking with) propane rather than switching to natural gas.

1. Propane produces more energy—Propane contains double the amount of usable energy content per cubic foot as natural gas—about 2,490 BTUs versus 1,030. More energy means more heat and more power for your appliances.
2. Propane is safer to move and doesn’t require a pipeline—Propane can easily be compressed for safe transport, where it is handled by trained technicians using equipment and methods that are heavily regulated by federal, state, and local laws. Natural gas, on the other hand, is difficult to compress, which means it must be delivered via pipeline—and not all pipelines are maintained with equal attention to detail. If there are no pipelines near your home—a problem in many rural areas—you can’t use natural gas; if there are pipelines near your home, you run the risk of a potentially disastrous pipeline failure at any given time.
3. Propane is more flexible to use—In most cases, a propane line can enter the home wherever you want it to, 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.
4. Propane produces almost no greenhouse gas when burned—While both fuels are considered to be “clean,” natural gas is a fossil fuel that releases methane – a gas that is far more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas.
5. 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 degrees F.

When it comes down to it, you will probably pay a little more for propane than you will for natural gas, but it could still be far and away the right choice for you.

Expert propane installations and reliable propane deliveries—two ways Admiral Propane puts customers like you first. To learn more about our professional propane appliance installations in Blountville, Greeneville, and beyond, contact the pros at Admiral Propane today.