Improving Home Energy Efficiency with Propane
I
f you read this blog, you probably already know that propane is one of the most versatile ways to power your home comfort equipment – but that wouldn’t matter much if it didn’t also do the job so well.
Because propane burns hot and clean, propane-powered appliances can achieve efficiency ratings that reach well into the 90s, with some propane water heaters and propane furnaces reaching as high as 98 percent efficiency!
In fact, propane will outperform its other-powered counterparts in just about any home comfort application, including:
- Water Heating – About 20 percent of the energy you use in your home is spent on heating water for your taps and appliances. When you consider that a propane-powered water heater can deliver that hot water at half the cost of an electric water heater – or even less if you use a tankless system – switching to propane becomes the smart choice.
- Home Heating – A propane gas furnace will heat air to about 130 – 140 degrees and operate in short intervals to minimize operating costs while maximizing warmth. This is quite different than an electric heat pump, which produces air that feels cool to the touch. On cold Maryland days, a heat pump must rely on its onboard electric heat backup to keep pace; once that backup system kicks in, the vaunted efficiency of heat pumps goes out the window. For colder weather areas like ours, propane wins again.
- Propane fireplaces and hearths – If you haven’t already replaced the wood in your fireplace with a gas log insert – or replaced the fireplace altogether with a propane model – you are missing out on a whole host of 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 loses much of its heat to your chimney.
- Space heaters – High-efficiency direct-vent propane space heaters are another way to up the efficiency in your home. By enabling targeted, high-efficiency zone heating to the most used rooms in your living space, you won’t have to rely as much on your primary furnace or boiler.
- Pool heaters – Propane pool heaters deliver more heat for less money than heat pumps, which draw heat from the outside air – a great thing if the outdoor temperature is warm, but not so great for the morning or evening, when you need pool heating most. Solar heaters may be a bit more efficient than propane pool heaters on paper, but they struggle when there’s no sun – a cloudy afternoon, for example, or at night.
The bottom line: When it comes to efficiently powering your home comfort equipment, propane ups the ante, especially when compared to electricity – which means lower bills and more comfort for you (and a smaller carbon footprint, to boot!).
Thinking about adding a propane-powered appliance? We can help! Contact us today to learn about the many benefits and options for clean, green power in your Maryland home, or to get a FREE, no obligation estimate on propane equipment (and don’t forget to ask about our specials!)
