Home Propane Facts
Advantages of Propane

Technically, propane is a hydrocarbon (C₃H₈) sometimes referred to as liquefied petroleum gas - LPG or LP-gas. Made in equal parts from natural gas processing and oil refining, propane is a nontoxic, colorless, nearly odorless fuel which is delivered as a pressurized liquid, not unlike the liquid butane you see in transparent disposable lighters. We add a strong identifying odor (similar to rotten eggs) to it to facilitate easy detection, as is done with natural gas.

Most propane is produced right here on the eastern seaboard, which makes the supply lines Dependable (with a capital "D"). EnergyUSA Propane maintains its own storage and active supply lines totaling several million gallons - your assurance that regardless of what may happen to other energy supplies, more than enough propane will be around when you need it.

Features:

• Variety of applications: heating, water heating, hearth products, cooking, clothes drying, swimming pool water heating, hot tub and sauna heating, and emergency generators. Propane also is used to fuel cars, trucks, and buses.
    

• Clean-burning and environmentally friendly: Propane can be stored safely in both residential and commercial underground tanks. For more on the environmental aspects of propane, see the next section.
   

• Efficient: Propane-powered equipment is as high as 96% efficient. For example, for every dollar spent on heating, you get 96 cents worth of heat.
   

• Low-cost hot water: Propane heats water at half the cost of electricity.
   

• Economical installation: Heating and water heating equipment can be installed with direct venting, eliminating the need for a chimney and the cost of unnecessary construction.
  

Propane and The Environment

There are huge environmental differences between fuel oil, gasoline, and propane.

For starters, fuel oil appliances emit 17% more carbon dioxide than do gas appliances - quite significant when you consider the prospective ramifications of Global Warming.

But there are many other differences:

• Toxicity & Underground Storage: Because propane is non-toxic and doesn't threaten the water table, propane is exempt from EPA regulations. In fact, the EPA recommends that water supplies switch from fuel oil to safer, environmentally friendly supplies like propane. (EPA has stringent regulations governing the storage and use of both oil and gasoline.)
   

• Flammability/Ignition: Unlike other fuels, propane has a narrow flammability range. Unless the propane/air mixture is between approximately 2.2 and 9.6% propane vapor, it can't burn. Moreover, propane can't ignite in the air unless there's an ignition source of 940^o (Fahrenheit). Gasoline, on the other hand, may ignite between roughly 430^o and 500^o.
   

• Air Pollution Resulting from Spills: If liquid propane leaks, it vaporizes, dissipating rapidly into the air.
   

See our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about propane and about EnergyUSA.