Unplug And Gas Up: Propane’s Advantage Over Electricity
You may not know this, but just about any home comfort equipment that runs on electricity in your western North Carolina home can also run on propane gas – and more than that, it will usually operate more effectively, economically, and with less environmental impact than its electric powered equivalent.
Compare Energy Costs
Consider this head-to-head comparison of electricity and propane*:
- When you consider the total cost in energy to produce each fuel (energy consumed to extract, produce, process, and transport it to the point of use), propane is 87 efficient; electricity is 32 percent efficient.
- You need 27 KW hours of electricity to produce the same amount of energy as burning a single gallon of propane.
- A propane water heater can heat water almost twice as fast as an electric water heater; that means faster recovery times for hot water in your home.
- On average, propane water heaters cost 30 percent less to operate than electric ones—up to 50 percent less if you use a tankless propane water heater.
- Overall, a propane tankless water heater produces about half the carbon emissions than storage-type electric water heaters.
- The average home saves about $174 a year using propane vs. electric water heaters, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (D.O.E).
- Today’s clean-burning, high-efficiency propane furnaces can operate at 95 percent efficiency or more. If electricity is produced by a coal-fired power plant, more than half the energy used to produce and deliver your energy is wasted.
- The average lifespan of a propane gas furnace is about 20 years; the average electric heat pump? About 13 years, according to the D.O.E.
Still using electric appliances? Consider making the switch. Our experts install gas-fired space heaters, water heaters, and more – contact James Oxygen today to learn more!
* Sources: National Propane Gas Association; Propane Education Research Council, unless otherwise stated.
