If you are looking at ways to keep your home’s water nice and hot, you have multiple options. More and more people are looking to propane for this task. Water heating with propane has gained in popularity for a number of reasons. There are an estimated 14.3 million households that rely on residential propane service around the United States. If you are considering using propane fuel to heat the water in your home, here are some good reasons to go with that.
- It is affordable. Propane services are more affordable than electricity or oil. Gallon for gallon, water heating with propane is a less expensive way to go to get reliable hot water in a home. If you look at the costs that are associated with the installation and the maintenance of propane water heaters, you will see that using propane for this is a lot less expensive than the other options. Some put the savings at 30% over electricity and about 25% over the use of oil. If repairs are needed, it costs a lot less to repair a propane water heater than those powered by oil or electricity.
- Propane water heaters are very clean. Propane is a very clean burning fuel. Oil is not as clean. Not only does the burning of oil release a lot of carbon dioxide, should there be a leak into the water or oil, that will be instantly contaminated. This is why there has been such a push in recent years to stop using oil and to move to other kinds of fuel. Water heating with propane is one of the cleanest ways to get reliable hot water for your home.
- It is good for the environment. Out of all of the fuels that can be used in the home, propane has one of the smallest carbon footprints. It is a very efficient heating source and therefore, water heating with propane will reduce the carbon footprint of your home. Most fuels result in some greenhouse gas emissions. When you look at carbon dioxide output, propane produces the lowest amount of the greenhouse gas. When measured in pounds of the gas per unit of volume mass of the fuel, propane produces 12.7/gallon. By contrast oil produces 22.4/gallon. If you are looking to do more to deal with global warming, propane is the way to go.
- Propane is very convenient. Propane can be stored as a gas and as a liquid. When it is at atmospheric pressure and is kept at temperatures above -44 degrees Fahrenheit, it is a gas. Propane service companies pressurize and cool it so that it can be transported as a liquid. In its liquid state, is about 270 times smaller than when it exists as a gas and is easy to transport in propane tanks. An odorant is added to the tanks so any leaks can be detected easily. Because propane is so easy to transport as a liquid water heating with propane is not its only use. People use it for grilling, at home and while camping. It can be used to heat homes and for other things around the home.
- Propane is safe. Propane tanks are incredibly hard to puncture. It has been estimated that they are at least 20 times more resistant to any kind of puncture than other kinds of fuel tanks such as oil and gas tanks. Propane gas itself is non-toxic and is one of the hardest to ignite. Filling, transport and storage of propane tanks is very heavily regulated. Propane is one of the safest fuels around.
- It helps the American economy. Most of the propane supply in the United States comes from within. At least 90% of American propane is produced inside the United States. Of the 10% that comes from external sources, 70% is bought by neighbors Mexico and Canada. This means that most money spent on propane goes back into the American economy. It also means that propane is a secure fuel. Its supply cannot be disrupted.
All homeowners want to have reliable hot water for less money. No one likes taking a cold shower. When propane is used, homeowners get a clean and cost effective way to heat their water.