The closest most homeowners come to regular use of propane is when they fire up gas grills. But the propane industry wouldn't mind if consumers expanded use of the clean burning, nontoxic fuel throughout the house.
Increases in home heating, cooking and fireplaces are all seen as ripe for propane growth. Home uses already account for more than half of all propane consumption, yet propane suppliers see this as merely a good start.
"I see huge growth potential," says Jim Hitzemann, a sales manager for Ray Murray, Inc., a propane provider to eastern U.S. states. "Propane use is still in its infancy. It will only grow as homeowners learn about it."
The U.S. Department of Energy reports more than 6 million homes are reliant on propane as heating fuel.
Most of the expected growth will come in what Hitzemann calls "off line" areas -- suburban homes away from main natural gas lines. Increases are already mounting in homes equipped or retrofitted with gas-burning fireplaces. Rapid growth in the hearth business accounts for one-third of new customers for some propane marketers. Gas hearths cost 30 to 60 percent less to operate than wood burning fireplaces and emit fewer emissions than wood.
Still more homeowners can hook propane up to new on-demand water heaters for their supply of hot water. Typical gas-powered water heaters also cost less to operate.
Until recently, propane users stuck out like sore thumbs. Bulbous 325 to 1,000 gallon tanks were common sights in outlying areas. However, tanks are now routinely buried below ground and because propane is nontoxic and nonpoisonous, the gas won't contaminate aquifers or soil.
Propane is stored as a liquid but it is the vapors in the tank that actually power home appliances. Homeowners with a 500 gallon tank typically work through more than one tank per year if they use propane heavily for heat, cooking and water heating.
Market share increases for propane may come at the expense of electricity. Propane advocates claim the gas trumps electricity for efficiency. Gas furnaces heat air to a consistent 120 degrees vs. 95 degrees for electric heat pumps which lose efficiency as outside air temperatures plummet.
Manufactured housing may also drive additional demand for propane, Hitzemann says, because those homes are "set up for gas at the factory."
States in the Northeast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic are expected to see the largest growth in propane use.
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