4 home energy expectations propane meets

Today’s typical homeowner wants energy that is productive, dependable, affordable and has minimal effect on the environment. These energy expectations are a common-sense approach in order of importance to the vast majority of consumers.

Propane tops the list of available energies in meeting all of these expectations. Unfortunately, most consumers and too many builders do not have that perception or understanding of propane. Electricity has crept well beyond its effective range of use in many homes. Some of this “electricity creep” is by virtue of regulatory or legislative mandates based on meaningless and unaffordable environmental aspirations. Too often, propane does not get a voice in the energy decisions homeowners make.

You can help change that.

Energy productivity

It is no surprise that energy productivity leads homeowner expectations.

When you dial up the thermostat, you want to feel warm, no matter what the weather is like outside. When you are the second or third family member to take a shower that morning, you don’t want to run out of hot water. When you turn on the oven or the burner on your stove, you want fast, adjustable heat for cooking family meals or just making a cup of tea. When you want to dry washed clothes, you want fast, effective moisture removal. When you want the relaxing ambiance and immediate heat from a fireplace, you don’t want to go out in the cold and fetch wood, and you certainly don’t want the phony look and poor performance of an electric mock flame.

Electricity is no match for the productivity of propane in every one of the five main energy usage points in the home that are described here.

Dependability

Second on the list of a homeowner’s energy requirements is dependability. The nation’s energy grid is overwhelmed with a lack of capacity and the need for upgrades. Electricity outages and shut-offs are commonplace in all parts of the country. Electric utilities try to make us feel better about forced shutoffs by calling them public safety power shutoffs (PSPS).

On the other hand, an abundant supply of domestically produced propane, a dependable supply chain and technology advancements at the retailer level make homeowner propane outages a rare and widely scattered occurrence. Propane is an on-site energy source on which homeowners can depend.

Affordability

Energy affordability is third on the list of typical energy expectations. In most states, propane has a distinct price advantage over electricity and remains an affordable energy, even in these inflationary times, thanks to our domestic production capacity and dependable supply chain.

There isn’t enough electricity production to meet demand today, and that demand is predicted to climb rapidly in the future. Couple that with an electric grid that needs a major overhaul, and it is easy to conclude that the cost for electricity will increase steadily. Place your bet on propane remaining affordable, especially compared to electricity.

Environment

The environment comes in fourth on the list of home energy considerations. Homeowners want to feel good about the energy they use in their homes from an environmental standpoint, but they don’t want to pay a lot extra in installed cost and maintenance for performance that has marginal benefits.

Electricity does not exist in natural form. It is made by transforming other forms of energy such as coal, oil, natural gas and solar energy. This transformation process to make electricity and the delivery of electricity on the overloaded grid is an inefficient process.

Because of this, homeowners gain no environmental advantage by choosing electric over propane for major energy applications in the home. Homeowners can feel good about a propane furnace that, with 98 percent efficiency, delivers affordable comfort and has minimal impact on the environment. Electric heat pumps can’t deliver those results.

Think about ways you should be delivering the good news about propane over electricity to builders, remodelers, homebuyers and homeowners. Start with your current customers and expand from there. It is time to start reversing the electricity creep. You are at the grassroots level to start making a difference.

Featured homepage photo:  Justin Horrocks/iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

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Tom Jaenicke is vice president of propane marketing services for Warm Thoughts Communications. He can be reached at tjaenicke@warmthoughts.com or 810-252-7855.