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HVAC company sees benefits of propane autogas fleet

March 15, 2021 By    

In 2008, HVAC company Gibson’s Heating & Plumbing decided to convert its fleet to bi-fuel vehicles, operating on both propane and gasoline.

While the Indiana-based company enjoyed lower operational costs and a reliable fuel system, more maintenance was required to manage the vehicles, prompting the company to look into propane-only options.

“Our service vehicles are out on the road all day, every day. We need them to be dependable,” says Mark Gibson, president of Gibson’s Heating & Plumbing.

The company purchased 10 Roush CleanTech propane vehicles, which are certified by both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board.

In addition to the fleet’s reduced carbon emissions, the company found the new vehicles to be lower in costs and quieter than their gasoline-fueled counterparts.

To determine its economic success with propane autogas, Gibson’s Heating & Plumbing measured the average mileage traveled per vehicle and miles per gallon of the vehicle tank. In one year, the company saved $106,284 by operating propane vehicles, an average of $8,857 per month in fuel savings, Roush CleanTech says.

In addition to the company’s six fueling stations throughout northeast Indiana, technicians have their propane vehicles fueled daily by Gibson’s “mini bobtail,” a Ford F-150 truck with a 125-gallon propane tank. The mobile propane dispenser travels to each technician’s house to fuel company vehicles in preparation for the next day’s routes.

Gibson’s Heating & Plumbing is committed to staying a 100 percent propane fleet and plans to add 10 more propane vehicles in the next two years, the company says.

The company’s experience with propane autogas was reported in a 2020 case study involving Roush CleanTech.

Featured image: LP Gas staff

About the Author:

Carly Bemer (McFadden) was the managing editor at LP Gas magazine.

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