Propane Fuels America: Connecticut

LP Gas’ yearlong Propane Fuels America series takes a deep dive into how each state benefits from the propane industry. Here’s our report on Connecticut.

Total odorized propane demand (2019): 132 million gallons

U.S. rank for gallons sold: 27

Gallon sales trend: Connecticut sold 123 million gallons of propane in 2017 and 132 million gallons in 2019, an increase of 7 percent.

Census region/division gallons: Northeast: 1.69 billion/New England: 775 million

Propane autogas school buses/districts and contractors: 601/9

---

Market pointers

⦁ The pandemic caused many to move from city residences to homes in the suburbs and rural areas of Connecticut. While some residents purchased new homes in the state, others who already had second homes moved in earlier than normal in the vacation season. This resulted in an increase in gallons, both for home heating and pool heating.

⦁ The power generator market has seen higher-than-average demand in Connecticut due to several tornadoes that have occurred in the state, causing wind damage. Many propane retailers in the state were fully booked with propane-fueled generator installations and reached a point when they were unable to take new requests, says Leslie Anderson of the Propane Gas Association of New England.

⦁ The state has 601 propane autogas-fueled school buses, the highest of any New England state. In addition, the Pride Travel Center, a fuel travel center that houses multiple alternative energy options such as propane autogas, opened in Hartford, Connecticut. Anderson credits David Gable, president of Hocon Gas, and T. Michael Morrissey of the Alternative Fuels Coalition of Connecticut for being instrumental in offering propane at the travel center.

⦁ Residential is Connecticut’s largest sector for propane, making up 67 percent of that state’s usage. The commercial market follows at 24 percent, while agriculture only makes up 1 percent, according to the Propane Education & Research Council.

⦁ Cold, long winters recently have helped increase gallon sales in Connecticut in tandem with residents staying home more often due to the pandemic. In fact, the temperatures remained relatively cold through May this year, Anderson says, increasing gallon sales in the home-heating market.

---

Fast facts

State association affiliation: Propane Gas Association of New England (PGANE)/pgane.org

Programs: PGANE is working on combining the new branding from the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) with the association’s branding to regionalize PERC’s message that propane is a clean-energy solution.

Marquee events in 2021: PGANE will host its fall meeting Oct. 13-14 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In addition, PGANE is hosting regional meetings throughout the month of August, with one scheduled to take place Aug. 19 in Cromwell, Connecticut.

Before COVID-19: The propane industry in Connecticut had contributed more than $497 million to the 2018 state economy. It’s too early to assess COVID-19’s impact on the state’s gross domestic product.

“In Connecticut, we have a very active group of dealers that work on autogas issues, and a lot of them have autogas in their own fleets.” – Leslie Anderson, president and CEO, Propane Gas Association of New England

---

What’s the weather?

Average temperature (2020): 51.8 degrees F

Annual heating degree-days five-year average (2015-19): 5,740
U.S. average: 4,090

---

Sources: Propane Education & Research Council’s U.S. National and State Propane Market Profiles; Annual Retail Propane Sales Report; propane.com; Propane Gas Association of New England; U.S. Energy Information Administration’s State Energy Profiles