4 Reasons To Consider Propane As A Heating Fuel

Most homeowners are aware that residential heating can be accomplished by means of oil, electricity, or natural gas. Unfortunately, however, they often overlook one other key heating fuel source: propane. There are many good reasons to educate yourself about this highly beneficial heat source.

If you have plans to upgrade the heating system in your home or are simply curious about some of the alternatives currently on the market, read on. This article will introduce you to four key advantages of switching to a propane-based heating system.

People are often surprised to learn that not all fuel sources are capable of generating the same amount of heat. They figure that combustion is simply combustion, and it isn't possible for the combustion heat of the oil to exceed the combustion heat of the gas. Yet the fact is that certain substances are simply more packed with potential energy than others.

Propane is one of the most energy dense fuel sources, with an octane rating that exceeds that of even pure gasoline. That means that you can squeeze a lot more heat out of a given volume of propane than you can of other substances. Propane is also much more effective than electrical heat and will be able to bring your temperature up to the desired level in a mere fraction of the time.

Propane holds the honorable distinction of being a federally recognized clean fuel source, as specified in the Clean Air Act of 1990. The cleanliness of propane stems from the fact that it possesses an extraordinary purity. Other fossil fuels such as natural gas and oil possess a much greater proportion of impurities, many of them carbon compounds.

As these substances burn up-often incompletely-during the process of combustion, they release soot and other noxious by-products. Among such by-products are the so-called greenhouse gases, which have a more detrimental environmental impact. Because propane contains much fewer carbon compounds, it can combust with a much greater degree of efficiency and cleanliness.

Those who rely on electrical power are at a clear and obvious risk in emergency scenarios. Should the power go out, they will no longer be able to heat their homes. This can be a serious problem, in the event of power outages that occur in the thick of the winter season.

Natural gas heating is also susceptible to disruption in the event of a natural disaster. That's because natural gas is delivered into a home through relatively delicate supply lines. These lines can easily become damaged or broken in extreme circumstances.

Propane avoids the pitfalls of both electricity and natural gas, thanks to the fact that your propane supply always remains right where it needs to be: on your property. It's best to store propane in tough, weather-resistant tanks. So long as you have your tank refilled on a regular basis, you should have relatively little to worry about in the event of an emergency.

By now you should be fairly well convinced of the merits of propane when it comes to heating a home. Yet propane's range of uses doesn't stop there. Once you have made the switch to propane, you will be able to integrate it with a wide array of home appliances-things like fireplaces, kitchen ranges, and water heaters.

In other words, the unique benefits of propane don't need to be reserved exclusively for your furnace. On the contrary, the efficiency and cleanliness of propane make it a highly efficient fuel source for many different aspects of your home life.