Don’t Fall For The Propane Line

One of the local propane companies recently ran advertising and sent a bulk mailing urging people to convert from heating oil to propane. The mailing says, “Your friends at Farrell Gas can help you switch to cleaner, more affordable propane gas.”

The assertion that anyone would save money by converting to propane is an extreme example of false and misleading advertising. A British Thermal Unit (BTU) is a measure of the heat content of a fuel. A gallon of propane contains 91,300 BTUs and a gallon of heating oil contains 140,000 BTUs. Therefore, a gallon of heating oil contains over 50% more energy than a gallon of propane.

To compare the price of each fuel, you must multiply the per gallon propane price by 1.53 to get the equivalent per gallon heating oil price. In their ad, this propane company suggests that if you convert to propane, your first propane fill-up would be at $1.799 per gallon. This is an equivalent heating oil price of $2.75 per gallon (1.799 x 1.53).

When asked, this propane company quoted subsequent fill-ups at $4.209 per gallon, which is the equivalent of heating oil at $6.44 per gallon (4.209 x 1.53). These computations prove once again that it generally costs at least twice as much to heat your home with propane as compared with heating oil.