Propane Prices - What Are You Paying?

diyer2 · December 29, 2022

Just curious what others are paying for propane. $2.47 a gallon here. Last 2 bills almost $800. 3350 sq. feet. Walkout basement, boiler heat. 9200 feet high.

calgator73 · December 29, 2022

Just purchased a 6100 sq ft house and first time fill is $2.19/gal. Effective rate after fees is $2.22. All other fills are at 2.99 this year. Just found tank farm which is advertising $1.70 this year for my area.

customboss · December 29, 2022

4 hours ago, diyer2 said:

Just curious what others are paying for propane. $2.47 a gallon here. Last 2 bills almost $800. 3350 sq. feet. Walkout basement, boiler heat. 9200 feet high.

I am a member of our local farmers CO-OP but that price per gallon really varies depending on volume etc. So don't have a quick price.

1 gallon propane = roughly 27 KWH of electricity. I am all electric at about the same altitude and have a Honda Gen back up.

I am currently averaging 0.899 cents a KWH so am barely beating you on cost @ a conversion of $2.43 for a gallon propane. My place was all electric when I bought it two years ago and with Propane costs high, and plumbing and tank expensive to install I chose to stay 100% electric. As of today my average monthly cost is right at $205/mo. We just repaired a water leak at well line to house so that will save on well pump running too much, and I had closed cell foam insulation sprayed on stem walls and under floor after installing a heavy plastic cover on floor which seems to really help.

Its risky up here not having an alternate source of heat but the Generator has borne me out in two years so far. If we get back to -25F and stay there I will be using ALOT of electricity to keep it snuggly but -17 this year was worst and only for a few hours.

CamGTP · December 29, 2022

My folks paid $1.99 for the first 425 gallons at their new house, now the rate was around that $2.20 a gallon.

I'm sure like most places they only let you use 60% before they have to fill it again. They only fill it to 80% full and will only let you get down to 20% in the tank. We had 2 weeks of well below zero temps here, the furnace basically never shut off and used a lot of fuel to heat the home. I think it's only a 1,800-2,000sq ft house.

diyer2 · December 30, 2022

Doing the math we used an average of 7.55 gallons a day between fill ups.

customboss · December 30, 2022

3 hours ago, diyer2 said:

Doing the math we used an average of 7.55 gallons a day between fill ups.

$18.35 a day? YIKES........I am under $10 all electric per day usually. 2613 sq feet heated. You are consistently colder up there but our winds are horrendous but its always sunny for the most part. I need to get off grid and go full solar with gen backup. Maybe I can save up for that before I die.

diyer2 · December 30, 2022

Boiler heat is nice, quiet, less dust first time with it but not as efficient as forced air. Plus our boiler is older so not as efficient as a new one.

We had an off grid getaway/second home for 20 years. Minimum system was $6k back then, solar panels are cheaper and more efficient now. Our system was for lights and minimal electrical use. Wood stove heat, propane hot water, gas generator to power the well pump. You can have a Cadillac system or a VW one, money will determine the outcome.

Off grid is expensive upfront costs. You being all electric would require a big system to provide the power you are using would be my guess. You can use the internet to learn and make some calls.

First thing is how much power you use found on your electric bill, then build a system that will produce that amount of power. It's complicated and boils down to math. Bigger system, less generator time.

I dealt with this company https://www.solar-electric.com/ Most companies used to give free estimates.

Lots of info online to educate yourself. Maybe join a forum? I did and it was helpful.

I installed my system due to cost. I know you're not able to do the install, it's expensive also. I would look local for maintenance being available and repairs.

Battery replacement isn't cheap either and the design and type of battery will play a part on their longevity.Think of the batteries as a gas tank, the lower you run the tank on a regular basis the shorter their life.

I will say it was cool, like an RV that didn't move and didn't have to empty or fill tanks. After install costs then just propane, gas and oil changes for generator.

Sorry to ramble but I have a passion for Off Grid. You can power anything if you have the money and space for solar panels.

customboss · December 30, 2022

2 minutes ago, diyer2 said:

Boiler heat is nice, quiet, less dust first time with it but not as efficient as forced air. Plus our boiler is older so not as efficient as a new one.

We had an off grid getaway/second home for 20 years. Minimum system was $6k back then, solar panels are cheaper and more efficient now. Our system was for lights and minimal electrical use. Wood stove heat, propane hot water, gas generator to power the well pump. You can have a Cadillac system or a VW one, money will determine the outcome.

Off grid is expensive upfront costs. You being all electric would require a big system to provide the power you are using would be my guess. You can use the internet to learn and make some calls.

First thing is how much power you use found on your electric bill, then build a system that will produce that amount of power. It's complicated and boils down to math. Bigger system, less generator time.

I dealt with this company https://www.solar-electric.com/ Most companies used to give free estimates.

Lots of info online to educate yourself. Maybe join a forum? I did and it was helpful.

I installed my system due to cost. I know you're not able to do the install, it's expensive also. I would look local for maintenance being available and repairs.

Battery replacement isn't cheap either and the design and type of battery will play a part on their longevity.Think of the batteries as a gas tank, the lower you run the tank on a regular basis the shorter their life.

I will say it was cool, like an RV that didn't move and didn't have to empty or fill tanks. After install costs then just propane, gas and oil changes for generator.

Sorry to ramble but I have a passion for Off Grid. You can power anything if you have the money and space for solar panels.

Ramble on Brother! Thanks for sharing your experience. I am waiting out for better batteries. My roof has the best southern exposure ever and it's big. We are on off peak and on peak with ETS heater in great room with a big ass fan to move the heat. Wall heaters in each room. After insulating I have this place about 20% heated with the room lights! It is all math and paying attention. Thanks diyer2!