There are plenty of facts about propane available to read online, so rather than go into all those details, better to simply direct you to one at the foot of this article, so you can read up on it if you feel inclined to do so. So let's take a look at the more down to earth side of keeping the indoor temperature at a comfortable level when the weather outside turns decidedly cold.
Who Uses Propane as a Heating Fuel
You might be surprised to discover that well over 60 million people in the United States use this fuel for heating and also for powering stand alone generators and some other machines that use an internal combustion motor where gas may be an inappropriate option. This would occur when rising gas costs and fuel economy considerations bring propane into the equation as an economical alternative in areas such as agriculture and off grid homesteads.
In particular, remote homesteads make more use of this fuel thanks to its portable nature and the fact that often there is no other viable power source readily available. Running generators and providing heat are the main uses for this fuel in these situations.
Where Does it Come From?
You will probably be interested to know that around ninety percent of the US propane supply is actually produced domestically. This makes it a highly secure energy source that is largely unaffected by global energy price and availability fluctuations.
The other ten percent is important from neighbors Canada and Mexico. That keeps transportation costs down while insuring supplies are relatively locally sourced and there is therefore no reliance on overseas supplies as with oil.
What Does it Mean for You?
Returning to where this article sort of started out, if you are about to purchase a propane heater for your home, it's interesting to know where the energy supply comes form and what it is used for. But it is also interesting to know what it will cost you to use it throughout the winter to keep your home warm.
It all depends on what size heater you need and how you intend to use it.
If you're intent is to use it as a space heater to top up your home's main system perhaps in colder rooms that need more heat than the household system can deliver, then you will probably not use it all that much as these rooms tend to have low use. That would include little used bedrooms or spare or guest rooms, additional bathrooms to the one used most or utility rooms that may not be covered by the household heating system.
You can get small portable propane heaters that will do an excellent job of raising the temperature in these rooms when you need it. When not in use, there is no need to waste fuel so the units can simply be turned off. These small units generally run on small canisters that are readily available at hardware stores.
If you intend to use propane as a whole house heating fuel, you will need an outdoor container that can be replenished by delivery truck as you need it. This lowers the cost of the fuel as you're buying in bulk and means you will generally have a good supply to last several weeks or longer depending on how much you use.
Further Reading:
I would recommend you read this article here: "Facts About Propane" that covers many of the details you might find useful knowing about.
