Budgeting your propane usage for the summer can be like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall: it can get away from you. It’s a fact! That’s especially true when you have multiple propane appliances such as propane water heaters and propane clothes dryers working behind the scenes.
Because of that, you may be surprised by your summertime propane usage – and that could make you think you have a propane gas leak.
If you do suspect a propane leak – especially if you smell propane – take action immediately and follow all propane safety instructions. If you don’t have propane leak detectors installed in your home, we urge you to get them.
Chances are you won’t have a propane leak at all – you simply underestimated your propane usage. To help you avoid that problem in the future, there’s a handy tool from our friends at Propane101.com that can calculate your home’s summer propane usage, taking into account common propane appliances at typical usage levels.
Since you are not likely to be running all of your propane appliances at 100 percent capacity all day long, the table below estimates propane usage for running them at 25 to 50 percent capacity for 2 to 6 hours a day.
These calculations show you that your propane usage can vary greatly, between 1.2 and 7.2 gallons per day. Just a few more hot showers or extra loads of laundry increase your propane usage a lot more than you’d think. Here’s an example:
220,000 BTU/hours (the total for all the appliances) ÷ 91,547 BTU/gallon of propane = 2.4 gallons per hour
2.4 gallons x .25 (25 percent capacity) = .6 gallons per hour
.6 gallons x 2 hours = 1.2 gallons
This number can then be used to calculate greater use of propane appliances:
Throw in a propane pool heater (at 425,000 BTU/hour) that operates for one hour a day at 75 percent capacity, which adds about 3.5 gallons to your daily usage:
425,000 BTU/hour ÷ 91,547 = 4.64 gallons/hour
4.65 x .75 = 3.48 gallons
Propane pool heaters use a lot of propane, which is why we recommend using a pool cover to help retain as much of the heat in the pool as possible.
A propane generator is another appliance that can alter your propane usage estimations, since you can’t predict if or when you’ll be using it.
Have plenty of propane on-hand to keep your home comfortable and enjoyable this summer. And if you need a delivery, rely on LG Jordan for dependable propane delivery in the Piedmont triangle area! Become a customer, today! Contact us or Call: 919-267-2448.
