Propane or Electricity?

[jasoutside]

Let's see if I can make this a quick and easy question...

My rough calculations tell me I am paying about $.125 kW for electricity and my best estimate for LP in my area is right about $2.40ish/gallon (at the moment).

I am mainly thinking about my hot water heater and cloths dryer. So, I'm wondering if I come out ahead using LP or Electricity?

I think LP wins, eh?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Propane or Electricity?

Ayuh,... Both my electric rate, 'n propane costs are abit higher than your's,...
I switched my stove, 'n dryer to propane...
Hot water was switched from electric, to fuel oil...

My 2, 100lb. propane tanks are filled Once a year now...
'n, my electric bill is $100. lower Every month, than it was before...
It takes less than a full tank of fuel for hot water from april to october...
Hot water, in winter is Free, from my homebuilt outdoor wood boiler...

 

[bigdee]

Re: Propane or Electricity?

1 Gallon of Propane = 27 kWh (Kilowatt Hours) of electricity - This means that means your paying $3.375 for 27 kWh verses 2.40 for LP. But since LP is refined from crude expect to see a significant increase in price very soon!

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Propane or Electricity?

My 2, 100lb. propane tanks are filled Once a year now...

This is exactly what I was thinking. Super appealing to me. My current setup is LP water heater, stove, dryer and furnace. My furnace doesn't use anything as I heat with a wood burning, forced air furnace. Cook stove doesn't use a whole lot. Water heater uses some (efficient) with the dryer using a whole lot. I have a busy family of 5 - piles of laundry. I am about to dry laundry the old fashioned way.

To go to a pair of 100#ers (currently have a 500 gal pig) I would need to at least take away the dryer, probably the water heater too, and put them on electric.

1 Gallon of Propane = 27 kWh (Kilowatt Hours) of electricity - This means that means your paying $3.375 for 27 kWh verses 2.40 for LP. But since LP is refined from crude expect to see a significant increase in price very soon!

And there is the crux.

While I'd really like to get rid of the LP pig (I have ill will toward the LP guy, sorry) and pick up a pair of 100#ers to run the stove and LP furnace (extremely rare) I figured I'd be paying a bunch more by using electricity instead on the dryer and water heater.

Hmmmmm.....

 

[Bondo]

Re: Propane or Electricity?

I figured I'd be paying a bunch more by using electricity instead on the dryer and water heater.

Ayuh,... Expect the electric bill to go Up, $100. a month, or More...

 

[JB]

Re: Propane or Electricity?

The market price of propane goes up and down with the price of oil, but it never goes out in a thunderstorm or ice storm. I cook, heat, heat water and dry laundry with propane.

I have a fixed price contract with my propane supplier at $2.50/gal, so it stays the same. Current market here is $2.35, but it has gone as high as $4.75 when oil was over $200/bbl. I also have a contract with my electric supplier that gives me current rate of $.12/Kwh but doesn't let it go over $.16/Kwh.

In competitive markets you can get these guaranteed low rate deals if you ask for them.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Propane or Electricity?

Family of 4. Full electric. 3,500 sq.ft, 3 1/2 bath home. Central A/C and heat pump. 87 gallon hot water heater.

Over the past 5 years we've averaged $160 a month overall. In the summer months we average @ $60-70 month depending on how hot it gets.

 

[avenger79]

Re: Propane or Electricity?

i have elec water heater and dryer. my elec for the whole house is under 100 per month.

BTW swapping the tanks would make no sense at all. losing the dryer will save propane but switching to smaller tanks won't save anything. it will make you need to fill more often. smaller fillups sure but you'd still be using the same propane no matter which tank you have. like I said yes dumping the dryer would save propane use. that makes sense.
don't forget to add in the cost of a new dryer plus electrician for wiring in order to swap. spending $1000 to save $100 doesn't work out too well.
Keep the big tank and when the price is favorable fill er up.

 

[JB]

Re: Propane or Electricity?

BTW swapping the tanks would make no sense at all. losing the dryer will save propane but switching to smaller tanks won't save anything. it will make you need to fill more often. smaller fillups sure but you'd still be using the same propane no matter which tank you have.

Smaller tanks would probably cost you more. My $2.50 rate is for a fillup of 100 gallons, minimum. Below 100 gal the rate would be $2.75 and below 50gal the rate goes to $2.75. That is how the propane guy pays for transport and labor.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Propane or Electricity?

Ayuh,... Expect the electric bill to go Up, $100. a month, or More...

Yah, my LP would go down by prolly $800/$900 per year but I am still better off staying with what I got.

In competitive markets you can get these guaranteed low rate deals if you ask for them.

Yah, I can lock in at $2.35ish right now. $2.11 couple of weeks ago, bummer. At some point I am betting the cost of LP will be greater than electricity. I could swap things around then, no biggie.

BTW swapping the tanks would make no sense at all. losing the dryer will save propane but switching to smaller tanks won't save anything. it will make you need to fill more often. smaller fillups sure but you'd still be using the same propane no matter which tank you have. like I said yes dumping the dryer would save propane use. that makes sense.
don't forget to add in the cost of a new dryer plus electrician for wiring in order to swap. spending $1000 to save $100 doesn't work out too well.
Keep the big tank and when the price is favorable fill er up.

Well, with the smaller tanks I wouldn't be slave to one LP Co. who owns my tank. I could take and fill them with whoever has the best price. But they would likely stick me with a higher rate since I'm not buying as much.

Looks like swapping over to electric dryer would end up costing me more, at least for now. Things go crazy in the oil fields of the middle east and the speculators get hold, then I may need to go to electricity. I am a little ignorant on CNG, but it seems like a great route if somebody could get it going.

BTW - Electric dryer off clist $75, wire it myself = $75

 

[lncoop]

Re: Propane or Electricity?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc1URQgQWNo

 

[j_martin]

Re: Propane or Electricity?

I'm down to cookstove and clothes dryer on propane. I just filled the 500 gallon tank I own at under $2.00 We'll see what propane costs in about 3 years.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Propane or Electricity?

Doesn't add much to the total picture here but I run a cooktop only on propane. Everything else is electric.

I have a 25 gallon propane tank and it lasts about 14 months for the stove top. Several years ago I ripped out an electric cook top and installed a gas unit with propane jets. I wondered why it took me so long to do that.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Propane or Electricity?

I'm down to cookstove and clothes dryer on propane. I just filled the 500 gallon tank I own at under $2.00 We'll see what propane costs in about 3 years.

You got a great price there J! Yah, I just ordered up a couple of hundred gallons from the LP man (I had that propain song in my head the whole time ^^^^). I'll revisit again in a couple of years to see where prices are at. In the meantime I'm going to go to old school hanging clothes on the line to dry. That should save me a ton.