Propane vs Natural Gas to heat a home

[porterhouse]

We had none of those issues with LP before converting. You could have a NG leak as easily as a LP leak. If a company filled your tank outside of contact yoh’d have recourse, but it’s not like a full tank is a bad thing. Most of thirst are really not common issues.

[Boston_Burbs]

Heat pump all the way, throw in some electric baseboard for the once in a generation temps below -15 if you are worried about that.

[Amontillado]

On the listing OutdoorLover linked to, oil was the mode which came in at highest cost, but on Jayrandom's list, it cost less than propane, which is what I would have expected. Could the difference be in the seasonal variations in price?

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by Amontillado

On the listing OutdoorLover linked to, oil was the mode which came in at highest cost, but on Jayrandom's list, it cost less than propane, which is what I would have expected. Could the difference be in the seasonal variations in price?

Using today's prices for me in South Dartmouth MA:


natural gas (Eversource) $1.73 per therm
propane (AmeriGas) $2.50 per therm
heating oil ($4.00/gallon is the cash price of the low cost oil company) $2.86 per therm


My crystal ball for prices next winter is pretty useless. Natural gas is for sure going up.

[porterhouse]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Using today's prices for me in South Dartmouth MA:

natural gas (Eversource) $1.73 per therm
propane (AmeriGas) $2.50 per therm
heating oil ($4.00/gallon is the cash price of the low cost oil company) $2.86 per therm

My crystal ball for prices next winter is pretty useless. Natural gas is for sure going up.

This all sounds about right

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by matrix5k

NG was one thing we wanted when we looked for a house. Didn't want to deal with a propane or oil tank. I hear people complain about issues with their suppliers, having to look for a new company, having their tank refilled when not asked, dealing with a leaking tank etc. It's just another headache I don't need.

If you can get natural gas service, agreed it's a great choice - relatively inexpensive, so reliable and easy to use that you can get by with only thinking about it a couple of times per year, and low maintenance re professional attention too.

The other one that stands out in my opinion is the low temperature capable air-source heat pump (e.g. Fujitsu and Mitsubishi). Very low cost of operation and maintenance and includes cooling in the same system - a big plus. As electricity generation gradually gets greener, it is increasingly a green choice for home heating too. Two downsides - in *really* cold weather the output (and economy) falls off; and as typically configured with just a few distribution points, it's best suited to a tight, well insulated house, and ideally with an open floor plan too. From what I have seen, it's typically the choice for quality new construction these days, even up in Maine. You can always get a wood stove too - for peace of mind - use as a backup in power outages, and random bouts of coziness.