FPL or proane? (Lakeland: rental, house, heat pump) - Sarasota - Bradenton - Venice area - Florida (FL) -Manatee and Sarasota Counties - City-Data Forum

SRQGator1 · 02-17-2010, 04:19 PM

Which would be better for the hot water heater? Which would be more economical if you already have a 250 pound propane tank?

KEVINandSARAH2 · 02-19-2010, 12:08 AM

The best and most economical would be a tankless hot water system It only heat's what you use at the time you use it. it's instant hot water so if your not home your not paying to heat 40-60 gallons of water
hope that help's if that's not a option then i would go electric not propane

gettinoutofjersey · 02-19-2010, 04:45 AM

i bought an investment to be used as a rental a couple years abo in englewood. there was a propane tank there. i did a little checking and found that the electric was less expensive. after ripping into the house i figured why the propane was there. the previous owner who died a year prior had used a bedroom as a business venture in raising a crop of wacky weed. apparently he did not want to alert the law by excessive electric consumption so he had a propane hot water heater, as well as stove and dryer. without recalling the costs it made sense to replace the hot water heater, stove and dryer with electric units. hope this helps.

tommy-105 · 02-21-2010, 05:53 AM

After spending a week without power after hurricane Charley, I would go with a propane water heater, cloths dryer, and generator if I already had the tank.

gettinoutofjersey · 02-21-2010, 12:57 PM

Quote:

After spending a week without power after hurricane Charley, I would go with a propane water heater, cloths dryer, and generator if I already had the tank.

good thought. for the past two years our house has been a rental. never gave hurricanes and loss of power a thought. now that we are going to move down fulltime that is something to consider. a week with no hot water, my boys would love that, no showers. how do you keep the beer cold?

SRQGator1 · 02-21-2010, 06:45 PM

Which do you think is cheaper to run a typical house

Scythykins · 02-22-2010, 01:06 AM

From my research, electric's cheaper. I intend to have some sort of gas available for cooking, but that's simply my preference (and my utter disdain for electric cooktops.) Do you have to have emergency plans for hurricanes? Yes, of course. For a storm to hit that close with that intensity is not going to be as common as the ridiculous spring t-storms we get in Chicago. Also consider, if the storm is bad enough, there could be damage to the propane tank or (more likely) the lines connecting it to your home. Make the decision based on the majority of the time, have contingency plans for emergencies. At the end of the day, there was life before electricity!!!

It will probably cost a pretty penny to remove the propane tank and dispose of it. I'd roll with whatever setup you inherit. If it's electric now, keep it. If it's propane now, keep it. To have an electrician or pipefitter come in to change the rig will probably cost you more than the savings either way. Also consider service. Vast majority of homes down there have electric water heaters. If you're on propane and it breaks down, your options for repair will be limited.

HTH

gypsychic · 02-22-2010, 06:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scythykins

From my research, electric's cheaper. I intend to have some sort of gas available for cooking, but that's simply my preference (and my utter disdain for electric cooktops.) Do you have to have emergency plans for hurricanes? Yes, of course. For a storm to hit that close with that intensity is not going to be as common as the ridiculous spring t-storms we get in Chicago. Also consider, if the storm is bad enough, there could be damage to the propane tank or (more likely) the lines connecting it to your home. Make the decision based on the majority of the time, have contingency plans for emergencies. At the end of the day, there was life before electricity!!!

It will probably cost a pretty penny to remove the propane tank and dispose of it. I'd roll with whatever setup you inherit. If it's electric now, keep it. If it's propane now, keep it. To have an electrician or pipefitter come in to change the rig will probably cost you more than the savings either way. Also consider service. Vast majority of homes down there have electric water heaters. If you're on propane and it breaks down, your options for repair will be limited.

HTH

I agree electric will be cheaper. Despite what some might say about electric cost, I have found FPL to be the cheapest electric I have ever had. I had only gas heat and water heater in Lakeland, and it wasn't that cheap. My whole house now is electric, and I am frugal with the AC and heat pump and have really super low bills - if I don't use AC or heat, total only about $70 tops, and that is electric stove, water heater, dishwasher and washer/dryer.

gettinoutofjersey · 02-22-2010, 08:09 AM

i think in most cases or at least in mine the tank is owned by the propane company. as soon as i told them i was going all electric the tank was picked up. i had the property and used it as an investment rental and did not want the hassle of an empty tank.

i think that once we get down ther full time i will go over my survival plans.