A furnace is a heating appliance that burns propane gas to generate heat. Furnaces are often used in residential or commercial buildings.
You can also utilize them for both heating and cooling purposes. The typical home furnace consumes about 100,000 BTUs each hour, and a single gallon of propane has 92,000 BTUs.
This means the average household heater consumes roughly one gallon of gas every hour. All furnaces use different amounts of propane. It all depends on the size and type of furnace that you have.
A typical residential gas furnace will use around 400-600 gallons per year. But it can vary depending on how often you run your system and what time of year it is.
How Does a Propane Furnace Work?
Liquid propane is heated to a gas in the presence of a gas burner, and it is then distributed via pipes and circulated throughout your home.
When the desired temperature has been attained, a blower will move heat from the heat exchanger across the duct system and eventually out through your home’s chimney.
It is distributed through vents to provide a warm and pleasant atmosphere in your house or business.
Benefits of Propane Furnaces
Some of the benefits of propane furnaces include:
- Cleaning up the carbon footprint – Using propane instead of other sources of heat can reduce our carbon footprint and contribute less pollution into the atmosphere.
- Long-lasting burn time – The average life span for most furnaces is around 20 years or more. This indicates their durability. And since it’s also an extremely powerful fuel source, you’ll find that your propane furnace will provide warmth throughout its lifespan with little maintenance needed.
- Carbon emissions – Propane furnaces emit fewer carbon emissions than gas, oil, and electric heaters. This is attributed to the fact that propane burns more cleanly with lower levels of nitrogen oxide production – which means less smog! And since your furnace will be running for more extended periods of time each day (and night!), you can rest easy knowing that it’s doing its part to keep the environment safe too.
- Reliability – Another advantage of propane over other types of sources for heating is reliability. Since these devices run on liquid fuel instead of electricity or natural gas, there are no expensive repairs required compared to traditional equipment like ductless mini-split systems. The average lifespan range for most units is between 15 and 20 years or more, and they require little upkeep to keep them running well.
- Energy Efficient – Energy efficiency is another benefit of propane furnaces. These units are equipped with the latest technology, such as condensing heat exchangers, that help increase furnace efficiency by up to 95%! That means you’ll be able to enjoy reliable heating without worrying about your energy bills skyrocketing! Using these systems can also reduce our carbon footprint because fewer fossil fuels will need to be burned for power, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
- Safety – Propane has one major advantage over electricity. It doesn’t carry nearly as much risk when used in a home setting. For example, an electric heater malfunction could cause serious injury or even death if it ignites, but this would never happen with a propane system.
- No Ducts & Low Installation Cost – One final benefit we want to mention about propane furnaces!
Is it Expensive to Heat with Propane?
According to a cost per gallon of $2.86, propane would cost approximately $57 per month to heat a house.
In a moderate climate, a similar-sized home needs 3 million BTUs each month and costs $114.
Why It’s Important to Determine Your Propane Usage
It’s critical to check your propane tank fuel gauge regularly. This will ensure that there is enough propane for all of your home energy requirements.
If a propane tank runs out of gas entirely, it can introduce air into the system. This might cause damage to the tank or, worse, causing your pilot lights to go out.
Calculate How Much Propane Gas You Will Use Per Month
Let’s take the hypothetical usage stat that indicates a home uses 347,000 BTUs. Go ahead and divide the number of BTUs in a gallon of propane which is 91,502.
The result will be approximately 3.79 gallons of propane burned per hour. But that is if the propane-burning appliance is running at high for the entire hour.
For example, if you run the propane at high for 8 hours daily, the result will be:
3.79 x 8 = 30.32 gallons
For the whole month that will be:
30.32 x 30 = 909.6 gallons/month
But, the number of gallons can be less if you don’t run the propane at high and even for less than 8 hours daily.
Propane costs an average of $2,000 to $3,000 per year (for homes that utilize gas for heating and other appliances).
While this is more expensive than electricity on average, it is less costly than oil and more efficient than both.
How Many Gallons of Propane Does a Furnace Use Per Day?
A furnace uses approximately 1 gallon of propane per hour. Therefore, it can use about 24 gallons of propane per day.
They are typically found in larger homes, so average usage is around 40 to 50 gallons a day for the facility as a whole.
Electric vs. Propane Usage for Furnace
When it comes to deciding between propane and electricity for powering a house, there is a lot of debate among homeowners who want to be both cost-effective and energy-efficient.
In several aspects, the two energy sources are comparable, but they differ in others.
Propane is a primary energy source, whereas electricity is a secondary one. This means that you can use propane “as-is” and only utilize electricity after another energy source has generated it.
Because dirty, inefficient, and costly electricity takes more energy to generate than propane does, the concept is that it’s no longer as clean or efficient as gas.
But how do these variables stack up against propane?
We must first execute a few calculations to figure out the numerous price points for propane vs. electricity.
We use different units to measure propane and electricity. They include:
- BTUs for propane
- Kilowatts for electricity
However, we calculate both fuels on an hourly basis for efficiency and energy consumption, which aids when we compare total appliance energy use.
Determining whether propane is cheaper than electricity depends on several factors. These include the age of your home’s appliances and the price of fuel and electricity in your region.
When comparing costs to energy efficiency, things get more complicated. Propane is thought of as an efficient fuel. This means it has more energy per volume than other sources and may lower overall usage costs.
So, which is Better – Propane or Electric Heat?
Propane heat is more cost-effective and efficient than electric heat. Propane may be used to power virtually everything that runs on electricity in your home, restaurant, or business.
The cost of energy in the United States is greater than twice the cost of propane.
Factors that Affect How Much Propane a Furnace Use
Furnace efficiency – propane usage is directly correlated to the efficiency of the furnace. The more efficient it is, the less fuel will be required to produce heat instead of how much heat is being produced.
Cost of heating in your area – propane prices vary by region, so the price of fuel in your area will affect how much you are willing to spend on heating.
Your heating needs – heating capacity, how long you run your furnace, and how often you turn on the furnace all affect your propane usage. If you have more than one heat source, you have to factor this into total consumption.
The weather conditions outside – cold weather requires more heat output from furnaces. So, this results in higher propane consumption rates during the winter months.
Tips to Reduce How Much Propane Your Furnace Uses in Winter
Tune-up your furnace – A furnace that works well will use less propane. Ensure your burner is set at the right level- not too high or low. Adjust it if needed to ensure you are using as little propane as possible without sacrificing safety and comfort levels in your home.
Regulate Your Thermostat – You can make sure that you are using as little propane as possible by setting your thermostat at the right temperature. The National Fuel Savings Chart shows how much money you could save by turning up or down your heater a single degree depending on your location in Canada.
Lock the Windows – Heating your home is expensive, but large drafts in your windows can increase this cost even more. Also, if you have older or poorly insulated windows, it may be challenging to keep them closed during the winter months without having a blanket over the top of them. Instead, try insulating window shades specifically designed to keep cold air out and warmth inside when not in use – they will help reduce how much propane your furnace users are.
Door Snakes can be challenging to keep cold out of your house, especially if you have drafty doorways. Door snakes are an excellent solution for keeping rooms that don’t share walls with the outside warm during winter months without having to turn up your furnace too much!
Weatherstrip Your Windows – This is a simple yet effective way to reduce how much propane your furnace uses in winter – ensure that all of the gaps around windows and doors are filled with weatherstripping or caulking. It’s important not to forget about small cracks, too, such as those found between siding boards.
Check air vents – A dirty filter can also limit how much propane a furnace uses, so be sure to check them regularly and replace them when necessary. In addition, it would help if you cleaned the air intake on the side of your house twice per year (spring/fall) by removing debris with a broom or blower brush made for this purpose.
Seal Your Chimney – If you have a fireplace, be sure to check it for cracks that could let cold air in. This is another common place where homeowners forget about reducing drafts while keeping their homes warm without spending too much money on propane.