Equipment
Rebates
Our country is experiencing a short-term energy crisis due to extreme winter weather, rising prices and wide-spread power failures that left millions of people without heat.
Fortunately, millions of Americans have been able to rely on propane for warmth, hot water and cooking– even if their power goes out. Watch this short video.
That’s why it’s so alarming that many officials in government—at the federal, state and municipal level– continue to push for the increased use of electricity in favor of other fuels. In the case of homes, that would mean replacing propane, natural gas, oil-fired heating systems with electric heat pumps.
But heat pump conversions are expensive and do not work very efficiently when the weather gets cold. Plus, electricity is not a clean fuel. It is generated at power plants. Electricity production generates the second-largest share of greenhouse gas emissions. Approximately 63% of our electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, mostly coal and natural gas.*
This is an important issue for Tennesseans. The average electricity consumption for Tennessee households is 33% higher than the national average and among the highest in the country. What’s more, about two-thirds of Tennessee residents already heat with electricity, also a greater proportion than the U.S. average.**
It is feared that an all-out “electrify everything” policy would increase the average residential household cost, result in minimal reductions in emissions and put a severe strain on our aging electric grid.
The fact is, the electric infrastructure in this country fails us time and time again, causing massive disruption, frustration, and discomfort. The massive energy disaster that occurred in Texas is just the latest example.
Here’s another alarming fact: most of today’s grid was built in the years following World War II. But now, it’s reaching capacity and old equipment is failing.
Considering that the U.S. Department of Energy has called the electric grid in our country the largest machine on the planet, upgrading our electric infrastructure will be a massive—and ultra-expensive– undertaking.
Because propane has such a low carbon content, it produces next to zero greenhouse gas emissions or air pollutants, making it a clean-burning energy source that can reliably fuel homes, heat water, and even power vehicles.
Propane generates more Btu than an equivalent amount of electricity, so you need much less propane to produce the same amount of heat energy. Also, clean-burning propane appliances are efficient, because they waste very little fuel in the combustion process, unlike electric-powered appliances.
That’s why, hands down, propane is better for the environment and for your home. Read more about propane vs. electricity. You can also learn more about propane and the environment here.
Sources:
*https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php
**EIA, Tennessee State Profile and Energy Estimates.
