Propane offers high performance, efficiency and low emissions.
These days, homeowners have more options than ever before to maintain a high level of comfort while using a range of energy sources to do so. At Mirabito Energy Products, our team is proud to install top-quality home comfort systems and appliances that run on heating oil, gas and electricity. Which product is right for your home depends on a variety of factors, but we often recommend homeowners consider propane equipment.
In this article, we’ll discuss how propane appliances ensure your year-round quality of life while limiting your impact on the planet.
Propane Appliance Efficiency
What do we mean when we talk about the efficiency of propane equipment? Essentially, we’re talking about how much fuel an individual appliance or system needs to burn to operate and fulfill its role in your household. It’s important to consider this when assessing a product’s environmental impact because inefficient equipment will burn more fuel and emit more greenhouse gases to achieve its objectives.
When discussing heating systems, the best metric for evaluating efficiency is AFUE, or Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. This metric is expressed as a percentage. The higher the number, the more efficiently the system is burning propane. Today’s propane heating systems can have AFUE ratings as high as 98.5%, meaning almost no fuel is wasted.
Turning our attention to water heaters, propane once again proves exceptionally efficient. A new, properly sized propane water heater can heat water twice as efficiently as an equivalent electric unit.
Similarly, propane clothes dryers tend to have considerably shorter cycles than electric dryers.
Propane Emissions — By the Numbers
While we’ve established that propane equipment can have excellent efficiency, it’s also important to understand what kind of emissions propane produces in the combustion process. Consider these facts:
- Propane is a low-carbon fuel. Its carbon intensity score (the amount of CO2 created to produce a given amount of energy) is lower than fuel oil and the average U.S. grid-based electricity.
- Methane, the main component of natural gas, is over 80 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2 over a 20-year period. Propane contains no methane.
- Particulate matter, a carcinogen, drastically reduces air quality, but propane produces virtually zero particulate matter.
- Homes with propane-powered furnaces produce up to 50% less nitrogen oxide and 82% less sulfur oxide compared to electric furnaces. These emissions are major contributors to acid rain and respiratory health issues.
- Propane was recognized as an alternative energy source under the 1990 Clean Air Act and the 1992 Energy Policy Act.
Mirabito Is Your Full-Service Propane Company
Households in the Finger Lakes, Central and Western New York and parts of Vermont, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island count on the Mirabito team for a full slate of propane services.
Our propane delivery team can ensure your home tank is always reliably filled with no-fee automatic delivery service. We offer stress-free propane tank leasing, where our team handles all the installation, permitting, safety testing and upkeep. Plus, our home comfort technicians are available to install and service propane heating systems, water heaters and more.
If you want to explore all the ways propane can elevate your lifestyle, then contact Mirabito Energy Products today. Our team is standing by to assist you.