Whether you have been a DiSanto Propane customer for years just like your father was or you happened upon this blog post looking for ways to save money on your energy bill, we suspect you’ll find the following words helpful in a very practical way.

For the latter party, we’ll start this post off with making a brief case for converting to propane. After that, we’ll use the meat and potatoes of this post to offer up some tips for people looking to shave a few dollars off of their energy bill. Are you ready? We are ready. Alright. Here we go.

Why Switch To Propane For Home Use?

Propane accounts for between three and four percent of the country’s total energy usage. More than 60 million Americans use propane as their primary source of energy at that. Why? That’s easy — those same Americans save an average of $100 in annual energy costs when switching to propane ovens and ranges. Doing so provides greater heat control along with a fast heat-up and cool-down time. In terms of water heating, propane water heaters run on-demand, giving homeowners triple the water flow. Likewise, a propane-powered dryer can help you save around 20 percent in total energy costs. What’s more, using a propane clothes dryer can help you decrease your carbon footprint, which is never ever a bad thing.

Additionally, DiSanto Propane makes converting to propane for home use a cinch. You will immediately begin to notice energy savings when you compare your bill to when you utilized electric energy — all other things being equal. We mean to say that if you start using twice as much energy once you change over to propane, you’ll still probably be getting a bill that isn’t too fun to look at, and even less fun to pay. That might seem obvious to the majority of our readers, but we still wanted to point it out in case there might be any confusion.

Basic Principles

Let’s start with some definitions before we get too far caught up in explaining you how can save money with our Upstate New York propane company, DiSanto.

Propane, also referred to as liquefied petroleum gas, refers to a hydrocarbon molecule, C3H8. Utilizing both crude oil refining and natural gas processes, the result is a virtually odorless, colorless (a strong identifying color is added, as is the case with natural gas), and non-toxic substance that has proved to be quite useful for folks all around the world.

LPG, or Liquefied petroleum gas, is primarily propylene, butane, butylene, and propane in some kind of mixture. As far the United States is concerned, however, the mix tends to be predominantly propane. That’s not gonna be on the test, though, it’s just an extra little tidbit for all our fellow #propanenerds out there!

Propane Safety

Propane is completely safe to use in your place of business or your home. It’s actually safer than alcohol-based fuels or gasoline because it cannot be ingested since it is released as a vapor from a pressurized container. What’s more, its range of flammability is narrow when weight against comparables. Our GAS Check (Gas Appliance System Check) is an award-winning preventative maintenance program makes sure that folks who use propane have appropriate knowledge as to how they should keep their propane appliances running in order to maintain a safe environment, be it at a commercial or residential property.

Tank Storage

As part of our blurb on propane safety, we want to encourage propane users to make sure that they store their DiSanto Propane tanks outside. Despite the fact that propane is relatively safe when compared with alternatives, you should never store a propane tank indoors, and that includes the garage. If you are the one filling your propane tanks up, make sure you fill them up no more than 80 percent of the way, in order to give you a bit of wiggle room when it comes to liquid propane expanding on any extremely hot days. Conversely, you should still keep your propane tanks stored outdoors during the winter months.

Saving Money On Your Energy Bill

We’ve finally arrived at the point of this post, believe it or not. But don’t worry, there are some practical steps you can take to lower your energy bill! Without further ado, they are presented below. 

While we should start this portion of our post off by explaining that consumers and propane providers aren’t the ones in control of setting higher fuel prices, customers looking to be a bit more thrifty are not left without hope. The industry provides consumers who fit the above criteria with a three-step, energy-saving plan.

The Three-Step Plan

• The first thing you need to is to familiarize yourself with your fuel payment plan, what kind of options you have, and whether your current selections make the most sense for you and your home or place of business. Some propane distributors offer stable year-round pricing so that you don’t have to allocate extra budget for certain months.
• The second step is to make sure you have a regular delivery plan scheduled with your propane company of choice, be it DiSanto or another. Make sure you fill your propane tank up prior to the start of the heating season as opposed to waiting until it’s empty or nearly there.
• You might find it interesting to learn that the United States’ government offers a tax credit up to  $500 for energy-saving improvements made during 2017. Their current incentives include tax credits for homeowners and business for up to 30 percent of the cost of the new: small wind turbines, combined heat and power systems (only for businesses), solar electric and hot water systems, geothermal heat pumps, fuels cells and microturbines. And while it doesn’t relate to propane in particular, a tax credit for homeowners for up to $500 for installing in existing homes elements that include: efficient heating ($150), air conditioning ($300),water heaters ($300), efficient insulation, windows, and roofs (all of which provide tax credits of up to 10 percent of cost). However, appliance-based incentives for manufacturers of efficient refrigerators, clothes washers, and dishwashers have expired. For additional information about Federal Tax Incentives, visit the resource linked.

Additional Tips For Saving Energy

Again, these tips go beyond the realm of strictly propane use, but if we can provide some pragmatic advice for our customers and readers, we are definitely going to do it.

• Close vents and doors in rooms that you simply do not use, and while you are at it make sure that your basement and attic are well-insulated.
• Make sure that you take advantage of the ability to increase your (propane) water heater’s efficiency by draining it once every six months or so. This will take away lime deposits and any dirt-deposits that have built up over time.
• Install low-flow showerheads. While fans of Seinfeld probably “don’t like the sound of that,” flow-restricting showerheads can reduce your hot water usage by upwards of 50 percent without impacting the water pressure. So don’t worry, there’s no need to worry about looking like Kramer, Newman, or Jerry with their limp hairstyles! It seems times have changed since “low-flow” showerheads first came onto the scene.
• Drafts can do some damage to your energy bill by wasting all the hot air your bought-and-paid-for propane has produced. During the winter months, you need to be especially mindful of this fact. Consider weather-stripping windows or even caulking areas of need. This would include doors, windows, fans, vents, ducts, or really anywhere that has an opening.
• Be sure to change your furnace filter regularly, as in every month. While it might sound like a chore (it is), it will help your heating system to be generally more efficient. We recommend using your monthly bill as a reminder that it’s time to change your filter out. And if you buy your filters in bulk, this won’t be as significant of an expenditure!
• Somewhat related to the point above, you should have your residential heating system tuned-up and inspected fairly regularly. We at DiSanto offer home heating inspections for an affordable price, so give us a call if you are interested and we can provide you with a description of what we will cover and how much we’ll ding ya for it. Don’t worry, it’s quite reasonable!
• Furnace thermostat times are key to reducing your energy bill. When you leave the home you can lower your home’s temperature. This can impact your energy bill by as much as ten percent each year by simply cutting the temperature back fifteen percent or so for around 8 hours per day. This approach won’t work for everyone, of course, but for couples, individuals, or families who regularly vacate their homes, we strongly recommend considering taking this measure.
• While we certainly have a horse in the following race, we recommend you switch to a propane water heater, for no other reason than it is simply more efficient than an electric water heater. Propane water heaters cost one-third less to operate and recover hot water almost twice as quickly as the electric alternative. Plus, here’s a pro tip for you; turn your propane water heater down from 140 degrees F to 130, and you’ll probably trim another 10 percent off your energy bill.
• Repair leaks around your home. Did you know that a leak that would take ten minutes to fill up a coffee cup would also waste nearly two tons of water every year! That’s a lot of water you don’t need to pay for. So check on those pipes!

Contact Us Today

Wow, this has been quite the post! Clearly, we have a lot to say when it comes to being more energy-efficient so you can save money on your monthly bill. We hope that you’ve found these tips useful. Let us know if you employ any of them and what kind of results you see!

We’d love to be able to share some of the results from our customers so that other readers can get a feel for how tangible the savings can get.

In the meantime, contact us today if you’d like more information about our propane services. Whether you need us for residential or commercial propane use, we’ve got you covered with affordable rates, world-class customer service, and a high-quality product. Reach out to us today!