Uses of Propane
This remarkable fuel serves approximately 60 million people in the United States, where approximately 15 billion gallons of propane are consumed annually.

In 1994, propane was used as follows:

History of Propane
In 1910, a Pittsburgh motor car owner walked into chemist Dr. Walter Snelling's office, complaining that the gallon of gasoline he had purchased was half a gallon by the time he got home. He thought the government should look into why consumers were being cheated because the gasoline was evaporating at a rapid and expensive rate. Dr. Snelling took up the challenge and discovered the evaporating gases were propane, butane and other hydrocarbons.

Using coils from an old hot water heater and other miscellaneous pieces of laboratory equipment he could find, Dr. Snelling built a still that could separate the gasoline into its liquid and gaseous components.

By 1912, propane gas was cooking food in the home. The first car powered by propane ran in 1913, and by 1915 propane was being used in torches to cut through metal. Propane was marketed for flame cutting and cooking applications by 1920.

In 1927, the total sales of propane in the U. S. were more than one million gallons, and after World War II the propane gas annual sales increased to more than 15 billion gallons.

By the 1930s, the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) established and proposed a set of recommendations to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). In 1932, the first pamphlet of standards (No. 58) was adopted for publication.

When Dr. Snelling sold his propane patent to Frank Phillips, the founder of Phillips Petroleum Company, his price was $50,000. Today, propane gas is an $8 billion industry in the United States alone and it is still growing.

What is Propane
Propane, or liquefied petroleum gas (LP-gas), is one of the nation's most versatile sources of energy and supplies 3 to 4 percent of our total energy. Propane is an approved, alternative clean fuel listed in the 1990 Clean Air Act as well as the National Energy Policy Act of 1992.

Propane can be either a liquid or a gas. At normal atmospheric pressure and temperature, it is a non-toxic, colorless and odorless gas. Just like natural gas, an identifying odor is added so it can be readily detected. Under moderate pressure, propane becomes a liquid that vaporizes into a clean-burning gas when released from its storage container. Propane is 270 times more compact as a liquid than a gas, making it economical to store and transport as a liquid.

As opposed to relying on foreign sources, approximately 90 percent of the United States propane supply is produced domestically. Seventy percent of the remaining supply is imported from Canada and Mexico. Natural gas production accounts for 53 percent of our domestic propane supply, while 47 percent is produced from the refining of crude oil.

Propane is called a fossil fuel because it is composed of the remains of plants and animals that inhabited the Earth millions of years ago.

For years, families and business located on the gas main have counted on clean, dependable natural gas for heating, water heating, cooking and clothes drying.

Even if you're located in an area where natural gas service is not available, you can still enjoy the benefits of gas with propane - also known as "bottled gas."

Advantages of Propane
There are six very good reasons why you should consider propane for your home energy needs:

1. Propane has a wide variety of uses: heating, water heating, cooking, clothes drying, swimming pool water heating, hot tub and sauna heating and emergency generators. Propane is also used to fuel car and trucks.

    

2. Propane is a clean-burning, environmentally-friendly fuel that can be stored safely in residential and commercial underground tanks.

    

3. Propane heating equipment is designed to operate efficiently. Some equipment can be as high as 96% efficient. that means for ever heating dollar you spend, you get 96 cents worth of heat.

    

4. Propane heats water at one-half the cost of electricity.

    

5. Propane heating and water heating equipment can be installed with special direct venting systems which do not need a chimney. This will save you money on retrofitting and unnecessary construction.

    

6. Unlike competitive fuels, most of the propane used in the United States come from North American sources.