Propane vs electricity
There has been a push in recent years to make electricity the energy of choice for Georgia homes based on the dubious claim that it is the right choice for reducing our carbon footprint.
Propane can help us towards that goal of a zero-carbon future in many ways.
You may think electricity is “cleaner” than propane. But it’s not. About half of the electricity generated in the United States is generated by coal-fired power plants. Greenhouse gases and acid rain don’t sound very clean. Especially when you compare it with propane, which is so clean-burning it produces close to zero greenhouse gas emissions!
The transmission of electricity is remarkably inefficient. When electricity travels from the power plant through the power lines to your home, the electrons in the power lines encounter resistance, resulting in a loss of energy. It takes three units of source energy to get one unit of electricity into your home. That means more coal has to be burned, generating more carbon, to get electricity to our homes.
Because propane is right there at your home, there is virtually no loss of energy from the tank to your appliances.
Have you heard about renewable propane? It’s the next step towards a zero-carbon future.
Renewable propane is molecularly identical to propane. But it is made with renewable resources such as animal oils, plant oils, biomass, and other triglycerides.
As the renewable propane sector grows, more and more Georgians will be able to use it to make their homes even closer to net-zero.
Using propane in your home for many appliances instead of electricity is also more energy-efficient, letting you reduce your environmental impact even further. Propane water heaters heat more water faster than their electric counterparts and do it with about 30% less cost. Propane clothes dryers get your laundry dry about 25% faster than comparable electric dryers.
You also have reliability with propane that electricity can’t match. If a storm knocks out power in a home heated by electricity, that home has no heat. But because your propane supply is right at your home, you’re not dependent on a utility grid for your heating, water heating, cooking, and more.
Find a dealer near you to add propane to your Georgia home!