Propane

Our heating and water heater are on propane... i don't know if the costs are similar but here in Kansas we pay about 500 dollars to have the tank filled and have to fill it about 3 - 4 times/year depending on how good we are about conserving. The cost is cheaper in the summer, so we try to have it filled in August even if it isn't empty to get us through the first part of the winter.

Go on the budget plan as soon as you can!! With us, I never knew when they were coming to fill the tank. ( I think they just top it off when they are in the area.) So they would fill it and leave a $500+ bill. The budget plan has helped to spread out the cost over the year. We pay $155 a month here in the Hudsonville area. We also get a group rate because a lot of my husband's family lives in the area, and we all get our propane from the same company.

we had fuel oil and went to propane....we only use a 1-1/2 tanks a year maybe 2 ....we only heat with it and have a large home....depending on the price of gas it is between $ 5 and $700 ....after the first year we went on budget and pay $130 a month...usually we have enough money in our account to pay for the fill when we order it.....

It is relatively easy to do, you'll need to adjust the knob on your gas appliances. Our oven one is behind the oven knob and the h/a is on the front. I think the big deal difference in gas and propane is you buy propane all at once instead of a monthly payment...it can be quite overwhelming. Hundreds of dollars to fill the tank and you don't know how long it will last. I recommend you just keep an eye on the gauge the first couple of months so you can see if it is drastically going down.

Propane has a stinky smell when it is getting close to being empty. i don't know how they do it so it doesn't smell all the time but when it is getting low it really stinks. When it is full to even 1/4 full it won't have any smell at all.

Shauna,

At our old house we had a propane pig and the company would come out once a month to "top it off" - basically just fill the pig to the top. In the summer months the cost was fairly low, but the winter months were pretty expensive because we lived in a 100 year old house with little insulation.

If your house has good insulation, that will help to keep your fuel costs down. Also, lowering the themostat temperature is a big help. We keep our current house at 65 degrees during the day and 58 at night.

Finally, call around to the different propane companies and lock in a per gallon rate for the year. Many times you can get the companies to bid against each other and lock in a low rate. Then the next year do the same.

Have a fabulous weekend!

C. J.