Whats everybody paying for propane

[JerryK]

$ 1.309 the first week of December into my own tank. Only used 302 gallons the past 12 months, came to $411.94 incl a generous donation to the State of Michigan. I use about 400 ish gallons a year for heat and cooking. Like to fill it late in the fall when it is cool enough that they will fill to 85%. That way I am good to go for the rest of the winter. 1200 sq' well insulated abode. It's a squirrel type thing, like filling my barn with firewood.....

 

[kcflhrc]

I called for a fill yesterday in Eastern Kansas and they told me $2.00 a gallon. We will see what the bill actually is when they come out. Lady also told me there was a shortage, hadn't heard that. Probably BS

 

[nybirdman]

We locked in at $1.59/gal. last fall.Burn about 700 gal./yr.There are some real rip-off companies out there.I had one trying to charge me a yearly deposit on a tank + high prices;told them to come get their "full" tank or I would move it to the road-side.

 

[teejk]

I called for a fill yesterday in Eastern Kansas and they told me $2.00 a gallon. We will see what the bill actually is when they come out. Lady also told me there was a shortage, hadn't heard that. Probably BS

It's not BS. Wisconsin declared a state of emergency a few weeks ago (which amounted to relaxing the rules on transport)...apparently they are have trouble getting it from point A to point B. After the big crisis a few years ago they added a lot of storage but we had a wet/warm fall and the amount used for grain drying was high (tough to swallow with current grain prices but losing a few pennies is better than losing the whole crop). And then we are seeing the coldest winter in recent memory.

 

[teejk]

Just got the tank refilled. $600 for 250 gallons...thats 2.40 a gallon !! We got back home last Saturday night from going to Knoxville for the day. Told the wife...house sure feels cold ! Sure enough the tank was empty...UGH. Called the propane people....seems the driver was on his way to fill on Friday but he ran out. It was late in the day so he figured we had enough until he came back on Saturday. He came first thing Sunday morning ! Luckily we have a good fireplace as the temps were in the teens at night. Had to do a pioneer night with a wood fire. They were down a truck and a driver...so things were backing up. Living in the mtns makes it hard for drivers on the steep winding roads. So...with the extra cold winter this year be sure to check your tank more often !

Hate it when the tank runs dry (it really stinks on purpose). Around here the stories about frozen pipes are starting to pile up. Even those on "keep fill" contracts are running out and the Co-op is rationing...maybe only filling to 50% if they fill at all.

 

[JerryK]

About two weeks ago the Buffalo ranch guy down the road from me paid about $1.06 a gallon, a few weeks after I had paid $1.309. But he is a big shooter and buys large quantities of diesel and propane. Probably paid about what the supplier paid for it, so he could get his foot in the door for future business. The wholesale price was about that $1.06 at the time... here is a link if you want to know what the pre tax, pre transport, and pre markup is... so you can figure how bad they are or are not porking you... [ try not to take it too badly.... ]
Wholesale Propane Weekly Heating Oil and Propane Prices (October - March)

 

[BigBlue1]

I'm surprised to see the variability in cost and how much it has gone up lately. For the 2016-2017 season I pre-bought at $1.00/gal (8/2016). In August this past year I bought at $1.20/gal for this season. So far I've calculated well enough to make my purchase go all year until the next pre-buy. Was thinking 20% increase over prior year was a bummer (adding several hundred $$ to the total bill) but I guess compared to what others are describing I am quite lucky. This is central MN area, BTW.

It's been a colder-than-normal winter here in MN so I hope I don't run out early...

Rob

 

[shui5612]

Definitely been colder here too, I'm lucky that I have 10cents off a liter (37cents off a gallon roughly) because the government subsidizes propane for those who heat their houses primarily with propane. I think the rebate is 5cents/L if you heat your water and cook, and 3 cents if it's one of the two and no subsidies if you only have a fireplace or outdoor bbq etc.

I called in and the price today was 81cents a L or 3.03$ (before the rebate) a gallon, it is cheaper than a couple weeks prior so I might just order it now since I know prices will go up again when the cold sets in again in Feb or March...

In the city I am lucky to have natural gas piped in so it's a constant price that gets adjusted only once every 4 months at most. Sometimes it stays constant for a year...

 

[kcflhrc]

I miss having Natural Gas for heat. Seems very efficient and warms up the house quickly. Being rural however you are limited to propane, electric or a hybrid mix like I have

 

[shui5612]

I miss having Natural Gas for heat. Seems very efficient and warms up the house quickly. Being rural however you are limited to propane, electric or a hybrid mix like I have

Propane and natural gas are pretty similar, just that NG is jetted larger because it has less energy density. So if you have a 100k BTU unit, assuming both are exactly the same (efficiency wise) then both would heat up the house exactly the same. However NG being piped in, is a lot less variable than an outdoor tank, depending on the tank size and outdoor temperature, etc. You might not get enough propane vapours to power the unit efficiently..
Really only an issue once temperatures get to around -40f...