To use this CNG to Gasoline/Diesel cost comparison calculator, you’ll need the following items:
- 1000 BTUs = 1 CF (cubic foot) of natural gas (British Thermal Units)
- 100,000 BTUs = 1 Therm = 1 CCF (100 CF) of natural gas
- 1,000,000 BTUs = 1 MCF (1000 CF) of natural gas
- 125,000 BTUs (1.25 Therms) per gallon of regular gasoline
- 1 GGE (128.2 CF) Equals 1 GGE (Gasoline Gallon Equivalent).
To use this calculator, you’ll need to know the following:
- In your location, how much does a gallon of standard fuel or diesel cost?
- The price of one gigawatt-hour of natural gas. The steps to arriving at this price are listed below.
- A quote for converting your gasoline or diesel car to a gasoline/CNG or diesel/CNG bi-fuel vehicle that can run on both fuels. Estimates in Pennsylvania range from $6,000 to $8,000. The cost is mostly determined by the size and composition of the CNG fuel tank’s shell.
You can convert the price of natural gas at your house or company to a gallon of gasoline equivalent (GGE) pricing using your current natural gas utility bill in a few simple steps. You can enter the GGE number into the line item of this calculator.
Determine the number of therms you consumed and the total price billed for those therms on your most recent natural gas account. In this example, 101 Therms of natural gas were consumed, resulting in a total gas service bill of $80.36 (including taxes and fees).
Convert BTUs to gallons of gasoline with this calculator. Subtract the total amount of BTUs used from the total number of BTUs in a gallon of gasoline. We would divide 10,100,000 by 125,000 to get 80.8 gallons of gasoline equivalent in this case (GGE).
Calculate the price per gallon of your gallon of gas equivalent (GGE). 80.8 gallons of gas equivalent cost $80.36 in this example, or $1.00 per gallon.
In a 20-pound propane tank, how many therms are there?
We can easily determine how long a 20 pound propane tank will last if burning propane is a 100 percent efficient operation. We know that a propane tank holds 420,679 BTU and that a heater consumes 50,000 BTU per hour.
Here’s way to figure out how long a 20-pound tank can run at 50,000 BTUs (100 percent efficiency):
That means a 20 pound propane tank with a 50,000 BTU rating will last 8.41 hours in ideal conditions (8 hours and 16 minutes).
However, the conditions for burning propane are not ideal in terms of energy efficiency (100 percent ). Propane burns at 75 to 95 percent efficiency, depending on the heater. That means the amount of time a 20 pound propane tank will last at 50,000 BTU is lowered by 5% to 25%.
You may estimate how long a 20-pound propane tank will last based on the propane-burning efficiency, which is indicated by the AFUE rating of individual heaters:
What is the definition of a therm of propane gas?
Tank for Propane. A therm is a heat or energy unit. A therm is the same thing whether it’s a natural gas therm or a propane therm. A therm is 100,000 BTUs (British Thermal Units) (BTU). The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit is measured in BTUs.
In a gallon of propane, how many BTUs are there?
Each gallon of liquid propane (LP) contains 91,500 British thermal units (BTUs). The BTUs per kilowatt hour (kWh) or 1,000 watts per hour for electric heat are 3,413 BTUs.
What is the energy content of a gallon of propane?
The 27 “Times Rule” is a simple formula for calculating the relationship between gallons of propane and kilowatt hours of electricity. 1 gallon of propane equals 27 kWh (Kilowatt Hours) of electricity, implying that one gallon of propane has the same amount of useable energy as 27 kWh of electricity. With that in mind, we can figure out how much a kWh (kilowatt hour) costs in comparison to a gallon of propane. We’ll need two pieces of information from an electric utility bill to complete this.
- The amount owing on the power bill right now
- The amount of kWh (kilowatt hours) consumed
Once you have this information, you can calculate the price per kWh by dividing the current amount due by the number of kWh (kilowatt hours) utilized (kilowatt hour). The equivalent price per gallon of propane is calculated by multiplying this amount by 27.
Let’s look at an example to see how we can compute it. Let’s say your last power bill was $111.40, and you used 681 kWh (kilowatt hours).
Natural gas or propane: which is less expensive?
While choosing a fuel for your home, consider its safety, cost, efficiency, and environmental impact when making your decision. For each of the aforementioned concerns, you’ll find everything you need to know about the benefits and drawbacks of natural gas and propane.
Safety
Both fuels are extremely combustible and should be handled with extreme caution. However, because of the infrastructure (and bureaucratic red tape) associated with natural gas pipes, leaks can be difficult to detect and repair. This is because, before taking action, utility firms and the public utility commission must agree on how to fund repairs or upgrades.
In San Bruno, Calif., for example, a natural gas pipe controlled by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) exploded in 2010, killing eight people. The gas pipe was found to be damaged after an inquiry, and PG&E had previously been ignorant of the damage.
Although propane tanks have the potential to explode, this is a much less common scenario. Because propane tanks aren’t connected to a large network of gas lines, the impact is minimal.
Furthermore, while some natural gas suppliers add a sulfur fragrance to make it easier to notice a leak, natural gas leaks can be difficult to detect because the fuel is odorless in its natural state.
Propane is considered a safer heating fuel due to the severity of a mishap, however rare it may be.
Environment
Despite the fact that natural gas is a greenhouse gas, it produces half as much emissions as coal. Even yet, it has a higher toxicity than propane, which is neither hazardous nor harmful to the environment. If propane were to leak into the earth, it would have no effect on the water or soil in the area.
Nonetheless, both are still considered environmentally beneficial fuels. However, we give propane a minor advantage as a green fuel in this round.
Cost and Efficiency
The exact cost of propane vs. natural gas for your home is determined by a variety of factors, including whether or not your home is equipped for the fuels. However, for the purposes of this comparison, we’ll look at the cost of propane and natural gas in terms of BTUs and gallons.
The average cost of natural gas was $6.23 per 1,000 cubic feet, or nearly one million BTUs, at the time this article was written. Propane costs $2.41 a gallon on average in the United States. Natural gas contains approximately 11.20 litres of propane per million BTUs. That implies you’ll spend $6.23 for natural gas and $26.99 for propane for the same amount of fuel.
The more efficient the gasoline, the less you’ll consume, which affects the total cost. Furthermore, propane is the more efficient fuel in general.
Propane has 2,516 BTUs per cubic foot, while natural gas has 1,030 BTUs per cubic foot. Propane has more than double the energy content of natural gas.
Natural gas has a lower cost per gallon, but you’ll require more of it to heat the same appliances. Naturally, if you receive two times the heat from propane, you’ll need less of it.
On a 20000 BTU heater, how long will a 20lb propane tank last?
Propane is a common fuel choice for outdoor cooks, whether on a camping vacation or just a Sunday afternoon BBQ. A large 20lb propane tank is great if you are camping with your family or a large group and plan to carry a propane tank. But you’re probably wondering how long a 20-pound gas tank will last.
The 20lb Propane tank will last 21 hours at full burner flame when used with a standard 2-burner camping stove with a 20,000 BTU output. With a 20lb tank, this is the most usual equipment.
The run time will vary substantially if you use other devices with differing BTU rates. The run time of a full 20lb propane tank at most common BTU ratings is summarized in the table below.
If you want to utilize your propane tank at different BTU rates, I’ve designed a simple googlesheet tool to calculate the run time. Here’s where you can find the calculator.
How long would a 20-pound gas tank keep you warm?
Grills, water heaters, and fireplaces all use small, portable propane tanks, often known as DOT tanks. They can weigh anywhere from 20 to 100 pounds. Its lifespan is determined by the size of your grill and how frequently you use your heater or fireplace.
A medium-sized grill on high heat will use about two pounds of fuel per meal as a rule of thumb. On a medium grill, a 20lb propane tank will give 18-20 hours of cooking time if you follow this rule. In as little as 10 hours, a larger barbecue can burn through 20 pounds of propane.
How do you figure out how much propane you’ll use?
Propane isn’t used in the same way by everyone. A friend’s house may be the same size as yours, but he or she may consume more or less propane.
Your propane usage is determined by a number of factors. Keep in mind that your propane usage may vary greatly depending on how you use gas in your home, the time of year, the amount of propane appliances you have and their age and condition, and other factors.
The propane usage calculation
Because it’s doubtful that you’ll use all of your propane equipment at full capacity 24 hours a day, the calculation below assumes that you’ll use it for two to six hours a day.
This table shows how your propane use can range from 1.2 to 7.2 gallons per day, depending on weather conditions and the use of natural gas or electricity-powered equipment. Having visitors over the holidays can boost your propane usage more than you might imagine, due to the increased use of hot water for laundry and bathing, as well as the increased use of your propane range for cooking. Here’s an illustration:
- a total of 220,000 BTU/hours (the total for all the appliances) 2.4 gallons per hour = 91,547 BTU/gallon of propane
- .6 gallons per hour = 2.4 gallons x.25 (25 percent capacity).
- 1.2 gallons =.6 gallons x 2 hours
This value can then be used to calculate how much more propane appliances should be utilized:
- 3.6 gallons per day at 25% capacity for 6 hours
- 2.4 gallons per day at 50% capacity for 2 hours
- 7.2 gallons per day at 50% capacity for 6 hours
In the summer, a propane pool heater (rated at 425,000 BTU/hour) operating at 75 percent capacity for one hour each day will add around 3.5 gallons to your daily usage:
- 91,547 BTU/hour = 4.64 gallons/hour 425,000 BTU/hour
- 3.48 gallons = 4.65 x.75
Because propane pool heaters have a high BTU output, we recommend utilizing a pool cover when the pool isn’t in use to preserve as much of the heat in the water as possible.
Because you can’t predict when or for how long you’ll use a propane whole-house backup generator, it can affect your propane usage projections.
Are therms used to quantify propane?
Anyone who has ever switched an empty propane barbecue cylinder knows how hefty propane is, but how many people realize that one gallon of liquid propane weighs 4.23 pounds? Perhaps you recall the propane formula from high school chemistry (C3H8), but for the engineers and technicians who develop and install propane heating and cooking systems, this is merely the tip of the iceberg.
In fact, understanding some of propane’s physical features helps to clarify some of the safety standards that we follow and that everyone should adhere to.
At -44 degrees Fahrenheit, propane transforms from a liquid to a gas (its boiling point).
This is one of the reasons why, when installing new equipment, our experts use safety gear such as gloves and face shields.
The low temperature would rapidly freeze skin if they were splashed with liquid propane, which is known as a burn because of comparable effects.
Propane is a heavier gas than air.
This is referred to as its specific gravity, which is 1.52; air has a specific gravity of 1.0.
This means that propane gas can collect in dips and low areas on the floor, which is one of the reasons why you should leave your empty barbeque cylinder outside of the store when exchanging, just in case there is any propane remaining in the cylinder and it leaks.
The energy content of propane is one of the important elements that engineers must consider when designing heating systems. Homeowners and grill masters alike should be aware of the amount of propane they will consume for heating and cooking. The BTUs in a gallon of propane are 91,502. (or British thermal units). Heat system designers must factor this into their calculations when sizing HVAC equipment and propane tanks to achieve the desired heat output. But how about a brand-new 60,000 BTU-per-hour barbeque grill (which I want was mine)? It would take an hour and a half for all of the burners (there are six on that model) to burn through a gallon of propane (60,000 BTU/hr x 1.5 hours = 90,000 BTUs). Larger HVAC systems, Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems, and Gas Heat Pumps are frequently specified in Therms or per thousand cubic feet of natural gas. One Therm equals 100,000 BTUs, or 1.1 liters of propane. 1,000,000 BTU is equivalent to 11 litres of propane in 1 MCF of natural gas.
The following are some of the properties of propane that are mentioned in this article: