Propane $

[GEB]

Just wondering what others are paying for propane.
I'm tryin to hold off on filling my 1000gal tank....price drop?
I would think price will drop with gasoline?
Not sure but I think it's around $2.25 gal here now.
I'm located 1 hr south of Chicago.
Gene

 

[SnowRidge]

Propane prices are highly regional, for some reason. Its price tends to track home heating oil, with which it competes, not gasoline. Home heating oil is a distillate like diesel fuel, so falling diesel prices would be a better indicator of future propane prices.

 

[KB9UDE]

Diesel has come down some around here but not near as much as Gasoline. Propane is high here also.

John

 

[deereguy]

Diesel in SW Ohio was as low as $2.69/gal this past week, propane was quoted @ $2.79 last week. I inquired about contracting a price this past summer and was quoted $2.89, we don't need any now but going to take a wait and see approach.

 

[Hookblock]

Just had the tank filled, 2.00 gal

 

[SPIKER]

the summer fill price was 3.79 in june, I had 1/2 tank and usually fill it every other year as we use other heat sources propane as back up. I had a NEW note from them last week that was 2.79 it may have been 2 weeks back now... like you I am waiting & see. I have enough for winter this year will need it by spring early summer due to cooking and such as long as the winter holds of on being really bad.
mark

 

[charlz]

Propane prices are highly regional, for some reason.

Propane is a by-product of natural gas production and oil refining. It is cheaper in regions of the country where these activities take place and more expensive where it needs to be shipped in (like Idaho).

Propane stocks build up over the summer and decline during the winter. The plastics industry can use propane in plastics production and for this reason there is never a really large surplus of propane coming off the summer season. Rather the plastics industry turns to other sources in the fall and the propane is sold for heating.

The general trend is for propane to get more expensive as winter progresses. However according to this site:

Heating Oil and Propane Update

prices are still dropping... but so are propane stocks.... so I think its a crap shoot. I'd maybe call weekly to check the price until you absolutely have to fill the tank or the prices levels off or starts to trend up.

 

[WayneB]

Central New Hampshire

Heating oil: Current price: $2.84
Kerosine: Current Price: $3.55
Propane: Current price:$2.44

 

[LBrown59]

As far as I know the only fuel higher than propane in these parts is Electric.

 

[LBrown59]

Central New Hampshire

Heating oil: Current price: $2.84
Kerosine: Current Price: $3.55
Propane: Current price:$2.44

What is the cost of diesel there?

 

[3RRL]

Propane out here in mid CA is $1.98/gal.
I'm on a propane route. The driver stops by once a month to "top off" the tank. Once he gets to know your usage over time, he will skip several months before stopping by to top off. But I still get the "routed" discount which is a dime less than the will call price or when you just phone them to fill your tank up.

 

[charlz]

Propane out here in mid CA is $1.98/gal.
I'm on a propane route. The driver stops by once a month to "top off" the tank. Once he gets to know your usage over time, he will skip several months before stopping by to top off. But I still get the "routed" discount which is a dime less than the will call price or when you just phone them to fill your tank up.

One of the big reasons I switched from propane to wood pellets is I could never get them to show up on a regular basis in the winter. We needed a fill every month and I always had to call even though we were on a 'route plan'.

 

[Diesel nut]

Prices here in Iowa near Des Moines are $1.76-2.10. A guy we farm with paid $1.13 for a transport load of corn drier propane! If only I could rig something up to fill my 500 gallon tank with his fuel.

 

[3RRL]

One of the big reasons I switched from propane to wood pellets is I could never get them to show up on a regular basis in the winter. We needed a fill every month and I always had to call even though we were on a 'route plan'.

Are there competing propane services in your area Charles?
We have three around here servicing the neighboring towns. It might be worth a phone call to another supplier and maybe even get a discounted rate.
That is a lot of propane you must use, so I'd think guys would compete for your account? How big is your tank?
Mine is 575 gallons. We have not been in the new Log Home for a full year yet, but from what we've seen, we will use maybe 750 to a 1000 gals a year running the backup generator and other uses.

 

[charlz]

Are there competing propane services in your area Charles?
We have three around here servicing the neighboring towns. It might be worth a phone call to another supplier and maybe even get a discounted rate.
That is a lot of propane you must use, so I'd think guys would compete for your account? How big is your tank?
Mine is 575 gallons. We have not been in the new Log Home for a full year yet, but from what we've seen, we will use maybe 750 to a 1000 gals a year running the backup generator and other uses.

500 gallon tank, and leased so supposedly you can only get it filled by the company you lease from. Leasing also gives you the extra .10/gal 'insurance' 'in case anything happens' so I asked "so if YOUR tank vents 500 gallons to atmosphere the insurance replaces the whole load?" answer was "uhhh, no we would just fix the valve... then you would have to pay to fill the tank again". If there were competing companies I would probably have looked around for a better deal and maybe an underground tank. They are pretty much the only deal in town. Since wood pellets are 45% the price of propane I just went that way. Going on my 5th year without a propane tank fill.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

500 gallon tank and you need a fill every month? Dang, they should be knocking your door down to get your business.

I just got 400 gallons, $2.10 a gallon.

 

[TCowner]

Just filled on Wednesday in SE Minnesota at $1.63.

 

[HappyCPE]

I paid $2.39 a gallon for propane last week.
Seems like a lot considering the petroleum facilities 60 miles away from me either in NJ or Philadelphia.

 

[ToadHill]

Just like HappyCPE I paid $2.28 last week for my first fillup since last march. I've been careful this year and they only added 88 gal to top off the 500 gallon tank.

The price they wanted me to lock into last August was $2.99 up form $1.98 the year before so I made some modifications to the house. Since I'm the only one who goes to the farm in the winter I decided not to heat the whole house. I shut off the water and drained the lines to all but one bathroom and blocked off the heat to only the furnace room and that bathroom. I put in a second thermostat in the furnace room with a 3 way switch. When I'm their I can open up the heater ducts, flip the switch to use the regular thermostat and heat the whole house. When I leave the ducts are blocked and switch is moved to the secondary thermostat.

 

[300UGUY]

I paid right at $2, 3 months ago. I saw it lately at $1.69. What really got me was that the propane co. sent a letter telling me that I didn't use enough, and that meant that I needed to pay $72 per year in a service charge. They backed off when I called. But the idea bothers me.