What Burns Hotter: Propane or Natural Gas?

Breaking down the differences between the energy sources

If your understanding is that propane is a gas and that, therefore, it is the same as natural gas, allow Cape Cod Oil & Propane to clarify! While the two energy sources do share certain similarities they are not the same and they do have their fair amount of differences.

Comparing propane to natural gas

The first commonality that propane and natural gas share is that they burn at the same temperature, which is 3,560˚ Fahrenheit.

However, even though they burn at the same temperature, propane delivers considerably more heat unit-for-unit than natural gas goes.

One cubic foot of propane produces about 2,520 British Thermal Units (BTUs for short) of heat. Natural gas, on the other hand, produces only about 1,012 BTUs of heat.

Let’s now look at a few additional similarities between propane and natural gas:

• Most appliances that you are able to power with natural gas can also be powered with propane.
• They are both alternatives to using electricity.
• In their natural form, both propane and natural gas have no odor or color.

Here is a look at how natural gas and propane differ:

• You get more value out of propane and it is more efficient than natural gas (this goes back to what we mentioned about the BTUs that each one produces).
• Propane is a by-product of either natural gas or crude oil. Natural gas, on the other hand, is acquired from sedimentary rocks.
• During the production process, an odor is added to propane to make it smell like rotten eggs so that people are able to easily detect a leak or a spill.
• You need a piping connection to use natural gas while propane can conveniently just go in a tank directly on your property.
• Propane is more environmentally friendly than natural gas.

The benefits of propane

Being better for the environment than natural gas is far from the only advantage that propane provides to homeowners and business owners who use it. Propane is also:

• Versatile and can be used to power and fuel a long list of appliances and equipment
• Reliable since anything powered by propane will still work even when the power goes out
• Convenient, accessible and typically easy to find
• Cost effective thanks to how efficient it is
• Incredibly efficient

Propane from Cape Cod Oil & Propane

If you are a home or business owner out here on Cape Cod and are looking to make the switch from natural gas to propane, Cape Cod Oil & Propane is happy to help! We are a full-service propane delivery and services provider that offers:

• Reliable propane delivery services
• Propane tank installations
• Propane tank repairs and maintenance
• Installations for propane generators, pool heaters, fire pits and fireplace inserts

Whether you need propane for your Cape Cod home heating system or to power a forklift that you use on a local construction site, Cape Cod Oil & Propane can get you the fuel you need when you need it.

Contact us today and let us know how we can help with your home’s or business’s propane needs.