Building with Propane

With its low emissions, short lifetime in the atmosphere and low carbon content, propane causes less impact on the environment than other comparable fuels. Incorporating propane as a one-stop energy source can add livable square feet to your development, lower operating costs for your prospective buyers and give your business a green marketing edge.

Where to install
In urban areas with ready access to existing natural gas infrastructure, propane may not be a solution. “Usually natural gas is less expensive if there’s piping available,” says Tom Jaenicke, energy advisor for the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) in Washington, D.C. But beyond concentrations of high population density, consumers can enjoy the benefits of gas energy with an underground propane tank. “Underground propane tanks are environmentally friendly and there are no EPA restrictions, unlike heating oil,” he says. Whereas oil tanks require removal from the ground, an exterior underground tank simply needs an access point for regular refueling.

A home incorporating propane can also be a selling point in regions typically threatened by severe weather patterns. If a power outage disrupts the electrical grid, a propane tank can power an emergency generator to maintain power.

Appliances
“People like to use propane,” says Rod Cioffi, managing partner for Dean Davis Builders in Rutland, Vt. “They like it for cooking their food and the size of a propane boiler is smaller.”

Recently, Cioffi’s firm completed a 36-unit development that featured underground propane tanks as the single source of power. Not only does propane replace large oil tanks in the basement and maintenance-intensive masonry chimneys, but by incorporating a tankless water heater, building with propane will allow for greater space savings and as such, can reduce a builder’s building costs since this allows them to work with a smaller footprint. “The propane boiler is about one-sixth the size of other boilers,” Cioffi estimates.

In rehab properties, an existing oil tank system can be converted to propane as most appliances can be converted to either energy source with minor cost in transition parts.

“The only exceptions to being able to convert appliances from natural gas to propane are water heaters that have to take one type of gas or another,” says Jaenicke.

Safety and convenience
Builders should always provide a full tank when turning over the keys to new owners, but you should also partner with a propane provider so your buyers will always have a source for propane—before they need it.

Depending on the size of the property and power demands of the region, tanks can range from 500 to 1,000 gallons and can come equipped with smart technology, including remote readers that not only calculate the current holdings of the tank but also anticipate need based on outside temperature and will contact your provider through a cellular or land-line phone connection. Jaenicke says that he would expect a propane retailer to visit a consumer property between three and four times a year.

The tanks are buried about 18 inches underground and are steel-coated with liners that provide a sealant, alleviating any leak concerns. Jaenicke says that the presence of an underground fuel source does not present concerns for buyers.

“The push-back used to come from above ground tanks,” he says. “Underground tanks have become the norm.”

Cioffi agrees. “People don’t even see them. I guarantee that most people don’t even know that they’re there,” he says. A tankless water heater inside the home can even further reduce concerns over leakage.

Get your points
According to Chad Riedy, green building technology manager for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in Washington, D.C., propane can earn points for builders in both the Energy Efficiency and Indoor Environmental Quality categories of the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines and the ICC 700-2008 National Green Building Standard. Propane heaters earn points according to the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency chart and the climate zone in which the project is being built.

“Points can be awarded for propane fireplaces that are powered or direct vented, equipped with permanently fixed glass fronts or gasketed doors, and comply with CSA Z21.88a/CSA 2.33a or CSA Z21.50/CSA 2.22,” says Riedy.

Builders and manufacturers can learn more about how products and practices score by reviewing the National Green Building Standard document or by exploring the various practices throughout the online Green Scoring Tool on the NAHB Green Web site.

Even if the environment isn’t chief among your customers’ concerns, Jaenicke says propane is the affordable choice for high efficiency. “From a pocket book standard, people may not be huge green advocates but they like what they see when they look at the bottom line.”