Our Environment

Propane is making a positive impact on our environment.

It is also making a positive impact on our customers ability to keep more of their hard-earned money for themselves.

Clean, efficient propane has long been recognized as an environmentally friendly energy. It is an approved alternative fuel listed in both the Clean Air Act of 1990 and the National Energy Policy Act of 1992 and 2005.

In homes and businesses, propane not only helps save money, it also helps minimize the carbon footprint of electric appliances:

• Nearly 5 million U.S. households already rely on propane for home heating and 3 million use propane for residential water heating.²
• Propane-fueled water heaters produce 52 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than electric models.³
• Propane-fueled tankless water heaters produce 61 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than electric tankless models.³
• Propane tankless water heaters can cost up to 60 percent less to operate than electric models.⁴
• Propane furnaces emit nearly 37 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than fuel oil furnaces.³

On the road, propane-fueled vehicles make some of the most dramatic contributions to reducing emissions:

• In light-duty engines, propane cuts greenhouse gas emissions 18 percent compared with gasoline.¹
• In medium-duty engines, propane cuts greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent compared with gasoline.¹
• The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Act of 2005 provides incentives for the acquisition, infrastructure installation and a 50-cent-per-gallon federal tax credit for alternative fuels, including propane.

Propane is doing the job in commercial applications as well:

• Propane-powered forklifts cut greenhouse gas emissions 19 percent compared with gasoline and 7 percent compared with diesel.¹

In addition, propane is generating growth in the new green economy. Thanks to domestically manufactured propane buses, pickup trucks, vehicle conversion kits, and other environmentally friendly technologies, propane is driving the generation of domestic green-collar jobs.

Propane can do it all.  Now!

While there are many environmentally friendly energy sources being considered today, not many are easily implemented in the short term.  Propane, with an established distribution network and infrastructure, is available now. Propane is a vital part of America’s energy strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, enhance energy self-reliance, and strengthen our economy.

1. Energetics Inc., Propane Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Comparative Analysis (Washington, D.C.: Propane Education & Research Council, July 2009).
2. ICF International Inc., 2009 Propane Market Outlook (Washington, D.C.: Propane Education & Research Council, July 2009).
3. Energetics Inc., Propane Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Comparative Analysis (Washington, D.C.: Propane Education & Research Council, July 2009).
4. M. Scott, Gregg, Propane as Primary Energy Source for Water Heaters (Washington, D.C.: Propane Education & Research Council, 2006).