The Importance of Propane Services in the U.S.

If you’re like most homeowners nowadays, you probably have a residential propane service, but you don’t know too much about it. In fact, you’ve probably been heating your home with propane for years without considering where it really comes from or how it impacts the overall energy industry.

So why exactly are propane services so important for homeowners today?

Propane fuel is one of the most common methods of home heating in the U.S. today; around 60 million Americans depend on this service, believe it or not. Over 8 million homes in the U.S. use propane, and almost 5% of these households consider propane to be their primary heating source.

Propane fuel is even more important for people living in mobile or manufactured homes. Out of the estimated 6.3 million mobile homes in the U.S. today, at least 16% of these homes depend on propane more than any other type of heating fuel.

Not only is propane important for residential buildings, it’s also essential for commercial buildings, too. Hotels and restaurants, for example, use propane fuel for a variety of different purposes. Everything from cooking to refrigeration, from washing clothes to providing heat and light — propane can be used for it all. It’s estimated that 1 million individual commercial establishments depend on propane.

Propane services are also very important for certain niche industries, such as farming. Approximately 660,000 farmers in the U.S. depend on propane for irrigation pumps, generators, and a variety of other farm equipment needed to produce crops, care for animals, and ensure that food is kept safe and clean. Most Americans don’t consider these needs simply because they aren’t familiar with all of the necessary equipment on a farm, but without this equipment, the entire food production industry would be affected.

Last but not least, it should be noted that propane services are crucial to the security of the energy industry. Around 90% of the propane consumed in the U.S. is actually produced domestically; the majority of the remaining 10% typically comes from Canada or Mexico. Compared to other forms of fuel, domestically-harvested propane is a very stable source of energy and it stimulates the U.S. economy by creating a need for local jobs.

So now it’s time to ask yourself, just how important is the propane fuel industry today? We bet your answer will be the same as ours!