How to Save Money When Buying I Propane

Now that Old Man Winter’s knocking at your door, you’ll regularly run your propane heater to stay warm. Temperatures drop quickly here in upstate New York, causing your utility bills to skyrocket. You want to stay as comfortable as possible without racking up high energy costs. What are some steps you can take to reduce your heating bills?

Door Snakes

Don’t let heat escape through drafty doors. If you can spot daylight under your door, you need to place a door snake by your door to reduce heat loss. If you don’t have a door snake, simply roll up a towel and place it by the door.

Do you consider yourself handy? You could adjust your door threshold. Your door thresholds could have a few screws that can be adjusted to close in the gap. By turning the screws counterclockwise, you could lift the threshold. Just make sure that you can still easily open and close the door.

Lock the Windows

The utmost reason you should lock your windows is to ensure the security of your home. However, when your windows are unlocked, they could also be letting in cold air. If you fail to lock your windows until it’s it’s freezing outside, you’ll have trouble moving the windows and have to work extra hard to get the job done.

Regulate Your Thermostat

Consider buying a programmable thermostat, which could reduce your energy bills between five to ten percent. When you are away from home, turn down your thermostat a few more degrees. For every degree you turn below 70 on your thermostat, you can save three percent on your heating costs. Don’t be afraid to layer up and set your thermostat a little lower.

Weatherstrip Your Windows

If you don’t have weatherstripping around your doors and windows, head over to your local hardware store to purchase some. If your home already has weatherstripping, make sure that it’s not worn or torn. If it shows any signs of damage, it’s time to replace it.

About ten to twelve percent of your home’s heat loss goes right out of your windows and doors, and weatherstripping helps seal out those drafty problem areas. All you have to do to replace weatherstripping is pull the old product off and tack on the new weatherstripping.

Buy Energy-Saving Curtains

Energy-saving curtains could save you money by reducing heat loss from the windows. Also, by keeping your windows covered when it’s dark outside, you could help further insulate your home. However, during the daytime, you may want to open the curtains to let natural light in, which could help warm your home.

Plug Holes in Exterior Walls

Check the exterior walls of your home to see if there are any gaps surrounding pipes, cables or gas lines. Although such gaps are usually filled with caulk, over time they could crack or peel, letting in cold air. If you find any gaps, buy some expanding foam and seal the gaps.

Consider Using a Space Heater

You may be able to save money on heating costs by keeping the thermostat set low but using a space heater in the living room where everyone is hanging out. Portable heaters can be relatively inexpensive and are easily available at your local big box store.

Cover Windows With Plastic Film

Did you know that your windows can cause as much as 25 percent heat loss in your home? Especially if you have an older home, which could use flimsy single-pane windows, your heat could be going right out the windows.

Buy a plastic wrap kit at your local hardware store and adhere it to the windows. You can use a hairdryer to help seal the wrap over your windows. When correctly applied, you may not even notice the transparent film at all.

Insulate the Attic Door

Do you have an attic? Warm air could leak out of the attic access door, so you’ll need to insulate it. If you notice that your attic access door doesn’t lie flat, chances are, it’s not properly insulated.

To solve the problem, attach fiberglass insulation to the attic side of the door with an adhesive. If the door still isn’t lying flat, you can close it using a latch bolt system.

Tune Up Your Propane Fireplace

If you are lucky enough to have a propane fireplace, take advantage of its heat this winter. Call a professional to tune up your fireplace, which involves an inspection as well as preventative maintenance. The technician should be able to spot any parts that need to be replaced or repaired.

Check Air Vents

Take a look at your heat registers. Are you blocking any air vents with furniture? If so, it’s time to rearrange your furniture. You want to keep your air registers clear so that the warm air can circulate.

Seal Your Chimney

If you have a woodburning fireplace, warm air could be leaking out of your chimney even when the flue is closed. To prevent this from happening, buy a chimney balloon. Available online, this handy contraption could save you big bucks on your heating bill. Simply blow up the balloon and place it in the chimney.

Are you worried about leaving it in when you start a fire? The balloon will automatically deflate, so your home won’t become a smoke-filled nightmare. Over time, you’ll need to replace the balloons because they will become sooty. We would like to point out that this wouldn’t be a problem if you had a propane fireplace instead.

By following these easy tips, you can cut out a huge chunk of your energy bills this winter. If you’re concerned about energy bills, propane is one of the most efficient energy sources out there. For the most reliable home propane service, choose DiSanto Propane.

If you’re concerned about your heating bill prices, you could check out our Stable Propane Pricing Plan, which locks in a fixed rate for your propane prices so you pay the same amount each month. We’ve provided propane delivery, installation and service to the resident of upstate New York since 1937. Contact our propane suppliers today to get started.

Shopping for propane is convenient because you can pay for a multi-month supply of a product all at once. Fill-ups may take place months apart, but that doesn’t mean you need to foot the bill all at once or at top dollar… Although you may be biting your nails at the idea of investing in more propane and the cost involved, it’s possible to save money by buying it at the right time. This is when procrastination finally works in your favor.

When it comes to propane, the goal should be to purchase your fuel at the best time of year, with things like seasonal shifts in price and supply chain fluctuations in mind. Here are a few simple tips to follow to purchase propane at the best time of year.

Buy in the Off-Season
The number one rule of purchasing propane is to buy it in the off-season. This may feel counter-intuitive at first. After all, if you buy a bunch of strawberries in the dead of winter because they’re in the off-season, they’ll cost an arm and a leg.

Not so with propane. Why? The simple answer is that strawberries will go bad in a week, while propane can last for decades — yes, you read that right. Decades. Just like the asphalt shingles on your roof or your grandmother’s cast iron pan.

This means immediate supply isn’t a concern. No one is harvesting the natural gas byproduct, liquifying it, and shipping it off to your home as quickly as possible to prevent it from spoiling.

With short-term supply concerns off the table, propane demand is the main factor dictating seasonal prices. For most homes, especially those that heat with propane as well as use it for appliances, when the colder weather sets in, it marks a steep increase in the demand for more propane. This puts a strain on the short-term supply and naturally spikes the prices.

Even in 2021, when prices were abnormally high due to global supply concerns, the New York government reported this seasonal shift. A dramatic dip in fuel supply took place specifically during the summer months of July, August, and September, before shooting back up in October.

If your tank isn’t full when the heating season ends, fill it up during the warmer months when both demand and prices are low. It’s important to note that the usage of gallons often dictates propane pricing. If you use 1000 gallons a year, your cost per gallon will be lower than if you only use 100 gallons every two years.

Spread Out the Cost
Knowing the best season to purchase propane is helpful. But no matter how full your tank is, once the colder weather sets in, you will need to refill your tank sooner or later, even if it isn’t the best time of year to pay for propane.

One alternative way to spread out those seasonal spikes in cost is by signing up for a Budget Billing Plan. This means a supplier, like Paraco Gas, will estimate what you owe over the course of a year and then split that up into monthly payments. The result is a stable and predictable cost to keep your home warm every month of the year, so you don’t have to worry about getting negative vibes from your thermostat or icy stares from your family members.

Planning Ahead
As a final note, remember to check your tank regularly and do an online search for “Where to buy propane near me” to obtain it locally. If you run out of propane at any time of the year, you may have to pay a premium for an emergency fill. Running out of gas also comes with a price tag for your local propane provider to perform a leak check to ensure your tank has no leaks, and that is the cause for the runout, not that you were price shopping. It’s always better to top things off than to run out. Although this may require a bit of pre-planning, it’ll be worth the prep involved instead of dealing with chattering teeth and having your metal cutlery get stuck to your tongue due to freezing indoor temperatures.