Propane vs Electric Heating
So I know this will vary widely by location, but I live in Southern California and I'm curious to know which would be the more cost effective solution. Electricity out here is expensive, but I think ...
Forum Discussion
Eric&Lisa wrote:
Probably the more accurate way to compare costs is to figure cost per BTU. One kWh is equivalent to 3412 BTU, assuming 100% conversion efficiency from electricity to heat, and for an electric space heater it's close enough to 100% efficiency to disregard the error.
For propane, it's about 21,500 BTU per pound or 91,500 BTU per gallon when burned, but the RV furnace is nowhere near 100% efficient; 60% or thereabout might be closer to accurate. Assuming a 20 pound tank that you're getting filled to its full usable capacity (and not exchanging for one filled to only 75%), your $18 in propane is buying somewhere around 15,000 BTU of heat in the RV per dollar. If your electricity is cheaper than about $.20 per kWh, you're saving money heating electrically; if it's more than about $.25 per kWh, propane is probably cheaper; and if it's in between, they're pretty close to a wash. The exact numbers do of course depend on the efficiency of your particular furnace.
My trailer came with two 30 lb tanks, and at 2.50 or something like that per gallon it takes about $18-20 to fill one tank. I'm currently paying about $.27 per kWh on my electric bill.
