Propane gas, natural gas or electricity in your home?

We have got used to our homes having propane gas, butane gas, natural gas or just electricity as an energy source. But do we know the differences between each of these energy sources?

Photography by Marcin Galusz – Unspalsh

A few years ago, supply was low, with no other choice than butane gas cylinders. There is the disadvantage that the total gas in the bottle isn't used, and the gas bottle itself is too heavy for transportation. Today, the offer is much more diversified and appropriate for each situation.

For a conscious decision, you should know about the specifications of each one, and thus be able to assess which is best for your needs.

Propane Gas

Propane gas and butane gas belong to the same family both are extracted from the petroleum distillation. The difference is that propane vaporizes better even in the winter, and thus the whole bottle is used.

Newer construction houses offer other cleaner energy options, dropping propane gas or butane into disuse. The buildings in which this gas is still widely used are in the restaurants, as it is an excellent source of heat.

There is also the option of piped the propane gas from larger bottles. This way, the bottles stay outside and can be periodically exchanged by the gas companies, and an individual meter estimates the consumption.

The propane gas installation at home is quick and requires small expense all you need is a bottle, a reducer and the house appliances you want, such as a cooker or heater.

Natural Gas

The installation of natural gas has been doing in homes, commerce and industry. It is a safer energy source because it is lighter than oxygen, making dissipation faster and does not accumulate like propane or butane gas. It is also non-renewable energy, existing underground, which does not need refining, but which combustion is cleaner than any other oil derivative.

The distribution method of this fossil fuel is through pipes under the roads or on the side of the road.

The value of this energy source is considerably lower compared to propane gas bottles. On the other hand, if your home is not prepared for natural gas, the installation requires expensive works.

Electricity

 One of the considered safest options is electricity because you don’t have to deal with gas indoors. Estimates that 55% of energy expenditure comes through our house appliances. The most expensive monthly bill is on the kitchen, so always look for class A energy certificate house appliances.

It will always be hard to analyse which energy source is the cheapest option, if natural gas or electricity. It will always depend on the number of the household, the hours spent at home or the number of electrical equipment connected. The installation of the various electrical house appliances will always be cheaper compared to the natural gas installation.

Know that, before converting your home to an electrical energy source, you should consider and research all the necessary equipment. The glass-ceramic and induction hobs are visually identical but have different characteristics. The glass-ceramic hob takes longer to heat up than the induction hob. The induction hob, on the other hand, needs its utensils, while in glass-ceramic, you can use any pot or pan. When choosing the hot-water storage appliance, you should take into account the number of people at home and their habits, so that you can calculate the indicated capacity per litre to buy.

• If soon you want to build your house from scratch and don't know what is the most suitable energy source, try to understand with the architect what the best solution is.

• If you already live in a house and want to change your energy source to natural gas, know in advance if you have the necessary conditions, such as connection to the distribution network.

• Switching to an electrical energy source is considerably easy. You should only look for the equipment that best fits the rooms of your house and renegotiate the contracted power.