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If You Are Paying More Than $1.89 for Propane You are Wasting Money Heating Water We've been getting a lot of questions from our members lately who have been calling FEC wanting to know the difference in water heater operating costs between electricity and propane. Unfortunately, the last few years the propane industry has been running a series of television advertisements (usually two guys in white T-shirts with one saying propane on the front and the other having electricity on the front of his shirt) citing propane as being the cheapest way to heat your water. This may be true on the east and west coasts of this country, where electric rates average13 to 14 cents a kilowatt hour. But here in rural Missouri, electricity is by far the cheapest way to heat water. Remember, heating water is usually the third largest energy user in your home. Based on our current electric rate, the break-even point with propane is $1.89 a gallon. So, if you are paying more than $1.89 a gallon for propane you are wasting your water heating money. Contracts for propane in the Chillicothe area were ranging from $2.25 to $2.29 a gallon for propane in mid-July, and as you know, the history of propane pricing usually means the closer we get to winter the higher a gallon of propane will be. Farmers' Electric members can take advantage of FEC's water heater rebate program and save money for years to come. As a member of Farmers' Electric, if you wish to convert from a gas to an electric model, or if this is a new water heater installation (new home, home expansion) you can purchase an American-made Bradford White water heater from us for only $150. This unit typically retails for just over $400. If you need someone to install your water heater, we have a contractor that will install the unit for just $100, plus any parts (wire, breaker). The only requirement we have is that the water heater must be placed on FEC's load management program. Contact our Member Services Department if you have any questions about the water heater program or the load management program. |
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