One of the easiest ways to convince someone of propane’s benefits is showing them the cost and carbon emissions savings they’ll enjoy with this clean, low cost fuel.
We have just made that even easier: we’ve added a new calculator section with a Heating Energy Cost and Carbon Calculators to help make informed energy decisions.
Assumptions
- “Base model” has an efficiency that just meets the national minimum standard for gas and electric water heaters.
- Lifetime energy cost is the sum of the discounted value of the annual energy costs based on assumed water heater life of 13 years.
- Future electricity price trends and a discount rate of 3.2% are based on Federal guidelines.
- $0.09 per kWh for electricity is the Federal average price in the U.S.
- $0.93 per therm for gas is the Federal average price in the U.S.
- Hot water usage estimates:
- Average shower (8 minutes) = 10 gallons of hot water
- Average clothes washer (one load) = 7 gallons of hot water
- Average dishwasher (one load) = 6 gallons of hot water
- Average kitchen faucet flow = 2 gpm
- Average bathroom faucet flow = 0.5 gpm
- Average daily usage = 64 gallons of hot water.
Disclaimer
This cost calculator is a screening tool that estimates a product’s lifetime energy cost savings at various efficiency levels. Maintenance and installation costs do not vary significantly among the same product having different efficiencies; so, these costs are not included in this calculator tool. For a detailed life cycle cost analysis, the Federal Energy Management Program has developed a tool called Building Life Cycle Cost (BLCC). This downloadable tool allows the user to vary interest rates, installation costs, maintenance costs, salvage values, and life expectancy for a product or an entire energy project.