Heating & appliances
Propane vs natural gas vs electric in the Sierra foothills
In the Sierra foothills the choice usually starts with where you live: natural gas is only available where PG&E has a gas main, which is mostly in the town cores, while propane and electricity work on any parcel. Propane carries about 91,500 Btu per gallon and is stored on your own property, and electric heat pumps are efficient but, like every electric appliance, stop during a power outage unless you have backup.
Updated · American River Gas office, Newcastle
Who can get what
Census data shows the pattern clearly. In the American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, 7.8% of Placer County households heat with bottled, tank or LP gas, compared with 32.1% in Nevada County and 27.4% in El Dorado County. Inside Placer the split follows the gas mains: only 1.2% of households in the City of Auburn heat with propane, while the figure is 64.4% in Meadow Vista and 71.9% in Lake of the Pines.
In other words, town centers tend to be on PG&E gas, and the rural parcels around them rely on propane or electricity. Whether PG&E will extend a main to a property is PG&E's decision, so ask them directly if you are unsure.
Comparing the energy fairly
The fuels are sold in different units, so convert before comparing. The U.S. Energy Information Administration lists:
- Propane: 91,452 Btu per gallon.
- Natural gas: 100,000 Btu per therm, or about 1,036 Btu per cubic foot.
- Electricity: 3,412 Btu per kilowatt-hour.
- So one gallon of propane holds about the same heat as 0.91 therm of natural gas or about 27 kWh of electricity.
Efficiency changes the math
What you pay for is heat delivered into the house, so the appliance matters as much as the fuel. Furnaces and boilers carry an efficiency rating, and heat pumps move heat rather than make it. The U.S. Department of Energy says today's heat pumps can cut heating electricity by about 65% compared with electric resistance heat such as baseboards.
To compare your own options, take each fuel's current local price, convert it to cost per million Btu using the figures above, then divide by the appliance's efficiency. Prices move with the season and the market, so use current figures when you run the numbers.
Outages and fire season
Public Safety Power Shutoffs affect every home on the grid. An all-electric house loses heat, hot water and cooking unless it has backup power. A propane or natural gas house still has fuel, but blowers, controls and electronic igniters need electricity too. Propane has one difference that matters here: the fuel is already sitting on your property, so a propane fireplace or vented wall heater that runs without power can keep a room warm.
Appliances and switching
Propane and natural gas appliances are close cousins, but they are not interchangeable as shipped. Converting from one to the other takes the manufacturer's conversion parts and a qualified technician, followed by a leak check. American River Gas handles appliance conversions for current customers.
Several foothill homes mix fuels: a heat pump for mild weather, a propane furnace or fireplace for the coldest nights, and propane for water heating and cooking. There is no single right answer, only the one that fits your parcel, your house and how you want to ride out an outage.
Questions to ask before you decide
If propane is part of your answer, call (530) 888-7438. We can size and set a tank, run the underground line and convert appliances for current customers.
- Is there a PG&E gas main at the road, and would PG&E serve the house?
- What does the house already have: furnace, water heater, range, fireplace, ducts?
- How cold does your spot get, and how well insulated is the house?
- How long could you go without power during a shutoff, and what would you need to keep running?
- Is there room on the lot for a tank with the required setbacks, and can a delivery truck reach it?
Questions
Straight answers
Is propane the same as natural gas?
No. Propane is stored as a liquid in a tank on your property, while natural gas arrives by pipeline. Appliances are set up for one or the other and need conversion to switch.
Can I convert a natural gas appliance to propane?
Often yes, using the manufacturer's conversion kit installed by a qualified technician, followed by a leak check.
Which is cheapest to heat with?
It depends on current local prices and the efficiency of your equipment. Convert each fuel to cost per million Btu, then adjust for efficiency.
Does propane work when the power is out?
The fuel keeps flowing from your tank, but appliances with blowers, controls or electronic ignition need electricity. A propane fireplace or vented wall heater that runs without power can keep a room warm during an outage.
Can I get natural gas at my foothill property?
Only if PG&E has a main nearby and agrees to serve it. Many rural parcels are outside the mains, which is why propane is common there.
Related
Keep reading
Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration: British thermal units (Btu), propane = 91,452 Btu per gallon (opens in a new tab) · U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B25040 House Heating Fuel (opens in a new tab) · U.S. Department of Energy: home upgrades (heat pumps cut heating electricity about 65% vs resistance heat) (opens in a new tab)
Newcastle yard · since 1966
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