Merry Christmas

Early each December we slip into holiday mode. We rush here and there, trying to find the perfect gifts for our family members or dearest friends. We search high and low for just the right gift to show our loved ones how much they mean to us. With mounting anticipation as the big day approaches, we’re more excited to give gifts than we are to receive them. And finally, our gift-giving moment arrives, and just seeing their eyes light up makes all the craziness worthwhile. It truly is a wondrous time of the year.

Can you remember what it felt like as a child sitting in front of the tree, waiting for the designated gift giver to hand you your first present? It’s a beautiful memory many of us share. But more than that, we can also remember that feeling of fulfillment … of being with our families and feeling complete.

When I look back now at all of the Christmases I shared with my brothers and sisters, then in later years with my own children, the things I remember the most are those moments of being together — the laughter, the conversation, and, of course, who can forget the meals? To me, that was the greatest thing about the holidays — having family around me. My wish is that my fondness for the holidays and family time has been passed along to my children. I also hope that now, as they raise their families, they too will get to experience those same feelings and get that same satisfaction I did.

We at Keystone Propane hope that you all have a wonderful holiday season. We hope that your time together with loved ones or friends will be just as enjoyable as it was in your past. We sincerely appreciate your patronage and want you to know that we will do our very best to ensure that there will always be warmth in your home so you can sit back and enjoy. Merry Christmas from all of us to all of you!!

How we can Work Together to Make the Holidays Great

I wanted to take this opportunity to outline just a few things to help us both enjoy our Holidays:

  • Check your gauge at least once per week. We do our best to ensure that you won’t run out of propane, but slight changes in the way you use your propane can affect when you will need your next delivery. If you have not seen us or received a bill recently check the tank and if you are at or below 30% on the gauge, please give us a call just to let us know. That way if something has changed and you are burning gas faster, we can adjust your delivery schedule and make sure that you get a delivery soon, as well as ensuring that future deliveries arrive in time.
  • Do your best to keep the access to your tank cleared. Keeping the driveway plowed and having a path shoveled to the tank helps us move along faster and helps to keep all customers satisfied. Every minute wasted slogging through deep snow could be a potential customer that doesn’t receive their delivery. Remember, that could be you. The Department of Transport only allows our operators to work a set number of hours each day and they also restrict the hours operators work each week. With these restrictions, it is imperative that we don’t waste time. We appreciate your assistance on this very much.
  • Stay alert to changes in your home. Often when a propane tank gets very low, you will begin to more readily smell propane. This is caused by the high concentrations of an additive put into the propane so it can be easily detected in case of a leak. If you notice an unusual smell or can determine that you are, in fact, smelling propane, notify us as soon as possible. This will give us time to get there to check it out and possibly keep you from running out of gas.

We appreciate your assistance on all of these items. The more you are aware of how your propane system works, and what you can do to keep it working properly, the better it is for all of us. Remember, when it comes to propane there are no silly questions, and should you ever have a question please feel free to call us to gain some insight on your issue.

Thank you all again for choosing Keystone Propane!!!
Merry Christmas

Propane Now Fueling School Buses

Most people are familiar with propane’s everyday uses like home heating and outdoor cooking, but you may be surprised to learn that there are quite a few alternative uses for propane that are quickly gaining popularity. This is all thanks to the many benefits propane gas provides as an affordable, clean energy source which is now being used for:

  • Hot Tub and Pool Heaters
  • RV & Mobile Home Appliances
  • Cooktops and Ranges
  • Patio Heaters
  • Water Heaters
  • Clothes Dryers
  • Fireplaces
  • Lawnmowers
  • Hot Air Balloons and More

In addition to the above uses, people across the nation are discovering the cost-cutting benefits of transitioning their fleet vehicles to propane gas, and are now running propane-powered buses, police cruisers, taxi-cabs, construction trucks, and more. For example, the schools in Pinellas County are rolling into the new year with 58 propane buses in its fleet.

The new propane buses are less noisy and more comfortable than traditional school buses. The Director of Transportation for the Pinellas County School District, Rick McBride, recently explained:

“We made a decision several years ago to look for an alternate fuel source other than a diesel type bus, so we looked at the options out there and elected to go with propane.”

Although propane has been an important part of our country’s energy mix for over one hundred years, people continue to find new uses for this low-cost, environmentally friendly fuel. The U.S. proudly produces nearly 90% of the propane being consumed worldwide, and its production has employed over 150,000 workers in trade, wholesale, and sales.

This boost for our economy is just one more reason why propane is rapidly becoming the alternative fuel of choice for Americans. At Keystone Propane, we’re proud to offer you quality, clean, and affordable propane to power your life as efficiently as possible. To find out more about alternative uses for propane or how you can utilize propane for more than home heating and outdoor cooking, contact us today.

Uncle Sam’s Prediction for Lower Heating Bills this Winter

It looks as though we may be getting a break this year from Old Man Winter, according to U.S. Energy Department. Their annual outlook is calling for warmer temperatures that will mean lower heating bills, particularly for those using propane or oil to heat their homes.

Their prediction was released in early October, and we can already see the trend for above-normal temperatures continuing, despite the impending winter weather. According to an article recently published by U.S. News, the U.S. Energy Department is funding their claims on a forecast made by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calling for warmer weather across most U.S. regions.

What does this mean for you? The department predicts that homeowners using propane gas to heat their homes can expect to see an 18 percent decrease in their winter heating bill. And according to the administrator of the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Adam Sieminski:

“If winter temperatures come in as expected by U.S. government weather forecasters, U.S. consumers will pay less to stay warm this winter no matter what heating fuel they use.”

While warmer temperatures seemingly mean good news for all, there’s no denying the benefits of saving with propane gas this winter. Of course, the obvious linchpin in these savings is that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast holds true. Last year, the forecast also called for warmer temperatures across the U.S., which was the case for many regions, but certainly not for the Northeast.

But as many in the Northeast region prepare for winter, folks are staying positive and looking forward to a break from the bitter temperatures and high heating bills, thankful that propane gas has been their heating fuel of choice.

If you’d like more information about heating your home with propane gas and what Keystone Propane can do to simplify your home heating, contact us today to talk with one of our experts.

How Pre-Buying Propane Can Help You Save

With yet another severe winter behind us, many homeowners are looking for new ways they can conserve both energy and money when it comes to home heating. Even the thought of the words “polar vortex” is enough to send shivers down the spine of any property owner. Thankfully, there’s a lot you can do to manage your home heating and keep your family within budget.

One of the first topics that come up when talking about saving money on home heating is conservation … and rightfully so. Conservation can be one of the most effective means to cut back costs, mostly because you’re limiting your family’s energy usage. This conservation comes in many forms, including lowering the thermostat at night while you’re sleeping and also while you’re away at work.

However, many families don’t realize there is another way they can possibly save. Pre-buying propane has become more popular with homeowners over the last several years. But before we discuss why, let’s first get a better understanding of the process.

What is Pre-Buying Propane?

Essentially, pre-buying propane program allows you to purchase your home’s propane gas at a set price in advance. This can be an extremely effective way of saving because you are able to take advantage of a rate that is typically lower during the beginning of the season and avoid the inevitable spikes that arise during the coldest months of the year.

Before deciding if pre-buying is right for you, it’s important to note that there is often a minimum buying requirement for the amount of propane you are ordering, and usually a limited number of gallons available for pre-sale. Estimating the amount of propane you’ll need for the entire season can be tricky, but our Keystone Propane experts can easily help you determine how much propane is the right quantity for your family’s lifestyle.

By planning ahead and timing it right you can save hundreds of dollars a year by pre-buying propane. To find out more about the Keystone Propane Pre-buying Program, contact one of our experts today.

New Energy-Saving Tool for Homeowners

Saving money on your home heating is now easier than ever, thanks to a new energy-saving tool recently released by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA). The tool is designed to make recommendations to American homeowners for prioritized and customized home improvement projects that will have a positive impact on your home heating and your pocketbook.

According to EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy:

“As we enter the winter months, homeowners can use our new Energy Star Home Advisor to increase energy efficiency and save money while reducing greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change. When homeowners take advantage of this important tool and increase the energy efficiency of their homes, many families will notice savings on energy bills and improvements in the comfort of their homes.”

The tool gives you the opportunity for a DIY energy assessment, guiding you while you create an Energy Star profile for your home. The tool then uses this profile to create customized and prioritized home improvements, from which you can make your own checklist of projects to tackle including air filter replacements or insulation areas of your home like the attic.

As you make your improvements, you update the tool so that it can give you a clear view of your home’s current energy output and see firsthand how the changes you’ve directly affect the environment. The tool will also give you additional recommendations and the opportunity to update your personal to-do project list.

The EPA released this new tool as part of its initiative to increase awareness of how energy-saving home upgrades can help homeowners across the country save on energy expenses. You can try the Energy Star Home Advisor tool by clicking here.

Choose Your LP Gas Provider Wisely

Caveat Emptor … as you may have learned in your Economics class in high school, this simple Latin phrase means, “Let the buyer beware.” This philosophy should apply to every purchase you make, whether it’s a personal item or a consumable such as LP-Gas. When you first begin researching an LP-Gas provider, make sure that you do your homework. There are a wide variety of LP-Gas providers in most regions of the U.S. and their care, pricing, and attention to detail are just as varied as their names.

Contact every provider in your area. Listen carefully to the information that they provide about their services and how their processes unfold. Beware of those that only discuss their prices and how easy it is to become a customer. They’re only interested in one thing, and that’s your money. If the companies you talk with don’t mention appliance inspection and system integrity testing, you should shy away from them. Your safety should be first and foremost to any company that you decide to purchase LP-Gas from.

Next, for the LP-Gas providers that you have on your shortlist, you should attempt to contact them after business hours to see exactly how difficult it would be for you to reach someone in case of an emergency. This is a critical part of any LP-Gas business … timely response to out of the ordinary conditions. If it is difficult to get a hold of them, would you want them to respond to an emergency at your home?

One last item I would recommend is to talk to people you know who have LP-Gas. Ask them questions about their service and experience with the company that they are currently doing business with; even ask them how much gas a year they use and approximately what price they are paying. Then compare this information to the prices you were quoted when talking to those companies. A large disparity will tell you, the consumer, where your pricing will be in a couple of years.

We at Keystone Propane do our best every year to keep our customers competitively priced within their market segment. By doing this we establish a long term relationship with our customers and a trust that we will always attempt to look out for their interests. As an LP-Gas provider in NE Pennsylvania, we may never be the cheapest, but we will always be competitive. When it comes to service we go to great lengths to ensure that your system meets all Federal, State, and Local codes. Our technicians take their time and explain the safety procedures you should observe in the event of an emergency.

Whether you buy from Keystone Propane or another company, our hope is that you will buy from someone who has you and your family’s safety as their first priority, always.

Thank you,
Keystone Propane