SERVING YOU WITH ENERGY
Written on: November 25, 2024
If you are a facilities manager for a school or university, you know that costs are rising, and you need to fight for every dollar and justify every operating expense. Whether it’s a public or private institution, your school board needs has to answer to a range of stakeholders, and providing real value is essential. That’s where schools and universities can take a lesson from other businesses that use propane.
Propane is a clean, efficient and versatile fuel that can be used in a wide range of applications from heating to food service, and beyond. What’s more, is propane not only better for the environment—it’s also great for the bottom line, especially for educational institutions, where dollars are scarce. Here are seven smart ways propane can take you to the head of the class.
Compared to other heating fuels—including electricity—propane leaves a much smaller carbon footprint. It heats quickly and burns cleanly, and costs on average 2.5 times less per Btu than heating with electricity, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Propane is also extremely safe, with a very narrow range of flammability.
Propane is great for heating spaces—it delivers twice the heating energy than natural gas, and heats spaces more quickly and evenly than electricity. Also, propane equipment runs more efficiently than heating oil equipment, and requires less maintenance and lasts longer. Whether you need to heat classrooms or dorms, propane offers clean, efficient and effective heat.
Everything that makes propane great at creating heat makes it just as efficient at heating water Propane water heaters generate much more hot water at a cheaper cost per gallon. That makes them ideal for commercial dishwashers in cafeteria kitchens, as well as for water heating for bathrooms and laundry rooms. Compact tankless propane water heaters can provide hot water to handwashing sinks in bathrooms and dorm kitchenettes on demand, rather than keeping huge tanks of water hot.
Whether your campus is serving three-plus meals a day to thousands of hungry college students or nourishing breakfasts and lunches to school children, any professional chef will tell you cooking with gas is the key to turning out consistently great food, cost-effectively. Propane allows for the temperature control you don’t get with electric cooktops, which improves cooking time, and reduces scorching and the resulting food waste.
Clean-burning propane can power much of the landscaping equipment you use to keep school grounds and athletic fields manicured. It will also power snowblowers in winter, reducing reliance on diesel-powered plowing. Propane also puts less wear on equipment, meaning less downtime for repairs out of the shop and keeping your groundskeepers working.
Propane autogas is a clean, green option for school busses and vans. It’s rapidly becoming the approved choice because it offers students an emission-free ride, while providing a cost-effective fueling option.
Wisconsin saw a record number of tornadoes in 2024. As weather patterns continue to change and storms get more powerful, we could see that level of weather activity becoming the norm—or extending beyond the summer peak into the fall or earlier in the spring. Reliable backup power is essential, particularly for colleges and universities with students living on campus. Propane-powered standby generators will come on automatically when the electricity goes down to keep essential buildings powered up.
Schools and universities have a different mission, but from an operating perspective, they share many of the same need as hotels, hospitals and nursing facilities—which all get great value from the versatility of propane. As the region’s leading provider of commercial propane services, Dale Gas & Oil can work with you to show you how propane can benefit your school and create a customized program.
Contact us today for more information.