How Much Propane Do I Use in A Day?

Written on: April 18, 2022

We’ll help you manage your propane supply and costs!

Figuring out how much propane you use is a good approach to anticipating and managing your propane expenditures.

However, your propane usage will vary depending on how you use it and the time of year. Look over your past year’s propane statements (which is easy when you have a Boehlke Bottled Gas online account) to see for yourself how much your usage varies.

No matter how your propane usage varies, you can count on our Automatic Delivery to ensure your home always has the propane it needs. You can get even more peace of mind about your propane supply with our FREE wireless propane tank monitoring.

We also make it easier to manage your propane costs with our pricing and payment options including Budget Pay and Pre-Buy.

How to calculate your propane usage

Because you are not likely to be utilizing all your propane appliances at 100% capacity 24/7, the calculation below is for using them at 25% to 50% capacity for two to six hours a day.

The numbers in this table demonstrate how much your propane usage can vary a great deal, from 1.2 to 7.2 gallons each day. Just having guests or visiting family for a few days can increase your propane usage more than you may think, thanks to using more hot water for laundry and bathing, and using your propane range more for cooking. Here’s an example:

• 220,000 BTU/hours (the total for all the appliances) ÷ 91,547 BTU/gallon of propane = 2.4 gallons per hour
• 2.4 gallons x .25 (25 percent capacity) = .6 gallons per hour 
• .6 gallons x 2 hours = 1.2 gallons

This number can then be used to calculate greater use of propane appliances: 

• 25 percent capacity for 6 hours = 3.6 gallons per day
• 50 percent capacity for 2 hours = 2.4 gallons per day 
• 50 percent capacity for 6 hours 7.2 gallons per day 

In summer, a propane pool heater (at 425,000 BTU/hour) that operates for one hour a day at 75% capacity would add about 3.5 gallons to your daily usage:

• 425,000 BTU/hour ÷ 91,547 = 4.64 gallons/hour
• 4.65 x .75 = 3.48 gallons

Propane pool heaters consume a lot of propane, so we recommend utilizing a pool cover when the pool isn’t in use to help keep as much of the heat in the pool as possible. 

A propane generator can also impact your propane usage calculations as you can’t predict when you’ll need to use it. 

Become a Boehlke Bottled Gas customer and know you’ll always have propane when you need it.