Total Energy News and Insights

What comes to mind when you think of propane? New England is one of the most popular places in the country for oil heated homes, Propane is much more popular in the midwest and the west coast. That leaves many of us to associate propane with one of it's arguably best uses, grilling.  Propane  can be used for a number of things throughout your home, from heating your entire home, to heating your water, keeping your pool open longer, drying your clothes, cooking your dinner, and much more.  The question for many oil or electric homes that have an interest in converting to propane is, what is involved? To convert any home to propane, first you'll need a tank. Similar to oil, propane heat requires a tank to store the gas that is used by your home's equipment. A difference between oil and propane in terms of the tank is the location. Propane tanks have to be located outside of the home while oil tanks traditionally are found in the basement of the home. Having a tank...

Unhappy with the amount of hot water in the shower? Ever been the last person in the morning to take a shower, only to find out that the three people before and the washing machine used up all the hot water?  Wonder why you've run out of water while you freeze during the shortest shower of your life?  It could depend on the size, age, and type of water heater you have. First we'll go over the types of water heaters; tankless, direct & indirect water heaters. Direct and indirect water heaters use a tank that stores and heats the water in the tank to be used later.  This requires the water to heated and reheated as the water temperature can be maintained for awhile before it drops too low. You might find a tank in your basement that is either near or possibly far from your boiler or furnace. A tank that is close and has piping that runs directly from the the heating system to the tank is a direct water heater.  This directly uses the heat from the ...