Many people associate propane with heating their homes during winter and water heating. But there’s so much propane can do for your Upper Midwest home in warm weather as well!
Now is the time to schedule a propane delivery to your home so you can enjoy all that propane has to offer thanks to its outstanding versatility and energy efficiency. That propane can be used for many outdoor appliances that make your back yard a great place to be, whether you’re hosting a big cookout or just unwinding after a long day.
The dependable propane delivery from Lakes Gas ensures your home will always have the propane it needs any time of year. With our expert propane tank installation, affordable propane tank leasing, and wireless propane tank monitoring, we are your one-stop shop when it comes to your home’s propane supply.
You can connect many outdoor propane appliances to your home’s propane tank, meaning you can enjoy using them with even greater ease and convenience.
In addition to having fuel for your outdoor propane appliances, filling your propane tank now makes good fiscal sense. Traditionally, propane prices tend to be lower in warmer weather as there is decreased demand since it’s not being used for home heating. You’ll save money on your propane delivery!
Propane’s versatility shines outdoors. It can be used in many ways to enhance the quality of life outdoors.
Grilling – Propane gas grills are the most popular type of grill in the country. It’s estimated that more than 60% of the grills used in the United States are gas grills. Grilling with propane is faster and easier than charcoal, as it’s ready to grill in less than five minutes with no messy clean-up of ashes afterwards. Its precise, instant temperature control allows you to grill a wide variety of foods. Connecting your grill to your home’s propane tank is a great way to have your dream outdoor kitchen.
Pool and spa heating – There’s nothing like a dip in the pool or a soak in the spa tub after a long day. Propane pool and spa heaters let you enjoy unwinding faster and with dramatically better energy efficiency than electric models, allowing you to enjoy your pool or spa tub more often while keeping your energy costs down.
Firepits and outdoor fireplaces – One of the great things about being in your back yard is that there’s room for everyone to be together, but also space to be by yourself. With a propane fireplace or firepit, you can enjoy relaxing by a fire either with friends and some wine, or just by yourself with a mug of coffee.
Some outdoor propane appliances use 20-lb. propane cylinders like the ones used on many propane grills. Cylinders offer portability, which means you can move your propane appliance where you need it. Here are some outdoor propane appliances where cylinders are used.
You can get your cylinder exchanged or refilled at your local Lakes Gas office. There are also Lakes Gas cylinder exchanges and refill stations at many retail locations such as gas stations, convenience stores, grocery stores, and home improvement stores all over the Lakes Gas service area.
Get reliable propane delivery and service from Lakes Gas! Become a customer today.
Your life is getting busier now that warmer weather has arrived. Whether it’s yard work, kids’ sports leagues getting started, graduation parties, bridal showers, weddings, or cookouts, you’ve got a lot going on!
Lakes Gas is here to take two jobs off your to-do list: checking your propane tank gauge levels and contacting us to request a delivery. That’s because with our wireless propane tank monitor, you won’t have to do either of those things anymore!
When you enroll in wireless propane tank monitoring, your work is done! Here’s what comes next.
Tank monitoring is useful for anyone looking to make their lives easier and be assured they’ll always have propane. Yet, there are some who especially benefit from it.
People who manage affairs for elderly parents or relatives. Being a caregiver is often a demanding job, but with wireless propane tank monitoring, you can take some of the weight off your shoulders. Now you have more time to focus on other things that require your attention. Wireless propane tank monitoring also gives them security that they’ll always have propane while you get to keep an eye on their propane supply and usage.
Owners of second homes or income properties. With wireless propane tank monitoring, you can rest assured that all your properties – from lake cabins to multi-family homes and short-term rentals – will always have a steady supply of gas. Our app allows you to monitor the tanks in each property at any time with just one account. Now managing multiple sites is easier than ever!
People who travel frequently or live elsewhere part of the year. If you’re away from home for extended periods of time, it can be hard to keep track of your propane consumption. That’s why wireless propane tank monitoring is so helpful. Now when you need propane, it will be there. No more worrying about whether or not there’s enough in the tank; with this modern technology, you’ll always have just what you need!
Never worry about running out of propane again with a wireless propane tank monitor from Lakes Gas! Contact us today to get started.
In 1864, Edmund Ronalds – an English industrial chemist and academic – made a momentous breakthrough with the discovery of propane (C₃H₈) during his research into volatile chemicals in crude oil.
In 1910, American chemist Walter O. Snelling was researching gasoline evaporation and storage when he discovered that certain evaporating gases could be converted into liquids. Among the new liquids, propane was found to be most abundant.
Snelling then created a method to bottle the liquid gas, leading to the creation of the propane industry. Bottle gas, or bottled gas, is a term still being used today for propane. Three years later, Frank Philips of Phillips Petroleum made a savvy business decision when he purchased Snelling’s patent for $50,000, equivalent $1.4 million in today’s value. Talk about making a sound investment!
Businesses and scientists have been working hard to make propane a reliable fuel source over the past century. Currently, there are two primary ways in which propane is produced: a process that has grown increasingly sophisticated with time.
Derived from natural gas and crude oil processing, propane is a fuel that is produced mainly in the US. It’s no surprise then that approximately 90% of our nation’s supply of propane originates here!
Natural gas production. Today, approximately 70% of our domestic propane supply is produced from natural gas extraction. When extracting natural gas, it is comprised of a melange of gases including propane.
To prevent condensation from forming in natural gas pipelines, both propane and butane are extracted during its processing. Propane is especially advantageous since it can be stored and shipped as a liquid due to its greater density compared to when it’s gaseous.
Crude oil refining. As a by-product of crude oil refining, propane is produced when the heavier hydrocarbons are divided during the stabilization process. It can be easily separated due to its low weight compared to other petroleum derivatives such as gasoline and diesel fuel. Propane is only one of many products derived from this stage, including kerosene and heating oil. With efficient extraction methods in place, it serves an important role in energy production on both large and small scales around the world today.
Thanks to reliable propane delivery from Lakes Gas, you’ll have a plentiful and easily refillable supply of propane in your propane tank and can trust that no matter the season or situation, it will power all appliances and equipment at your Upper Midwest home or business.
Propane is a remarkably versatile fuel for numerous applications, more than just your water heater and heating your home e with a furnace, boiler, space heater or fireplace. It’s also great for stoves and grills, as well as for outdoor use, including deck and patio heaters, firepits, insect traps, pool heating and outside lighting. A propane whole-house standby generator keeps your home safe and comfortable during power outages.
Electric homes lack the efficiency that propane-powered houses offer. Propane burns with more intensity and creates a much warmer atmosphere, making your home feel comfortably warm. And with energy bills becoming increasingly expensive, you’ll be glad to know that pairing your house up with propane fuel will help keep costs down significantly due to its reliable performance and high level of efficiency, especially when used with other propane appliances.
Get reliable propane delivery and service from Lakes Gas! Become a customer today.
One week, it’s gasoline price spikes making the headline. The next, egg prices.
These yo-yoing prices make it hard for us to make a household budget and stick with it.
Lakes Gas is here to help with pricing and payment plans that can help keep your propane costs under control, so you can more effectively plan and mange your household expenses from month to month.
Let’s run down our available programs so you can decide what’s right for your home and your budget.
The cost of propane is ever-fluctuating, based largely on the balance between supply and demand. However, other components can significantly affect your expenses at any given time.
Unforeseen events, like geopolitical upheaval like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year or natural disasters including hurricanes and ice storms, can cause propane prices to fluctuate erratically.
If you’re feeling battered over the roller coaster of fuel pricing that has been going on this past year, Lakes Gas has a way to protect you from winter propane price spikes with our PreBuy Plan!
When you join the PreBuy program, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase your propane during summer at a fixed price. As soon as winter rolls around and you need it, we will promptly deliver your propane to your home!
You can save money on your propane expenses since you purchase your propane for winter during the summer, when propane prices historically tend to be lower than winter.
Say goodbye to worrying about energy market fluctuations. Now, sudden price increases will no longer have an impact on you!
Sometimes, predictability is a good thing. That’s definitely true of the Lakes Gas Budget Program!
Our Budget Program spreads your propane costs out over 11 even, easier monthly payments. This makes it easier to plan your monthly household spending because your propane bills aren’t going up and down as they would without the Budget Program.
Your monthly Budget Program installments are calculated at 10 cents under the capped price and use your propane usage history to accurately estimate your average monthly usage.
If your actual propane usage over the length of the Budget Program is less than what was calculated, you can roll that credit into the following year’s program or receive a cash refund. If your propane usage or expenses are more than the estimate, we’ll adjust the installment amounts accordingly.
You also can save on your propane costs with the Budget Program. That’s because to safeguard Budget Program customers from wintertime propane price spikes that sometimes occur, a cap-not-to-exceed price is included at no additional cost.
Here’s some more information about the Budget Program and how it works.
Each year’s Budget Program begins in July, so current customers need to act soon to lock in their enrollment. If you become a new Lakes Gas customer after July 1, you can enroll mid-year.
Do you have questions about our pricing and payment options? Contact us today to learn more!
Are you ready to take the next step in expanding your business? Lakes Gas is here to help with our propane tank exchange services!
Our propane tank exchange services are comprehensive and unequaled. We offer more than other businesses and guarantee that our supply of quality, safe, certified propane tanks will always meet your needs. Plus, they arrive already clean and neat – making them an attractive option for your customers. You can count on us to provide the amount of tanks you need without fail!
We also provide safe, clean, and attractive tank storage cages.
When customers visit your store for propane tank exchange or purchase, why not give them the opportunity to explore all of your products? By taking a few extra minutes to browse through what you have on offer, customers can save themselves from having to travel elsewhere and get everything they need in one go.
Are you a convenience store owner? If so, this example is perfect for you! When customers come in looking for propane cylinders for a cookout, they will likely also grab snacks and other items like soda or buns. Even better: if your shop doubles as a gas station then people can fill up their car while they’re there too – killing two birds with one stone!
Have you ever contemplated the advantages of a propane tank exchange program in your garden store? Not only is it an exemplary service that sets you ahead of other businesses, but customers who exchange their tanks might end up purchasing plants and extra gardening tools before they leave!
Grocers stand to benefit immensely from offering a propane tank exchange service. It’s convenient for customers who want to complete multiple errands in one trip, and your store will look attractive with the added option of a propane tank exchange.
Hardware and home improvement stores are natural places for propane tank exchange. Not only will customers leave with an up-to-date and safe propane tank, they might also pick up some additional items such as grill utensils, patio furniture and accessories, or outdoor appliances like firepits and heaters. They might even shop for a new propane grill!
The Lakes Gas propane tank exchange program also helps you connect with businesses. In addition to the 20-lb. tanks for grills and other outdoor propane appliances, we also offer 33-lb. forklift cylinders for your exchange service. Someone from a nearby business can come to your store and exchange their empty cylinders for full ones. Let’s say you’re a convenience store with this service. The people coming in could also end up buying drinks, lunch, coffee, and snacks as well.
Offering propane tank refills is another great service that retail businesses can offer. People may already have a tank and just want it topped off. The same goes for businesses who have forklift propane cylinders.
Rely on Lakes Gas to ensure that your business is always equipped to satisfy its customers with propane dispensers and our dependable bulk propane delivery. Furthermore, you can trust that all staff will be thoroughly instructed in the correct methods of filling and dispensing cylinders safely.
Contact Lakes Gas today for a consultation about how a propane cylinder exchange service can help your business.
As you drive around the area of Wisconsin or Minnesota where you live, you are likely seeing propane tanks in more and more of your neighbors’ yards.
That’s because many of them have discovered propane’s superiority over heating oil when it comes to energy efficiency, reliability, and making their homes warm and comfortable. They enjoy that, and more, with dependable propane delivery from Lakes Gas.
How do these two fuels stack up against each other? Let’s take a look.
The average propane furnace is 90% efficient, and some of today’s high-efficiency propane furnaces reach efficiencies as high as 98%! If you have an older oil-fired heating system, on the other hand, it may only be 60% efficient. At that point, 40% of every dollar you’re spending on heating oil is lost in combustion and not going towards heating your home.
Get the most bang for your buck with propane! It offers superior efficiency compared to heating oil and will keep your home more comfortable without breaking the bank. So, upgrade now, and enjoy significant savings in no time at all. Furthermore, propane does not experience a decrease in its efficacy over time. In comparison, heating oil may lose some of its efficiency if it is left unused for lengthy periods.
Heating oil can only do two things: heat your home and heat your water. Propane not only does both those things better, but a whole lot of other things as well!
Propane can also give you the superior cooking of a gas range even if you don’t live in an area served by a natural gas utility. Laundry day is made easier with propane clothes dryers that get your laundry done 25% faster than electric models, and also create less wear and fewer wrinkles. A propane space heater allows you to use and enjoy unheated spaces like a sunporch, garage, workshop, or shed any time of year. Relax in front of a fire in a propane fireplace without having to schlep wood, build a fire, or clean up ashes. Outdoors, propane can power your grill, pool or spa heater, firepit, deck or patio heater, insect trap, and more!
Did you know that a leak in your heating oil tank can lead to expensive remediation costs? A couple in Massachusetts was facing a six-figure bill for cleanup and remediation after their basement oil tank failed because most homeowner’s insurance policies don’t cover the heating oil tank.
You don’t have to worry about that with propane, as your propane tank is outdoors.
Propane offers security in another way. A propane whole-house standby generator will keep your home safe and comfortable during power outages. Your food will be safely cold in the refrigerator and freezer, the HVAC and home security systems will be operational, your electronics will be able to be charged, and you’ll be able to use home medical equipment like a CPAP.
Get all the benefits of propane in your home with reliable propane delivery and service from Lakes Gas! Become a customer today.
One of the more frequent questions we at Lakes Gas get asked, especially by people who are new to having propane in their homes, is, “How often will my propane tank need to be refilled?”
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. How often you’ll need to have propane delivered to your home depends on a variety of factors, such as:
If you use propane for home heating, your home’s furnace or boiler, especially its age and condition, will be a major determining factor when it comes to how frequently you’ll need a propane tank refill.
Older heating systems can reach efficiencies as low as 60%, especially if they have not received annual tune-ups by a professional service technician. Today’s new, high-efficiency propane heating systems, on the other hand, can have efficiencies as high as 98%! You’ll get a return on your investment in a new propane heating system from the moment you turn it on.
Another factor that comes into play is the size of your propane tank. If you’ve added propane appliances to your home since the tank was installed, it will be needing more frequent deliveries.
Lakes Gas carries a wide range of propane tank sizes, so you can choose the right one for your home. Our affordable propane tank leasing makes having a propane tank at your home easy and worry-free. You don’t have the upfront costs of purchase and installation, and we handle all the maintenance and repair work and costs for your tank!
Whatever size propane tank you have, the best way to make sure that it gets refilled when it needs it is to enroll in our wireless propane tank monitoring. It uses the same technology as your smartphone to lets us know precisely how much propane is in your tank and exactly when you’ll need more. We schedule the delivery. You don’t have to do a thing!
How much propane you use in a day depends on how many propane appliances are in your home, among other factors including the size and efficiency of each appliance, its compatibility with your space, and how well it was installed and has been maintained.
Here are average usage rates for common propane appliances.
Furnace: 100,000 to 200,000 BTU (about 1 to 2 gallons per hour)
Fireplace with ceramic gas log: 26,000 BTU/hour (1 gallon / 3 hours)
Gas cooktop/range: 65,000 BTU/hour (5 to 10 gallons / month)
Tankless water heater: 40,000 BTU/hour (about1.5 gallons / day)
Gas clothes dryer: 35,000 BTU/hour (less than 1 gallon/ day)
Pool heater: 425,000 BTU (about 4 gallons) /hour
Get reliable propane delivery from Lakes Gas and you’ll be sure that your home will always have the propane it needs to keep you and your loved ones warm, safe, and comfortable. Become a customer today!
Agriculture is an essential business in much of the Lakes Gas service area.
Wisconsin leads the nation for snap beans for processing, cheese, cranberries, ginseng, mink pelts, dry whey for humans, milk goats, and corn for silage.
Minnesota, where 96% of the farms are family-owned, is the top state in the U.S. for sugar beets, turkeys, sweet corn for processing, and green peas for processing. It also is one of the country’s top producers of spring wheat, canola, oats, and cultivated wild rice.
Many farmers like you are discovering the advantages of working with Lakes Gas, as provide customized services and solutions for the farmers we serve.
Propane’s versatility, energy efficiency, and security help Upper Midwest farmers like yourself improve productivity and efficiency while reducing your environmental impact.
Read on to learn more about how propane can benefit your farm.
Heating and water heating. Farm owners have many outbuildings that require efficient energy sources to run, such as barns, poultry houses, hog houses, dairy houses, and greenhouses. Propane is the best option since it provides reliable heating and water in all areas of a farm with remarkable efficiency.
Generators. A long-term power disruption can be devastating for a farm. Thankfully, propane standby generators are able to kick into action when the power goes out, keeping lighting and heating systems operating seamlessly so livestock remain safe. Meanwhile, greenhouses have access to the necessary light and energy needed in order to safeguard all plants and seedlings within.
Equipment and vehicles. Propane is rapidly replacing diesel and gasoline as the preferred fuel for agricultural machinery. From emissions-free irrigation equipment to propane forklifts to propane autogas-fueled vehicles, this clean burning energy source can now be found tackling a variety of jobs on farms large and small – from hauling bales of hay to transferring bags of feed in outbuildings or barns.
Weed control. If left unchecked, invasive weeds can lead to an immense loss in crop yield. But using chemical herbicides is not a viable solution as it poses a danger to your health and the environment while additionally putting everyone you employ at risk.
The usage of herbicides not only involves expensive chemicals, but also requires a significant amount of time to pass before you and your workers can return to the fields.
Propane-powered flame weed control provides a highly efficient solution to quickly remove weeds while avoiding exposure to hazardous chemicals that could seep into your soil or groundwater.
Crop drying. Propane-powered crop dryers are now more fuel-efficient than ever, saving you money on propane costs while being eco-friendly. Utilizing propane to dry crops yields more BTUs, rendering the drying process much quicker and more efficient.
On-site propane crop drying will not only guarantee a greater yield and lessen the potential of loss, but it is also more cost effective. Why pay someone else to do what you can accomplish yourself? With on-site propane crop drying, you save money while obtaining stellar results.
Partner with Lakes Gas for your farm’s propane needs. Contact us today to set up a consultation.
Folks living in the Upper Midwest know the winter months can be unpredictable and temperatures can drop rapidly. The good news is that temporary heat is the answer to keeping your commercial projects on schedule, regardless of how cold it gets. Read on to learn more about how temporary construction site heaters can help you manage your projects efficiently and on deadline – without compromising your construction’s work quality.
The U.S. construction industry is booming, with strong demand for new homes, especially in the Upper Midwest. As the industry grows, so does the need to plan out jobs carefully, efficiently and on deadline. Fortunately, propane for new construction makes the process simple.
As your project goes up, you’ll probably need temporary heat. Because no matter what, the work needs to get done! Our customized support includes small rental heaters, which we keep in-house inventory. When you purchase bulk propane for your construction project, you can do all the following and more:
When you need propane for construction equipment, you want to know you can trust your supplier. Propane for construction sites includes temporary heating as well. Put propane at the top of the list for your upcoming construction project, whether it is a new home, a commercial building or an educational facility. Here are a few reasons why propane is ideal for your clients. Lakes Gas can help provide:
You can count on Lakes Gas for all your propane needs as your construction project gets underway. When it comes to tanks, cylinders, temporary heaters and propane delivery, Lakes Gas is here to keep your project on schedule and your team on task by ensuring that you have everything you need for your long-term and short-term construction jobs. Contact us to become a customer, find out more about Lakes Gas’s products and services, and how we can best serve you!
If you love the cozy comfort of relaxing by a fire in a fireplace, but hate the hassle and work involved with a wood-burning fireplace, you have an alternative.
Take pleasure in the comfort of a roaring fire with convenience at the push of a button by installing a propane gas fireplace. When finished, simply switch it off without having to worry about any mess. Get ready for cozy fires at your fingertips!
If you’d like this for your home, you can have it thanks to dependable propane delivery, propane tank installation and leasing, and wireless propane tank monitoring that ensures your propane fireplace will always have the fuel it needs.
You might be curious about how much propane your gas fireplace will use because that could affect your propane bills. However, you’ll likely be surprised to find out that it doesn’t use as much propane as you initially thought!
A propane fireplace that has a 50,000-British thermal unit (BTU) capacity will use one gallon of fuel every two hours when working. On average, this means that you consume 1 gallon of propane for every 100,000 BTUs your model generates.
Propane fireplaces are more cost-effective than wood-burning fireplaces, providing an economical and attractive solution for your home. On average, a cord of wood can cost up to $300 and that’s without factoring in the delivery charges (which may be around $75) or stacking costs ($80+).
When it comes to efficiency, propane reigns supreme over wood. Nowadays, propane fireplace inserts are incredibly efficient and economical with up to 80% heat efficiency, providing substantially more warmth than a wood fire. In stark contrast, an astonishing 90% of the heat generated by a wood-burning fireplace is wasted, sent out of your home through the chimney! Have you ever been in a room where the temperature rapidly drops as your fire starts to dwindle? That’s because all of its warmth has been siphoned up the flue.
To heat expansive areas, such as a big family room or an open-concept living/dining area and kitchen, consider investing in a propane gas fireplace with multispeed blowers. This way you can be sure that the warm air will reach all corners of your space efficiently.
You get so much more out of a propane fireplace besides its superior energy efficiency and heating.
For starters, it’s much less expensive to install a propane fireplace than a masonry fireplace needed to burn wood. A propane fireplace can be installed in a day. Masonry fireplace installation can take weeks, make a dusty mess in your home, and the cost can easily go into five figures.
If you’re searching for a realistic, visually appealing flame, propane fireplaces are the superior choice when compared to electric fireplaces.
Whether you prefer something classic like oak or rustic like birch and driftwood, gas logs offer a range of styles to choose from that perfectly imitate real wood. Propane fireplaces come in all kinds of styles, including traditional, Victorian, contemporary, and country.
With dependable propane delivery and service from Lakes Gas, you can enjoy the comfort of a high-efficiency propane gas fireplace in your home! Become a customer today.
