Propane rates

Hi everyone,
We recently bought a house with propane heat and it’s the only option unfortunately. We own the tank so we can shop around with more flexibility but we need another fill up soon. Rates have gone way up over the past few weeks and I’m wondering what your experiences are if you have propane heat. Will rates continue to go up over the winter? Or are they just higher temporarily because of this cold snap?
Thanks!


We have Suburban and pay 1.99 a gallon. I believe they have new customer promotions .

We don’t own our tank which really sucks

Nosila Nosila
Dec '17

Since you did not lock into a fixed price, market prices are the highest in the winter months. Be happy you don't lease the tank from Amerigas. Don't buy from them since their pricing can fluctuate day to day and their customer service around billing issues is the worst.

mike l mike l
Dec '17

We had a leased tank from AmeriGas and it was a nightmare dealing with them. Their prices are off the charts ($3-4/gallon) and their customer service is the most horrible experience (next to Comcast Cable). We made the decision to have them collect their tank and we went with Advantage Propane. We took one of their options to lease-to-buy their tank over 20 years as we liked the idea of not being responsible to own the tank should there be any issues, but also having the option to buy it from them at discount should we want to shop around. So far their rates are great ($1.90-2.10). They are a small business, so their customer service is phenomenal. We were concerned given that they were small that it would take too long to schedule a delivery, but we've had no issues whatsoever. A++ in our book.

DoxieMommy DoxieMommy
Dec '17

Very surprised to hear suburban is at 1.99. We have Dieter brothers and just paid 2 .59

4of4
Dec '17

I locked in a pre buy @ 2.40 gallon

Steven Steven
Dec '17

DoxieMommy, after this heating season I will be switching propane providers since Amerigas is the worst. How long have you been with Advantage? Was the cost reasonable to install and lease the tank? Thanks in advance.

mike l mike l
Dec '17

What's the process for having your existing tank removed.

CraftBeerBob CraftBeerBob
Dec '17

mike I, we switched out our tank summer of last year. It was approx $1600 to dig out the old tank and put in the new one. Advantage did all the work and permits (AmeriGas just came to pick up their old tank). Figured it was well worth it as it would take 1-2 years to make up the cost if we would have stayed with AmeriGas. If we bought the new tank outright it would have been $4k. By leasing it we agree to just use Advantage to fill, but each year the price to buyout the tank goes down. We have a 1000 gallon tank so I can't say if the costs would be different for a different size. Good luck!!

DoxieMommy DoxieMommy
Dec '17

Fairiclough in Newton takes out the tank and replaced with theirs at no cost. Got rid of Amerigas. Check it out and see if they still do that.


Suburban:
$1.99 is the one-time introductory rate; $2.499 until June  if you lock into their auto delivery
Non-locked in price is $3.29.

Fairclough $2.79 but they don't charge rental on their tank.

Dieter Brothers $2.749 as of today. We pay $212 per year for a 325 gallon tank.

No one answering today Advantage today. Will try another day.

4of4
Jan '18

I just called Suburban and they quoted me a rate of $5.27 / gallon for tier 5. Their pricing is ridiculous. 4of4, what was your non-lock price of $3.29 / gallon based on?

JackRyan JackRyan
Jan '18

DoxieMommy..........look into the "actual service life" of a tank......I do not know about in ground tanks, I have above ground and they are required to be "re certified" after so many years...this means "fuel company takes tanks and replaces with others that have been "certified"....if you own, I imagine it would be at your cost .

Check it out.

Steven Steven
Jan '18

Underground tanks don't need to be recertified. Only DOT (120 gallon and under) tanks need to be checked every 5, 7, or 12 years depending on there stamp.

Forcefed4door Forcefed4door
Jan '18

so the underground tanks are allowed to rust and degenerate with no accountability ?

Steven Steven
Jan '18

I dumped Suburban years ago in the dead of winter with a 1 year old because they wanted to charge me 5.99/gallon. I told them come get your tank and they billed me $100 to take it away. Good riddance! We wore a lot of layers that winter!

I switched to Greenworks Propane (now DeiterBrothers) and I have been very happy. I rent their tank and I don’t have to play pricing games when I need more propane. Rental fees can be avoided if you buy your own tank though. We only have a 100 gallon tank, but I know that we get the same price as the folks that use a ton more. Pricing is VERY upfront. I also like that they are reliable and their delivery guys are very polite. We even hired them when we wanted to convert our stove over to propane. My husband thought they did an excellent job. Last I can recall we paid around 2.99 per gallon. Even if it was .20 cents cheaper, I wouldn’t switch. I’ve had YEARS of NOT playing pricing games or hunting around for another supplier and that, to me, is priceless!

Antimony Antimony
Jan '18

You can have the anode bags tested every year if you'd like.... As long as they were installed properly and tank has the correct resistance it'll never rust away :)

Forcefed4door Forcefed4door
Jan '18

JackRyan - I don't know. That is what they said...not locked in. They didn't say there were other conditions attached to that price. Sorry. From what I hear about them, I wouldn't be surprised if they left out information.

4of4
Jan '18

4of4, Fairclough does charge an $80 a year tank lease fee on their own tanks.

kepa
Jan '18

they all charge a lease fee...I have eastern, same thing.

Steven Steven
Jan '18

Region energy has no rental fee or funky hazmat charges.

Forcefed4door Forcefed4door
Jan '18

whats up with region oil? Line has been busy for days?

wrestlref wrestlref
Jan '18

Modern Propane out of Tannersville PA is great! Price is 1.89 if you own your own tank. Been using them for years after I dumped Amerigas.

IndyFB1 IndyFB1
Jan '18

IndyFB1,

Thank you SO much for sharing! We called Modern today and they’re cheaper than everyone else by more than a dollar. Time to fill up! :-)


Time to buy a 500 gallon above ground tank. Who to buy it from? Suggestions?

4of4
Jan '18

We just got charged $6.20/gal for propane by Region Oil. Slightly stunned.

Rebecka Rebecka
Mar '18

$6.20 a gallon, were they wearing ski masks when the delivered it. Outrageous.

kb2755 kb2755
Mar '18

I would them to the attorney generals office. ( consumer fraud )

Steven Steven
Mar '18

Call Region. We had a mistake on a bill a few months ago like that....

Blackcat Blackcat
Mar '18

I will call them. If it's not a mistake, I will indeed call the AG and any/all regulatory boards. And oh yes, leave them a few honest reviews online.

Average price of propane wholesale in NJ (what they paid) this month: under $1/gal.

Rebecka Rebecka
Mar '18

And this is not a small order, like a 20-gal tank, for which one usually pays a bit more. It's the fill of a 500-gal tank.

Rebecka Rebecka
Mar '18

So if your tank was almost empty it would cost you around $3,000 to fill it based on that price per gallon. Wow!

kb2755 kb2755
Mar '18

Do a "pre buy " NEXT YEAR ...I locked in early @ 2.40 / gallon .

Steven Steven
Mar '18

Decided to contact Region via email as potential new customer looking for price quote on propane. Reply:

"The more [propane] you use the lower the price.
Example:
Today’s pricing for heat is $2.789.
If you use it for cooking and hw $3.439"

We were charged nearly 80% more than their high-end quote. So obviously there must be a mistake on our bill. Calling them next. Will let you know outcome. :-)

Rebecka Rebecka
Mar '18

After being promised two calls back (which didn't happen), I finally called Region again today and was told that the price we were changed per gallon was "not a mistake." I obviously escalated the case to manager-level. They are unbelievable. No wonder they have horrible reviews.

Rebecka Rebecka
Mar '18

Wishing you luck with your continual contacts with Region Oil, Rebecka. My husband is looking further into our high rates on our last oil delivery from them too.

joyful joyful
Mar '18

Please keep us posted on the outcome, joyful. I think it would benefit the community to know what kind of company they are.

Rebecka Rebecka
Mar '18

I would think this has to fall under the price gouging laws. Keep us posted.

CraftBeerBob CraftBeerBob
Mar '18

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