Propane Rip Off

[bluesboy]

Dude that was an insightful post. Thank you

[lavalava]

I am always amused when people who use propane have the nerve to say they are off grid.

[Mimosa]

Lavalava- why is that you find it amusing that those of us who do not have HELLCO have the nerve to say we are off grid?
We offered our advice to this subject in how we choose to live our lives.
We were not affected what so ever by this storm as we are off grid.
We utilize propane as our primary source for our appliances,we also have a small hydro system as well as solar PV system a solar hot water back up .We do not have black outs or surges nor do we have an ever shrinking HELLCO bill monthly.
Living off grid to some is how we choose to live,you may choose to have HELLCO as your primary choice of power.
No nerves involved,no amusement needed.
It is all about personal choice.
I am age 87 and my wife is 85.Been through the depression and long before HELLCO ever existed.
Why are you amused that we have the nerve to say we are off grid and green in our choices?

[lavalava]

Propane is not 'green' nor is being dependant on regular fuel delivery considered 'off grid'. Just stating some facts. No malice intended. Move along. Nothing to see.here.

[mella l]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mimosa

Lavalava- why is that you find it amusing that those of us who do not have HELLCO have the nerve to say we are off grid?
We offered our advice to this subject in how we choose to live our lives.
We were not affected what so ever by this storm as we are off grid.
We utilize propane as our primary source for our appliances,we also have a small hydro system as well as solar PV system a solar hot water back up .We do not have black outs or surges nor do we have an ever shrinking HELLCO bill monthly.
Living off grid to some is how we choose to live,you may choose to have HELLCO as your primary choice of power.
No nerves involved,no amusement needed.

Mimosa I applaud your generous spirit in sharing your process with us. Your tenacity is inspiring as well good for you and your wife. Thanks for the inspiration for us all.
It is all about personal choice.
I am age 87 and my wife is 85.Been through the depression and long before HELLCO ever existed.
Why are you amused that we have the nerve to say we are off grid and green in our choices?

---

mella l

Art and Science Our Future

bytheSEA

[Mimosa]

LavaLava- Propane is a by product from the refining of oils imported and shipped via barge to the outer islands.
It is the best we can do given the choices at hand in 2014.
Green and off grid have many layers.We do what we can to eliminate high costs to our own budget.
HELLCO wants over 500K to hook us up at 10 percent over 30 years.We choose not to be billed monthly via their antiquated systems.

Reuse and recycle has always been our ways,we butcher most of our proteins,we raise our own animals and hunt and fish.
We have taught many generations our concepts.
To the original poster- we strongly suggest eliminating the delivered high cost propane method and the $$$ saved year in year out,will offset any costs initially by switching over to a more manageable manner of propane use.
The company will come out and fetch their asset from your yard for free.
There are many skilled individuals who can plumb your home for your own personal needs as far as propane usage.
Good luck and happy days ahead.
Life is a blessing

[turtletribe]

Thank you all for your generous contributions to this topic. I truly love the island life and any way I can save a few dollars here and there by purchasing smarter...I will. I am going to go price out my new system and get things going.

[PauHana]

My $.02
It is usually cheaper to do something for yourself if you can. The large tanks are very heavy when full, and hard to move without a hand truck and a paved surface. Best to be young and strong to bulldog these around. Note to seniors, a trip to the emergency room will increase the cost of propane by a large margin. I have stopped using the big tanks and gone to the five gallon ones just because of the weight. You are also less likely to run out with ten small tanks versus two big ones. Self sufficiency comes in varying degrees.

Now for the cost. I would guess the gas delivery has the following costs included in the price: driver @ $25.00 + $12.50 work comp + $2.00 tax and $4.00 health insurance per hour. Probably the same amount for the truck with fuel, repairs and amortization. What does a truck do, maybe ten to twelve stops a day? So that adds $1.50 to $2.00 a gallon for a 40 tank. Then there is the "dirty word" profit, this is not the Salvation Army, it's a business.
There is also the cost of billing. Remember the sainted Mayor Harry Kim raised the minimum property tax to $100. because " we can't afford to send out a bill for only $25", there must be some extraordinary cost there I cannot itemize. So if the County was doing it add $2.50 a gallon for billing.

If it was wildly profitable there would be more competition, however if your young and strong (and smart) it would be worth looking into.

The other guys grass always looks greener until you get in his pasture and start stepping in all the manure.

[oink]

Then I wonder why other places price the delivered gas cheaper than the 5 gal refills? Probably because less man hours are used to fill a 250 gal tank twice a year than 5 gal can repeatedly. In my experience, when signing a contract they base the price per gallon on the number of gas appliances you have. I currently have no contract as I've found large savings by calling around for the current price from the different suppliers. The price difference can be dramatic. It hurts when you have no competition.

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.

[turtletribe]

Oink you make a good point. At my last home I had a 500 gallon tank that I owned. Owning my tank made it much cheaper because I was able to shop around for the lowest price provider. Renting the tank makes you beholden to whatever the company wants to charge.