If you’ve been looking forward to spring, it’s finally here. I could have used a few more weeks of winter but I definitely possess the minority opinion when it comes to that subject. I was able to go on my last snowmobile trip the third weekend in March. There was plenty of snow in the northeast part of the state and the upper peninsula of Michigan and it was a lot of fun. Now it’s time to park the sleds and dream of colder days.
Since the snow has melted, it’s time to clean up the little gifts that the wind, mother nature and household pets may have deposited on your lawn over the winter. Our energy staff will be busy doing the same at our storage plants as well as cleaning the salt off of our rolling stock. They’ll also be out doing leak tests on tanks so don’t be surprised if you see our folks at your residence inspecting your system and recording regulator dates.
Propane regulators should be replaced every 25 years. If we tell you that yours need replacing, it’s not a source of revenue for us but it is a source of safety for you. Regulators are like anything else with moving parts. Eventually, they will wear out and if the diaphragm inside ruptures, it could cause a fire or explosion if there is an ignition source close by. Don’t take the chance and try to milk more years out of an old regulator. The gain isn’t worth the risk.
I hit another milestone in March. I have now saved over $14,000 in fuel cost savings by installing a propane conversion kit on my Ford F150. If you’re interested in converting a vehicle to propane, contact your local energy office. Not every vehicle has a kit available so if you are buying a new one and are thinking about a conversion, contact us and we can tell you if there is a conversion for the engine. There are $5,500 in incentives available. With these conversions you can also run on gasoline so no worries if you go on a trip and can’t fine propane at a reasonable cost.
Another incentive that is out there is a $300 propane water heater incentive from the Wisconsin Propane Education and Research Council (WPERC). It can be a new home construction or a water heater replacement in an existing home. The propane water heaters can be conventional or tankless.
Your Premier Energy staff does more than just sell propane. We provide propane industry leadership as well. I am currently the president of the WPERC and I will finish my last term in a couple of months. (Unlike Congress, who need them, we have term limits.) I am going to be moving to the Wisconsin Propane Gas Association and Aaron Evert, our Energy Location Manager in Mt. Horeb, will be taking a seat on the WPERC Board. Being an active part of these organizations allow us to have influence on the policies and programs of these boards, which in turn should help our customers. For example, the propane water heater incentive mentioned earlier in this article.
Enjoy the rest of April. If you were pranked on April Fool’s Day, plot your revenge carefully and make it epic. Thank you for the business.
