Propane is very expensive. Did you build and not have propane before? When we bought a home with propane 14 years ago (1/2 your sq footage and only 9ft ceilings), our 1st propane bill was $500. We immediately replaced the whole HVAC system with a high efficiency heat-pump system. We also added a pellet stove in the basement and ran it all winter long.

Yep. I may need to look into other options

I tried.

A 500 gl tank doesn't hold 500 gallons. There is room at the top for gas (10%-20%) and room at the bottom that you dont go below (another 10%-20%).

Maybe you have a leak? Why not call the propane company to check the tank and gas lines?

Your 12 foot ceilings make the home more expensive than average to heat, so that may be part of your cause. I'm not sure how the fireplace would affect things, but if you run it a lot for "atmosphere", you might reconsider that (at least when it's just family at home, like it generally is now!).

You might also check the temperature setting on the water heater. Sometimes those get set way high for "instant" hot water. I have to let my shower run for 2 minutes in the winter before the warm water arrives, but it keeps the gas bill down.

See if your local utility company offers an energy audit program (typically free) and assistance for air sealing and insulation. In MA you can get $2000/year worth of such work done for free.

If you're using that much gas chances are good the air sealing of your house needs some serious upgrades-- as my dad used to say when we left the doors open, "you're heating all outdoors".

How much are you paying for propane? Could there have been a billing error? Is there a gauge to measure how much propane you are using?

That is alot of propane in a month. Make sure you don't have a leak and check prices with other propane companies.

@chispa I did. They came and checked everything. they found that my main heater has been burning too rich as they say.

We have a 500 gallon tank and use it for water heater (tankless) and heat for our 2100 sq ft house and generally only fill it one to two times a year. We are in TX. We also keep our heat at 72 so would be using more than average for the recommended heat setting. It seems to me like you have a leak somewhere.

@stax what are you talking about

Stax is referencing "Mini Split Warehouse's" post. He stays just this side of spamming for his business.

And he "Liked" his own post. (Before his post was removed.)

12' ceilings. Heat rises.

@mrspete not that damn much

Hi @Tee S,

I am glad that they found that the heater was burning "too rich". Hopefully that will fix most of your problem.

@mrspete did not spell this out, but rooms with 12 foot ceilings have 50% more volume than rooms with 8 foot ceilings. And since heat does rise, they are going to contribute to you having a higher-than-average heating bill.

Why everything with propane? What is your elect rates there? 12' ceiling cost ALLOT more to heat!! They look good.....but you pay the price.

@Tee S

We have a 2100 sq ft home 9 ft ceilings with a full basement as well. Our hvac is an efficient air to air heat pump with propane backup. It has two zones one up stairs and one in the basement. We also have a gas stove.

I’m glad they checked your system because that burning rich could be your main problem!

We had to have our system adjusted after we moved in because it was short cycling. We also had a leaky double door in the basement that I had to call our lumberyard and they came and replaced the glass because it wasn’t sealed and was still under warranty. We also had a roof vent for our gas stove that the damper wasn’t closing so the is on the list to look at this summer when we can get up on the roof. We have our 500 gal tank filled twice a year. Temps here have been in the 30s and lower; we keep our house at 68.

So I guess my advice would be to check all of your doors, and windows for air leakage and then have the pros come back to check on the water heater, fireplace etc... to make sure the settings are optimal for efficient propane use!

Do you normally run the fireplace? I was told a propane fireplace burns about a gallon of propane every 2 hours.

We have a 500 gal tank that we use for fireplace and backup heat. 2 rooms with at least 12’ ceilings, 2000 sq ft house and we might need 2 fill ups per year. We just got a delivery Friday for $790 and we were down around 20%. I had the fireplace on every night and it didn’t burn up the propane that quick. We got a 500 gal tank for our pool heater but it will burn up a tankful in a week in the dead of winter so we just extend the season with it. I am in Va

^^So the fireplace is the backup heat?

I think 2 fill ups for a fireplace is a lot. I only use about 750 gallons for the entire winter (northern Ohio) with the heat set at 70. (My house is smaller at 1200 sq ft, but still)