The Future of Building and Propane’s Role in Building the Future

The propane industry hopes what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas. During January’s National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, the varied and efficient uses of propane were in full view of thousands of show attendees.

Leading the way for the propane industry was the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC). Its booth was full of information extolling the virtues of propane, and was highlighted by the raffling off of a propane barbecue grill. More importantly, PERC was the sponsor of the Ultimate Kitchen exhibit, a trailer transformed into a one-bedroom, one-bath home that showcased many new products for the home builder/designer to incorporate into a home. Chief among the features was propane. All appliances in the kitchen were run on propane, as well as the clothes dryer, fireplace, and water heater. Each appliance had a placard next to it, stating that it was run on propane.

Next to PERC was the Cummins Power Generation (Columbus, Ind.) booth, sporting both light-commercial and residential standby generators. Cummins had generators ranging in size from 22 kw to 60 kw, all able to be run on propane. The big news is that in the fall Cummins plans to introduce a 100-kw generator, potentially further increasing the use of propane in that market.

As always, propane was well represented in the outdoor living/barbecue area of the show. With the popularity of outdoor rooms showing no signs of slowing, this part of the NAHB show was extensive, with many eye-catching exhibits. One of the more interesting product offerings was an indoor infrared grill by ProFire Grills (Butler, Wis.). The 333-sq-in. grill is made of stainless steel, provides 35,000 Btu of cooking strength, and of course is designed to be used with propane.

Hearth Products Controls (HPC; Kettering, Ohio) always had a crowd around its exhibit of outdoor fire pits. The most striking of its offerings was its Fire on Water fire pit/waterfall. Previously, the fire ring was slightly above the water; now the fire ring is completely submerged. It sounds like a minor tweak, but the result is amazing, making the fire not only jump out of the water, but seemingly be part of the water. HPC notes that it is the first fire-on-water system to be certified in North America by the CSA Group, a Canada-based standards organization, for wind, rain, and combustion.

Propane as auto fuel continues to have its followers. The Ford exhibit featured an F-150 truck capable of running on compressed natural gas (CNG), bifuel CNG and gasoline, or liquid propane. The conversion to propane was done by Westport Wing (Dallas), a 20-year veteran in providing alternative fuel, low-emission engines. Westport is anticipating its original equipment manufacturing gaining certification from both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) this spring. The dedicated liquid propane pickup comes with a 23-gal. underbody tank, and Westport is saying that the fuel pump will last for 150,000 miles and that its liquid propane injection system is more efficient and will deliver more power and reduce emissions compared to existing vapor propane systems.

“Our main advantage over other manufacturers,” said Paul Osbourn, national sales manager for Westport, “is that we are designated as a Qualified Vehicle Modifier (QVM) by Ford. In fact, we are Ford’s largest QVM developer and installer.”

Osbourn contends that vehicles using systems by companies not recognized as a QVM puts their warranty at risk. “Being certified by CARB and EPA is great,” he continued, “but that is all about emissions, whereas being a QVM is about the calibration of the engine.”

In support of being a QVM for Ford, Westport conducts monthly training on servicing alternative fuel engines for 160 Ford dealerships.

Next year’s NAHB International Builders’ Show is slated for Orlando, Florida. —Sam Silvas