Wednesday, January 2, 2019
The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) is calling attention to a fuel price forecast published by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) in November 2018 that expects gasoline prices to average more than $2.75 a gallon in 2019. PERC is reminding professional landscape contractors to prepare now for yet another season of work with high gasoline prices. 
“No contractor likes to think about all the money their business has to expend just to purchase fuel, and we certainly hear more complaints from contractors when gasoline prices start to approach that $3-per-gallon mark when it turns from a nuisance to a cost that sometimes they financially can’t bear,” said Jeremy Wishart, director of off-road business development at PERC.
“But contractors don’t have to feel hopeless against the fuel price posted at their local gasoline filling station if they switch to mowers powered by propane, which con- sistently costs between 30% and 50% less per gallon than gasoline. That price margin only widens when gasoline prices rise like they’re going to do again next season.”
In addition to a lower price per gallon, contractors can usually lock in a set fuel price with their local propane supplier, so they pay the same rate for fuel all year long. Whether a contractor is ready to make the switch to propane, or is simply interested in learning more about propane-fueled equipment in advance of the 2019 season, the council has resources available to inform and support their business in a variety of ways.
PERC’s propane mower cost calculator details how much contractors could be saving with propane. The calculator allows contractors to input operational data specific to their fleet, so the results are unique to each business.
The Propane Mower Incentive Program is available all year long. Contractors can receive $1000 for every qualifying commercial propane mower purchase of up to 20 units, or $500 for each Environmental Protection Agency-certified conversion kit.
The council’s equipment dealer locator helps contractors connect with a propane retailer and an equipment dealer. Equipment dealers listed on the free online locator are screened, so contractors know they are contacting a partner who not only sells propane mowers but is knowledgeable about the equipment. For more information about how to combat high gasoline prices with propane-fueled landscape equipment, visit propane.com.
“No contractor likes to think about all the money their business has to expend just to purchase fuel, and we certainly hear more complaints from contractors when gasoline prices start to approach that $3-per-gallon mark when it turns from a nuisance to a cost that sometimes they financially can’t bear,” said Jeremy Wishart, director of off-road business development at PERC.
“But contractors don’t have to feel hopeless against the fuel price posted at their local gasoline filling station if they switch to mowers powered by propane, which con- sistently costs between 30% and 50% less per gallon than gasoline. That price margin only widens when gasoline prices rise like they’re going to do again next season.”
In addition to a lower price per gallon, contractors can usually lock in a set fuel price with their local propane supplier, so they pay the same rate for fuel all year long. Whether a contractor is ready to make the switch to propane, or is simply interested in learning more about propane-fueled equipment in advance of the 2019 season, the council has resources available to inform and support their business in a variety of ways.
PERC’s propane mower cost calculator details how much contractors could be saving with propane. The calculator allows contractors to input operational data specific to their fleet, so the results are unique to each business.
The Propane Mower Incentive Program is available all year long. Contractors can receive $1000 for every qualifying commercial propane mower purchase of up to 20 units, or $500 for each Environmental Protection Agency-certified conversion kit.
The council’s equipment dealer locator helps contractors connect with a propane retailer and an equipment dealer. Equipment dealers listed on the free online locator are screened, so contractors know they are contacting a partner who not only sells propane mowers but is knowledgeable about the equipment. For more information about how to combat high gasoline prices with propane-fueled landscape equipment, visit propane.com.
