Propane Standby Generators Need a Fuel Supplier. Do Local Installers Know You?

The Situation

Every propane standby generator sold needs a fuel supplier. Do the electricians who install them in your area know yours?

On June 30, Energy Secretary Chris Wright signed two emergency orders for PJM Interconnection, electricchoice.com reported. One let PJM curtail large data centers. The other let power plants run past normal pollution limits.

PJM forecast demand of 166,147 megawatts for July 2, the outlet said. That would top the grid's 165,563-megawatt record set in 2006. The National Weather Service predicted highs of 102-104°F in parts of Maryland and Virginia, according to electricchoice.com.

Whole-house generators run on natural gas or propane, according to the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH).

The Facts

What the emergency orders did

The curtailment order covers only users with at least 50 megawatts of peak load. Those are mainly data centers. They have 15 minutes to switch to their own backup power once an emergency signal goes out, electricchoice.com reported. Hospitals, 911 centers, water treatment plants, air-traffic-control towers and defense sites are exempt.

A companion order let PJM dispatch specific power plants and run them past normal sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide limits. Both orders were signed under Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act. They ran from 11:59 p.m. EDT June 30 through 11:59 p.m. EDT July 3, per electricchoice.com. Wright called the moves last-resort steps, saying 'Maintaining affordable, reliable, and secure power in the PJM service territory is non-negotiable.'

Which generators run on propane

FLASH sorts home units into two groups. Portable units run on gasoline, propane or diesel. Home-improvement stores sell them, and they are built for a brief outage.

Whole-house generators are installed for good outside the home and run on natural gas or propane. FLASH says they can run for several days or even weeks.

FLASH says electricians with special training typically install and service whole-house units. That covers the electrical connection. On a propane-fueled unit, a licensed propane technician handles tank sizing and placement, the regulator and the gas line to the generator, subject to the local AHJ.

What the record does not show

Electricchoice.com describes both orders as last-resort steps PJM uses only before voltage cuts or rolling blackouts. The reporting does not confirm whether either step was used in PJM's 13-state footprint. Neither source counts any rise in standby-generator sales or installer search traffic.

Safety lines for any generator page

For portable generators, the CDC says to run them outdoors only, more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents. Never use one inside a home or garage, even with doors and windows open. Whole-house standby units must be installed to the manufacturer's clearances and local code, as verified by the AHJ.

Either way, keep a battery-powered or battery backup CO detector in the home, which the CDC advises whenever a generator runs. If the CO alarm sounds or someone feels dizzy or sick, get everyone outside to fresh air and call 911. Near a suspected gas leak, don't flip switches, use phones or light flames. If you smell gas, the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) says to get everyone out right away without flipping switches or using phones inside, then call your propane company from a safe place; if you can’t reach them, or anything looks dangerous, call 911.

Business Impact

On a whole-house unit, the fuel deal follows the install. FLASH says electricians set those units, so the dealer who already knows the installer is in line for the fuel call.

What this means for your business: 1. FLASH says whole-house units run on natural gas or propane, so you compete with the gas utility wherever mains reach. Homes without gas service are your opening. 2. The install is split between the electrician's tie-in and the propane technician's tank, regulator and gas line, so referral ties with electricians bring you the propane side of the job. 3. The reporting did not confirm the DOE orders stopped a specific blackout, so preparedness messaging will hold up better than a pitch built on one event.

Key Takeaways

• Whole-house generators run on natural gas or propane, per FLASH, so homes without gas mains are the propane dealer's opening.
• Electricians handle the electrical tie-in. A licensed propane technician handles the tank, regulator and gas line.
• The CDC's 20-foot, outdoors-only rule covers portable generators. Standby units follow manufacturer clearances and local code.

Action Steps

1. 1.Call the electricians in your service area who install whole-house generators and set up a fuel referral arrangement before winter storm season.
2. 2.Add a generator-fueling page to your website with separate sections for portable and whole-house customers, carrying the CDC portable-generator rule, the standby clearance note, and the CO alarm and gas-smell steps.
3. 3.Audit your customer list for homes that already have a whole-house standby generator and flag each one for a supply check before heating season.

Competitive Advantage

Dealers who move first on installer partnerships own the fuel relationship before a competitor does. The dealer with a referral pipeline already in place gets the tank-sizing call when a homeowner decides on a permanent unit.