Thread: Installing a Grill - Propane or Natural Gas?

I've always wanted a natural gas grill. I currently have a propane grill, but I despise the propane tanks. They always seem to run out right in the middle of cooking. The gauges that they have aren't good. They generally go from green to red in a matter of seconds, giving you no warning. And anyway, even if you know you're running low, you won't switch early because then you'll waste whatever was left in the tank (unless you can find a place to refill the tanks instead of exchange them).

Anyway, I've always wanted the straight line Natural Gas grill with the unlimited gas supply coming from the house, but I couldn't justify it. Until now..

A standard propane tank for a grill holds 20 pounds of propane. This can produce 430,000 BTUs (or 4.3 Therms) assuming you get every drop out of the tank. Let's say the tank exchange costs $18 + tax (often it is more). $18 / 4.3 = $4.19 per Therm. Let's compare that to Natural Gas rates. Right now my natural gas costs me $0.75 per therm + tax. That's a savings of $3.44 per therm or an 82% discount!

Now there are a bunch of fixed fees associated with Natural Gas in your home. But assuming you use Natural Gas for other things like your stove, water heater, fireplace, or HVAC, you pay these fees regardless of whether your gas grill is hooked up.

If you decide you want to go Natural Gas, your biggest issue will probably be getting the pipe run to your grill. If you already own a propane grill there are usually conversion kits that don't cost too much money. If you are in the market for a new grill, the Natural Gas version is usually right around the same price, maybe a few dollars more.

But consider this. Even if you spend a couple hundred dollars on running the line, you'll pay that back in a few years at a $3.44 per Therm savings. And that's not factoring in the time you'll save by not having to run out to refill propane tanks all summer long.