Propane or natural gas: how are Colorado mountain homes heated?

How do propane, natural gas and electric compare on Btu?

• Propane: 91,452 Btu per gallon. Per the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
• Natural gas: 1,036 Btu per cubic foot. One gallon of propane equals 88 cubic feet of natural gas.
• Electricity: 3,412 Btu per kWh. One gallon of propane equals 26.8 kWh.
• Propane per million Btu. At $2.302 a gallon, propane costs $25.17 per million Btu before furnace losses.
• Electric resistance per million Btu. At CORE's $0.1155 per kWh, electric resistance heat costs $33.85 per million Btu. A heat pump delivers more heat per kWh than that.

Ask the seller for 12 months of gas, propane and electric bills. That is the real cost of the house.

What size propane tank does a mountain home use?

• Tanks fill to 80%. A 500-gallon tank holds 400 gallons, per AmeriGas.
• A 1,000-gallon tank holds 800. Bigger tanks mean fewer winter deliveries up a steep road.
• What a fill costs. 400 gallons at $2.302 a gallon is $920.80.
• Owned or leased. Find out who owns the tank before closing. A leased tank stays with the propane company.

How do you find out if a mountain home has natural gas?

• Look for a gas meter or a tank. A home on natural gas has a utility meter. A home on propane has a tank on the lot or buried in the yard.
• Check the address with the utility. Colorado Natural Gas runs an address lookup map for its service areas.
• Read the bills. The seller's bills show the fuel, the supplier and the winter usage.

What does electric heat cost in the foothills?

• CORE rates rose 6.7% in 2026. The increase took effect with January 2026 bills.
• Three parts to the bill. CORE residential members pay a $20 basic charge, $0.1155 per kWh and an on-peak demand charge of $5.47.
• Demand charges reward steady use. Running heat, a car charger and heat tape at the same hour raises the peak.
• State heat pump credits. $1,000 for air-source, $2,000 for ground-source and $250 for heat pump water heaters installed in 2026.

Radiant heat or forced air in a mountain home?

• Both run on the same fuels. A boiler for radiant floors and a furnace for forced air both run on gas, propane or electric.
• The fuel sets the bill. Compare Btu prices first, then the system.
• Check the service records. Ask for the boiler or furnace age and service history before inspection.

Call the Kenna Real Estate Group at 303-955-4220 for help reading a seller's utility bills before you write an offer.