Posted: June 1, 2026
You may have heard propane referred to as “liquid petroleum gas” or “liquid propane,” yet when it’s fueling your furnace, your range or your outdoor grill, it behaves indistinguishably from natural gas. So is propane a liquid or a gas?
The answer is both, and understanding why tells you a great deal about what makes propane such a practical and versatile home energy source. The team at Tevis Energy has been delivering propane to homeowners in Anne Arundel County and across Central Maryland and Southern Pennsylvania for decades — we know this fuel inside and out.
Propane’s physical state depends on temperature and pressure. Inside your home propane tank, a delivery truck or a storage facility, propane is held under compression as a liquid. The moment pressure is released — when one of your appliances calls for fuel — propane reverts to its gaseous state, traveling through your gas lines to the burner, where it ignites. This liquid-to-gas transition is what makes propane so energy-dense and easy to store in large quantities on your property.
More than 70% of the propane used in the United States is a co-product of domestic natural gas production. Propane is a heavier hydrocarbon that is extracted from the same wells as natural gas and repackaged alongside other hydrocarbons like ethane and butane. A smaller portion comes from the oil refining process, where propane emerges as a lighter byproduct than gasoline or diesel. The result is a fuel supply that is overwhelmingly American-made. In fact, the U.S. is a net exporter of propane, which contributes to greater price stability than fuels tied to global markets.
Looking ahead, renewable propane is an emerging green energy product worth watching. Molecularly identical to conventional propane — meaning no equipment modifications are required — renewable propane is produced from organic feedstocks like used cooking oil, animal fats, plant oils and municipal waste. Its carbon intensity is significantly lower than that of conventional propane, which already burns cleaner than most competing fuels. Residential availability is still limited, but production is growing each year.
Propane and natural gas power many of the same home systems and appliances, but they are meaningfully different fuels.
Whether you’re heating your home, fueling your range or running a whole-home standby generator, Tevis Energy is here to keep your propane supply consistent and your equipment running at its best. Homeowners in Anne Arundel County and throughout our Central Maryland and Southern Pennsylvania service area can count on our Automatic Delivery program to ensure their tank is always topped off — no gauge-watching, no guesswork and no risk of running out.
Reach out to Tevis Energy today to become a customer and start getting the most dependable propane services in the region.
