Power outages can be annoying and inconvenient at best. Longer, more frequent outages can significantly impact your life and result in the loss of frozen and refrigerated food supplies, loss of income, and the loss of basic living requirements such as heating, cooling, lighting, running cooking appliances, storing food and communications. For these reasons, many homeowners are installing a portable generator to ensure they have access to electricity during power outages. Portable generators are most commonly fueled by either gasoline, diesel or propane. Propane is also called LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) and there are three reasons why a propane-fueled portable generator is an excellent choice. 1. Propane Reduces the Risk of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning One of the biggest safety risks involved with using generators fueled by gasoline or diesel is carbon monoxide poisoning. This dangerous and potentially deadly gas can build up to toxic levels rapidly and is particularly insidious because it's odorless and invisible. A well-maintained propane generator doesn't produce any carbon monoxide and removes this deadly risk from your home. A poorly maintained generator can potentially produce small amounts of carbon monoxide if there is incomplete combustion of the propane. Regular maintenance checks of both the generator and the propane tank will prevent this from occurring. 2. Propane Is Ideal for Occasional Use While propane, gasoline and diesel are both liquid fuels their storage vessels are different. Propane is stored in high pressure, air-tight containers. Gasoline and diesel are not, and they will both evaporate to a certain degree, making them unreliable as a portable generator fuel if they're only used occasionally. Propane doesn't evaporate and will store safely and reliably for many years. Because propane is transformed into a gas as it's released from its storage container, it won't clog up the internal system with residue when a generator is used infrequently. Propane is also the only fuel source that can be readily replenished during power outages because gasoline and diesel rely on electricity to run the pumps that enable access to them. This feature makes them the perfect generator type for infrequent but sometimes extended use during power outages. 3. Propane Is the Most Cost-Effective Fuel Although propane is slightly less efficient than the other fuel types, when used in a portable generator for backup purposes, it's financially the least expensive option. Per gallon, propane is cheaper than gasoline or diesel, and you won't need to top up your fuel supply regularly due to evaporation. The price of propane powered generators hovers between gasoline and diesel models when it comes to initial outlay. However, they generally have a longer lifespan than gasoline or diesel models, so the cost of replacement or repair will be incurred less frequently. They also fire-up faster and burn off less fuel to do so, which makes them more economical to run for short periods of time.  The team at Hunt Propane have been in the industry for over 22 years and have extensive experience when it comes to propane and propane fueled appliances. If you'd like to find out more about propane-fueled portable generators, then contact us at your local Hunt Propane office. They can help you to decide whether a propane generator is the best option for your home's backup power supply and which model and tank size will provide you with enough power to get through a power outage.