What is LPG bottled gas?

In New Zealand, we tend to rely on two types of gas for our household energy needs: natural gas and liquid petroleum gas (LPG).

If you are interested in bottled gas but are unsure whether it is right for you, read on.

What is LPG bottled gas?

‘LPG' is actually a catch-all term for a number of different types of gas. The common characteristic of these gases is that they can be compressed into liquid. Butane and Propane are the two most common types of gas in the LPG category.

What’s the difference between LPG and natural gas?

Bottled and natural gas generally satisfy many of the same household energy requirements but there are differences between the two.

Bottled gas

Most homes in NZ that use bottled gas use a Propane-Butane mix.

This type of gas is supplied in gas bottles and goes by many names: LPG, LPG gas, LP gas, BBQ gas and bottled gas. Regardless of the name it goes by, it's all the same gas.

For the most part, people opt for bottled gas in the home when natural gas is unavailable or too difficult or uneconomical to install.

Pros:

• A cost-effective gas solution for households without access to natural gas.
• Available in more areas than natural gas.

Con:

• Whilst easy to manage, gas bottles still need to be monitored and refilled/exchanged.

Natural gas

Natural gas differs from bottled gas in that it is piped direct to the home via gas mains.

Natural gas is primarily Methane and is often referred to as "Mains gas" or "Piped gas". This is the method by which most NZ households receive their gas.

Pro:

• Gas is via the mains so you don't need to manage your supply.

Con:

• Not available in all areas of New Zealand.

What size gas bottle do I need?

At Genesis, we only provide 45kg gas bottles to bottled gas customers. This is the standard size of gas bottle for most residential users, containing 88 litres of gas. This is the size of bottle that most people will require.

How long does a 45kg LPG gas bottle last?

Take a look at the table below. This is based on the typical average household usage per year.

Most households will run off two gas bottles at at time so you have a backup when one runs empty offering an uninterrupted supply.

One bottle (primary) provides the main supply and the other (reserve) is a backup that provides extra gas when required. When the primary bottle is empty, the regulator changes over to the reserve bottle and the indicator turns red.

You need to check the indicator on a regular basis to see if it is empty. Tips:

• If you use your bottled gas for heating, make sure you check every second day during winter.

• Sometimes, the indicator will dip into the red but then go back to green or black usually when there are a lot of appliances drawing from the bottle at the same time. So, check the indicator without any appliances on 12 hrs after it turned red.

If it's still red after then you need to order a refill.

How to refill your gas bottle

Gas bottles for household use are too large to take to a refilling station (unlike 9kg bottles used for barbecues etc.) When your gas bottle is empty, you will need to arrange for your bottled gas provider to refill it for you.

Genesis customers can order bottle refills online, via the Genesis Mobile App or by phone. We’ll deliver a full bottle on the next available delivery day in your area, excluding weekends and public holidays.

If you require an urgent delivery an extra fee is payable in addition to the standard delivery charge. Please contact us on 0800 300 400 to confirm time and costs for urgent delivery.