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Propane growth

How to Get More Propane Customers on Routes You Already Run

Build a target list around the tanks your bobtails already pass. Price the account by annual gallons, delivery miles and the cost of getting the first fill.

The short answer

Get more propane customers by targeting homes and businesses with visible storage tanks near your existing delivery routes, then confirming propane use, tank ownership and switching requirements. Ground Control by PorchRocket finds matching properties for outreach. Rank prospects by expected annual gallons and added delivery miles, offer a clearly priced service change, and measure acquisition cost per account that receives its first delivery. Keep residential heating, cooking-only and commercial accounts in separate cost models.

Find propane tanks

What matters most

  • EIA's 2020 RECS reports 656 annual propane gallons for households whose main heating fuel is propane, including their other propane uses.
  • At an assumed $0.73 fuel margin per gallon, 656 gallons produce $478.88 before delivery costs and overhead.
  • The route example delivers 2,952 gallons over 80 miles, compared with 1,804 gallons over 164 miles on a scattered route.
  • NFPA 58 editions and state filling rules require separate checks before accepting a tank switching customer.
  • Ground Control costs $0.72 to $1.20 per home or $10 to $20 per commercial building, with delivery within 48 hours after payment.

656 gallons a year is the propane consumption EIA reports for households whose main heating fuel is propane in its 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, revised March 2024. At an assumed $0.73 fuel margin per gallon, one such account produces $478.88 a year before delivery costs and overhead. EIA household fuel consumption, Table CE2.1

For the worked examples, say you run a propane retailer with 4,200 active tanks in north Georgia. The costs, retention and campaign outcomes below are planning assumptions. The next account deserves a different acquisition budget depending on whether your bobtail already passes its driveway.

I would build the next campaign around those driveways. Ground Control by PorchRocket finds homes and commercial buildings with visible storage tanks in the areas you select. Qualify those properties before calculating what each new stop adds to the day’s gallons.

What is one new propane customer worth?

A residential heating account using 656 gallons generates $478.88 at an assumed $0.73 fuel margin, but its value falls after delivery costs and customer losses.

Separate fuel margin from operating profit. Here, fuel margin means collected fuel revenue minus the delivered cost of the propane itself, leaving driver wages and other operating expenses to be deducted before you judge what an account earns. Use your own ledger.

EIA’s detailed end-use consumption table separates space heating from water heating and cooking. It reports 390 gallons per household using propane for space heating, including supplemental heat; the corresponding figures are 182 gallons for water heating and 23 gallons for cooking. Cooking covers ranges, cooktops and ovens, excluding outdoor cooking. These are different survey groups, so adding their averages does not describe a typical full-service household.

Account or end use Annual gallons Basis for the gallons Fuel margin at an assumed $0.73 per gallon
Residential space heating alone 390 EIA 2020 end-use average, including supplemental use $284.70
Residential water heating alone 182 EIA 2020 end-use average $132.86
Residential cooking alone 23 EIA 2020 end-use average $16.79
Household with propane as its main heating fuel 656 EIA 2020 average total propane consumption for this group $478.88
Commercial account under review 4,860 Assumed annual deliveries for the example, to be verified from invoices $3,547.80

The 656-gallon group includes other propane uses in homes primarily heated with propane, while EIA’s 387-gallon figure covers all households using propane, including homes with smaller loads. Choosing the broader figure would understate the heating-account example; applying 656 gallons to a cooking-only prospect would overstate it.

For the residential account, allow four annual deliveries at $35 each and $26 for annual account servicing. Annual contribution becomes $478.88 minus $140 minus $26, or $312.88, before fixed overhead and tank capital costs.

Assume the account is active in year one and has a 90% chance of remaining each following year. Five-year expected contribution is $312.88 × (1 + 0.9 + 0.81 + 0.729 + 0.6561) = $1,281.27. With gallons and margin held flat, the calculation allows for customer loss but does not discount future dollars or deduct the equipment investment and taxes you would need for a full investment appraisal.

Use that five-year contribution to test the equipment decision as well as the mailing budget. After the $418 acquisition cost developed below, $1,281.27 leaves $863.27 before tank investment and fixed overhead. I would ask operations for the installed equipment cost before approving a company-owned tank. A strong response rate cannot cover an equipment outlay larger than the account’s remaining contribution.

Use a dated fuel-cost sheet for each campaign. EIA’s winter fuel price methodology describes retail price estimates and separate wholesale series, neither of which establishes the margin your retailer earned after paying for fuel and freight. Calculate that from your collected invoices.

Where do new propane customers come from?

An independent retailer can grow through four lanes: new construction, fuel conversions, supplier switches and additional commercial or agricultural accounts near existing delivery routes.

I would put a different qualification question on each lane, because an existing tank points you toward an installed fuel system while a builder relationship concerns equipment that has yet to be selected. Each needs its own offer. Sending both prospects the same fill-price postcard wastes the reason you contacted them.

For new construction inside your intended territory, ask the builder when the fuel decision will be made and who will own the tank, then identify the person who signs the supply agreement. Review access before promising delivery. Put the first-year equipment outlay beside expected gallons.

For a conversion from oil or electric equipment, prepare the installation estimate using the existing energy bills and the proposed appliance schedule, so the owner can assess the equipment outlay alongside the fuel costs. A price per gallon cannot settle that decision alone.

For supplier switches, start with the customer’s reason for considering a change. A confusing invoice calls for a clear price sheet. A delivery scheduling problem calls for an explanation of your route service. Quote the tank change separately when the incumbent owns the equipment.

For commercial and ag accounts, establish the buying unit. One farm might have several delivery points; a restaurant tenant might buy the fuel while the landlord controls the equipment location. Record both the account and each delivery address so that twelve apparent opportunities do not become duplicate approaches to one buyer who expects a single supply proposal.

Ask existing customers for nearby introductions and record any referral credit against the account it brings in, so those customers remain in the acquisition cost comparison alongside accounts found through a purchased file. I would start with routes that have room for more gallons.

Keep these lanes separate in reporting. New construction can consume cash before the first fill, while a customer-owned tank switch has a different equipment decision. Compare cash committed before service and contribution after service for each lane. The market intelligence guide explains how to choose a territory before buying a larger prospect file.

Finding above-ground tanks on homes and buildings

Ground Control identifies properties with visible storage tanks; the customer and equipment records establish fuel type and capacity.

An above-ground tank is a reason to investigate a property. Ask the owner what it supplies and whether it remains in service. Read the equipment records or arrange an authorized site review for capacity. A propane tank serving a furnace and water heater belongs in a different campaign from a tank supporting occasional cooking.

Ownership needs documentation. A parcel record helps you address a letter, but the property owner and tank owner can be different parties, so ask for the lease or purchase documentation before assigning ownership of the equipment. Keep those as separate fields.

For a home, I would start with the visible tank and its relationship to the nearest delivery route; for a commercial building, I would also select business type before preparing the qualification questions. A warehouse with loading docks warrants different questions from a restaurant with an outdoor storage tank. Establish the use before discussing annual supply.

Treat each matched address as a prospect until an owner conversation establishes expected gallons and a service manager accepts the equipment arrangements. Record when those facts were checked. Ask whether the customer has changed equipment since the image was taken.

Use Census ACS Table B25040 on house heating fuel to compare the heating-fuel mix in candidate counties. Its bottled or tank gas category is territory context, not a list of individual propane tanks. Do not label a particular address a propane-heated home because its census tract contains many such homes.

That distinction affects the mailing budget. County data helps choose where to look; property matching selects addresses to research. The aerial imagery prospecting guide covers the step from a visible property feature to a qualified conversation.

Can you fill a competitor’s propane tank?

A customer’s request alone does not establish permission to fill a supplier-owned tank; verify equipment ownership, supplier authorization and the state rules before accepting the delivery.

Start with the tank documents. Ask whether the customer bought the tank or received it under a lease or another supply arrangement, then request the relevant agreement and any purchase receipt before preparing the proposed change of service. Uncertain ownership means a pending account. Have the responsible service manager resolve it.

Keep safety-code adoption separate from supplier permission. NFPA 58, the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code, covers LP-Gas safety, but its current published 2024 edition is not automatically the edition adopted in every state where your trucks might deliver.

For example, the Railroad Commission of Texas regulations page identifies the 2017 edition of NFPA 58 as adopted effective September 1, 2020, and points to the state’s LP-Gas Safety Rules for the requirements governing service. For a Texas switch, review those rules alongside the equipment agreement. The newest published code is not a substitute for that review.

North Carolina supplies a direct example of a filling restriction. As of November 4, 2026, G.S. 119-58(b) restricts a person other than the supplier or system owner from disconnecting, interrupting or filling the system without supplier consent. When a consumer authorizes a registered new supplier to change service, the new supplier must notify the former supplier before disconnecting the former service and connecting the new service. Disconnected outlets must be capped or plugged and equipment left in a condition consistent with the governing rules.

There is an upcoming change. North Carolina Session Law 2026-59, section 26, creates a limited emergency-fill exception effective December 1, 2026, after this article’s publication date, with conditions governing the emergency and remaining supply as well as contact efforts and documentation. The current rule still applies on November 4. The future exception does not authorize routine fills of another supplier’s equipment.

Build the sales handoff around four entries: documented tank owner, customer authorization, required supplier coordination and service approval. The driver should receive an approved work order. A prospect list belongs upstream of that decision.

A tank switch that earns the account

Offer a written switch plan with the first fill price, equipment arrangements and service timing, so the customer can compare the full change before committing.

I would quote two paths where the equipment situation permits them: a service proposal subject to inspection and acceptance for a verified customer-owned tank, or an authorized equipment transfer or replacement where another supplier owns the tank. The incumbent might decline to sell. Spell out who handles replacement if that is the proposed path.

Ask the customer to show the cancellation terms and current balance. Then document who contacts the former supplier, who arranges collection, what happens to remaining fuel and when your equipment can be put into service. Confirm these arrangements with the parties responsible before assigning dates. Avoid a customer being left to coordinate two conflicting work orders.

Compare the same gallons and services. A low first-fill price can hide a different ongoing pricing method or delivery charge, so show the customer what happens to the price after the offer ends and what fees apply to later deliveries. Put rental terms and any minimum purchase commitment on the same sheet.

An offer can include a fixed acquisition credit without making the fuel price permanent. Suppose you allow a $42 first-fill credit. If annual contribution before acquisition is $312.88, that credit consumes $42 of the first year’s contribution. Record it in the campaign ledger alongside mailing and sales labor.

I would sell the service arrangement before offering a larger discount. Explain how the account gets placed on a route and who responds when the customer requests delivery, using a schedule that dispatch has accepted and that the office can put in writing. Give the customer a copy.

Commercial propane accounts and farm demand

Separate restaurant and farm prospects from forklift accounts because equipment and delivery schedules drive their gallons and service costs.

For restaurants, ask which equipment uses propane and who approves fuel purchases. The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) lists pizza ovens, pasta cookers, fryers and broilers among its commercial kitchen applications. Establish the operating calendar and request a year of deliveries. Keep portable patio-heater cylinder service separate from bulk fuel delivery when estimating your service costs.

Ask agricultural buyers about building heat and process loads separately. PERC’s building heat guidance covers greenhouses and livestock buildings; its agricultural applications include grain drying. Request monthly deliveries for heated buildings and a drying-season record for crop processing. Ask which load must receive fuel first when both need a delivery on the same day.

Loading docks or industrial yards can justify a warehouse forklift-fuel conversation, but ask what powers the fleet before quoting for the propane equipment described in PERC’s material handling guidance. Then price the service. Establish whether the buyer needs cylinder exchange, an on-site dispensing arrangement or another service your company is equipped to provide.

Prospect First buying contact to confirm Records to request Reason to pause the quote
Restaurant using propane cooking equipment Operator or purchasing manager Delivery history and equipment list Lease leaves fuel or equipment responsibility unclear
Greenhouse operation Owner or production manager Heating schedule and monthly deliveries Peak demand cannot be supported on the proposed route
Farm with drying equipment Farm owner or operations lead Drying-season gallons and delivery points Supply commitment exceeds available delivery capacity
Warehouse with a propane forklift fleet Operations or fleet manager Fleet fuel records and current service terms Required cylinder service falls outside your operation

Use the commercial example’s assumed 4,860 annual gallons to test an account. At $0.73 fuel margin, it produces $3,547.80 before delivery and account costs. Suppose its service plan requires eighteen deliveries costing $46 each and $144 in account administration. Contribution is $3,547.80 minus $828 minus $144, or $2,575.80 before equipment and fixed overhead.

Ask for invoices even when the buyer gives a confident annual estimate. Look for delivery points billed under another name and separate bulk gallons from other services. Check whether your proposal covers all those deliveries or only one part of the operation.

I would accept a smaller commercial account beside an established route before chasing an impressive volume estimate two counties away. Review its largest required delivery week against available truck hours, because an annual total can fit the sales plan while still leaving you short of delivery capacity during the one week that matters to the buyer.

Route density math for a bobtail day

Eighteen stops averaging 164 gallons deliver 2,952 gallons in the route example, while eleven scattered stops deliver 1,804 gallons despite requiring more than twice the miles.

For this comparison, assume an eight-hour paid day at $37 per hour in loaded driver cost. Allow $0.84 per mile for variable vehicle operating costs, excluding driver pay and the propane cargo. Both routes average 164 gallons per stop. Assume the truck payload and refill arrangements support each day’s volume.

The dense route covers 80 miles and makes eighteen stops. The scattered route covers 164 miles and makes eleven. Mileage includes the route’s deadhead travel. Route costs per gallon in the table are rounded to three decimal places.

Daily route measure Dense existing territory Scattered territory
Paid driver hours 8 8
Stops 18 11
Miles 80 164
Delivered gallons 18 × 164 = 2,952 11 × 164 = 1,804
Gallons per mile 36.9 11.0
Driver cost $296.00 $296.00
Variable vehicle cost $67.20 $137.76
Modeled route cost $363.20 $433.76
Route cost per gallon $0.123 $0.240
Fuel margin less modeled route cost $1,791.76 $883.16

The last row uses the same $0.73 fuel margin on each route. It excludes tank costs, account administration and fixed overhead, so it measures the route comparison before those expenses rather than the retailer’s net profit. The scattered route adds miles while losing stops.

Then price the next customer by the added drive, not by its straight-line distance from the shop. Assume twenty minutes on site, forty miles per hour during travel and the same driver and vehicle rates. A three-mile detour costs (24.5 minutes ÷ 60 × $37) + (3 × $0.84) = $17.63 per fill.

An eighteen-mile detour takes forty-seven minutes including service. Its cost is (47 ÷ 60 × $37) + (18 × $0.84) = $44.10. Using the unrounded costs, four fills a year add $105.90 in delivery expense for the distant account, with the same gallons sold.

Put the proposed stops on a dispatch map before spending on outreach. Check access and where the truck would leave and rejoin the route. A nearby tank across an awkward road network can require a longer detour than a tank farther along the same road.

I would reject a route expansion if its economics depend on eighteen stops before the first eleven accounts have signed. First price the first workable route. Add the next prospect cluster only after gallons and dispatch time support it.

Keep-full vs will-call and account value

Automatic delivery lets the retailer schedule fills, while will-call leaves the delivery request with the customer; compare both programs on contribution after their delivery and account costs.

The New York Propane Gas Association’s delivery guidance describes automatic scheduling from expected usage and customer-requested delivery based on tank monitoring. It also describes pre-buy and monthly payment programs. Those payment choices should have their own terms; they do not determine who schedules the truck.

For keep-full, explain what the customer must report when usage changes. A new appliance or a change in occupancy belongs in the account record. Have the service team decide how to establish the starting consumption estimate. Give dispatch a way to flag a new account for review after its early deliveries.

For will-call, give the customer your written ordering procedure and the notice your operation requires. Do not promise immediate delivery to win the switch. Record whether the property can receive a delivery without the owner present and how access is arranged.

The model should reward fewer costly visits only when dispatch can achieve them. Using the same 656 gallons, six deliveries at an assumed $35 each leave $242.88 after $26 of account servicing. Four deliveries leave $312.88. That is a $70 difference with no increase in fuel margin or gallons sold.

Measure the gallons per stop in each group and include monitoring expenses in the program that incurs them. Review small drops with dispatch: a visit made because the truck was nearby can still be expensive if it advances too few gallons.

I would offer keep-full first to a heating customer inside a route with available capacity. I would offer will-call where the customer prefers it and the agreed ordering procedure supports an economical delivery. Put the chosen arrangement on the work order before counting the account as ready for service.

Retention deserves a separate line. The five-year example assumes 90% annual retention for either program. If your records show a difference, compare similar customers over the same period before paying more to acquire one group. A program name alone should not raise the lifetime value in the sales budget.

Build the prospect list around existing delivery routes

Choose a small service area around established stops, select visible storage tanks on homes or commercial buildings, and add the ownership research needed for the first conversation.

Start with your dispatch history. Pick two routes with room for additional deliveries, then identify the roads where you want accounts. Translate those roads into the area you select for the property order. Your team assigns the resulting addresses to routes and checks the added travel.

For commercial storage tank prospects, combine the tank filter with business types you intend to serve. For homes, use the residential storage tank filter. Keep those orders separate so the team can track their different property costs and qualification questions.

I would work through five steps before releasing a file to the sales desk:

  1. Remove your active accounts and properties with an unresolved service issue.
  2. Deduplicate by delivery address, retaining separate tanks under one account where needed.
  3. Assign a proposed route and review the added driving distance.
  4. Add owner information where you need a mailing recipient; for commercial buildings, consider decision-maker research.
  5. Set a next action and a person responsible for each prospect.

Use different columns for supplied match details and facts your team verifies. Keep the visible storage tank match beside customer-confirmed fuel type. Put recorded property ownership beside verified tank ownership. This prevents a salesperson from presenting a parcel owner as the owner of a leased tank.

Add expected annual gallons only after the customer provides a delivery history or your service team makes a documented estimate. Before that point, mark the field as unknown. A blank entry is better than assigning every tank the 656-gallon national heating-household average.

For a warehouse campaign, loading docks or industrial yards can supply another selection path for forklift conversations. Those prospects need their own label. They might use propane without having the bulk storage arrangement your residential campaign expects.

Ground Control’s imagery is never older than two years when an order runs, and each property includes why it matched. After the file arrives, use customer conversations to update changes in service or equipment. Keep those updates in your own account system.

If you need farm-specific selection, several markets or a field outside the available filters, use a custom territory request. State the account types and delivery boundaries you want reviewed. Do not force an agricultural campaign into a self-service business category that means something else.

What should propane customer acquisition cost?

In the 600-home campaign example, a tank-focused file produces six first-delivery accounts at $418 each, while a broad file produces three at $554 each.

Use the same twenty-four sales hours for both campaigns. Assume loaded sales labor of $37 per hour, or $888, and one mailed contact costing $1.08 per property, or $648. The broad file is already available at no incremental data cost. For the targeted file, budget Ground Control’s published upper residential rate of $1.20 per home, or $720.

Assume the broad file produces four signed agreements and three first deliveries. Assume the targeted file produces eight signed agreements and six first deliveries. Those are 0.5% and 1% activation rates across all 600 addresses, respectively.

Apply the $42 acquisition credit only when a first delivery occurs. Exclude replacement tank installations from this comparison because neither campaign assumes one; add those costs when a prospect needs your equipment. Both campaigns sell the same fuel margin and use the same delivery assumptions.

Campaign measure Broad 600-home file Tank-focused 600-home file
Property data $0 incremental cost $720
Printing and postage $648 $648
Sales labor, 24 hours $888 $888
Signed agreements, assumed 4 8
First deliveries, assumed 3 6
Credits at $42 per activated account $126 $252
Acquisition spending $1,662 $2,508
Cost per signed agreement $415.50 $313.50
Cost per first-delivery account $554 $418
First-delivery accounts per sales hour 0.125 0.250

The targeted campaign costs more in total. If it produces only three first deliveries, its cost becomes ($720 + $648 + $888 + $126) ÷ 3 = $794 per activated account. Put that outcome beside the six-account case when deciding how much cash to commit.

Five first deliveries are the minimum needed to beat the broad file’s $554 acquisition cost in this comparison. Before credits, the targeted campaign costs $720 + $648 + $888 = $2,256. Divide that by activated accounts, then add the $42 credit: four accounts cost $606 each; five cost $493.20 each. The office now has a clear result to measure against its spending.

Track how those twenty-four sales hours were used. If equipment questions consume the time, revise the qualification letter. If qualified owners decline the offer, review the service terms before buying more addresses. Keep the next batch inside the same route economics so that an improved response rate can be compared with the first campaign.

At $312.88 annual contribution, a $418 acquisition spend takes $418 ÷ $312.88 × 12 = about sixteen months to recover if contribution stays constant and the account remains. Equipment investment would extend that period. Decide whether your cash budget can carry it before ordering a second batch.

A wasted qualification visit has a cost too. Budget half an hour at $37 per hour and twelve vehicle miles at $0.84: $18.50 + $10.08 = $28.58. Log visits that end because the fuel or equipment arrangement does not fit. Ten such visits consume $285.80 under those assumptions.

Use the customer acquisition cost worksheet to keep list spending separate from sales time and incentives. I would judge the campaign by first-delivery accounts and their following twelve months of contribution. Signed agreements remain an intermediate count until the truck serves them.

Propane marketing ideas for each season

Send a written switch offer, a scheduled summer-fill invitation or a defined pre-buy proposal to qualified tanks, with timing based on your available service and delivery capacity.

For a first approach, I would use a letter that explains the service change and invites a callback. Address the buyer without claiming to know the household’s consumption or contract terms. Use a route-specific campaign code so the office can connect the response to the correct offer.

A switch letter the office can support

Use this draft only after confirming that you can offer the described review in the selected area:

We’re adding propane delivery accounts along your road. If you’re considering a supplier change, we can prepare a written comparison covering fuel pricing, delivery charges and any tank rental terms.

Tell us what propane supplies at your property and whether you own or lease the tank. We’ll review the equipment arrangement before quoting the switch and explain who handles each step.

Call the number on this letter and mention your road name. We’ll confirm whether your address fits the delivery schedule and arrange the next review.

The letter gives the office a qualification task. It avoids promising a free tank swap before anyone has read the equipment agreement. Put any incentive and its expiration date on the offer sheet the customer receives.

Summer fill and pre-buy offers

Offer a planned summer fill when you have a route window and can state the price and terms. Do not promise that summer always has the year’s lowest price. Give an acceptance deadline, identify eligible accounts and explain how the customer confirms the delivery amount.

Keep a pre-buy proposal separate from that physical fill. Write down the contracted gallons, delivery period, payment due date and treatment of unused gallons. Explain what happens if usage exceeds the contracted volume. Have the people managing supply and customer agreements approve those terms before sales sends them.

A monthly budget program spreads payments; it needs its own reconciliation procedure. The delivery guidance from the New York Propane Gas Association describes these programs as separate customer options. Avoid combining them into one vague offer to lower the bill.

For the November 2026 campaign, I would prioritize qualified switches that operations can schedule before further outreach expands the workload. Put spring equipment reviews and summer-fill invitations on agreed follow-up dates. Keep grain-drying conversations tied to the buyer’s production schedule rather than the residential heating mail calendar.

A 30-day test before expanding the territory

Use the first month to qualify one route cluster, issue written offers and reconcile early deliveries, with a planned follow-up window for accounts still awaiting a switch.

Days Work to finish Evidence to retain
1 to 4 Choose two routes and set the contribution and acquisition budget Dispatch capacity, cost assumptions and selected roads
5 to 8 Order and review matching properties; remove existing accounts Match reasons, exclusions and route assignments
9 to 15 Send letters and respond to inquiries Offer version, response date and source code
16 to 24 Verify equipment arrangements and issue approved proposals Ownership records, permissions and proposed service dates
25 to 30 Review signed accounts and first deliveries Acquisition spending, gallons delivered and pending reasons

Track each address through a small set of dated stages. A mailed property becomes a responding prospect, then a qualified account, then an agreement and a first delivery. Record the reason when a prospect stops: wrong fuel, unsuitable route or unresolved equipment arrangements, for example. Those counts tell you which part of the next batch to change.

Judge the thirty-day result using margin after the delivery and acquisition costs already incurred. Keep pending tank changes open and choose a later review date before launch so the first batch gets a fair accounting.

Have dispatch review the first new stops. Compare the estimated detour with driven miles and record the delivered gallons. If access takes longer than planned, revise that account’s delivery allowance before assigning more prospects along the same road.

For repeat customers, compare twelve-month delivered gallons with the estimate used in the offer. Track lost accounts by starting month and route. I would expand after the first cluster shows workable service costs and the next cluster fits available truck hours. A full sales calendar does not add bobtail capacity.

The fastest way to find propane tanks near your routes

Ground Control by PorchRocket builds a prospect list around your delivery routes by filtering homes and commercial buildings for visible storage tanks. Select your area, filter buildings by business type and add owner research when needed. Homes cost $0.72 to $1.20 each; commercial buildings cost $10 to $20 each, with owner research priced separately. Delivery is within 48 hours after payment. Every property explains why it matched, and wrong matches reported within 30 days receive a credit. Your team contacts the owners and confirms fuel use and tank ownership before arranging service.

Price the territory you can work next. The Ground Control pricing page shows the property-data model; the account forecast should also carry your mailing and sales costs. Start with a batch your office can qualify before releasing another campaign.

Finding tanks with Ground Control

Your propane team receives a Ground Control property file with match reasons and optional owner research for its chosen territory.

For a route-focused order, the team gets:

  • Homes or commercial buildings selected for visible storage tanks inside the chosen area.
  • Commercial business-type filters for campaigns such as restaurants or warehouses, with loading docks and industrial yards available for separate forklift prospecting.
  • The reason each property matched, using imagery never older than two years when the order runs.
  • Optional owner information and commercial decision-maker research, with no charge for a contact that is not found.
  • The exact price before payment and a CSV or Excel file within 48 hours afterward; commercial orders start at ten buildings.
  • Properties sent only when Ground Control is 90%+ sure they match, with a credit for wrong matches reported within thirty days.

Buy the next list around the route your bobtail can profitably serve.

Questions people ask

Quick answers

What is the best way to get more propane customers?

Start with tanks near routes you already serve. Confirm the fuel, annual gallons, tank ownership and service arrangements before quoting. Ground Control supplies homes and commercial buildings with visible storage tanks for that research. Track first deliveries and contribution after delivery costs so a campaign earns more than a growing contact count.

How many gallons of propane does a household use each year?

656 gallons is EIA's 2020 RECS average for households whose main heating fuel is propane, including other propane uses in those homes. The average across all households using propane is 387 gallons. Those survey groups include different appliances and climates. Use delivery records and the appliance list to estimate an individual household's demand.

Can another propane supplier fill a leased tank?

Only when the required permissions and applicable state rules allow it. A homeowner's request alone does not authorize filling another retailer's equipment. Verify the lease and ownership documents, then arrange any approved transfer or replacement. North Carolina's emergency-fill amendments take effect December 1, 2026, after this article's publication date.

Can aerial imagery tell me whether a tank contains propane?

No. A visible storage tank gives you a property to qualify. Confirm the fuel and capacity from the customer, equipment records and an authorized site review. Ground Control filters homes and commercial buildings for visible storage tanks and explains each match. Record ownership and expected consumption separately before dispatching a delivery.

How much should a propane company spend to acquire a customer?

Use expected contribution after delivery costs to set the ceiling. This article's residential example produces $312.88 annually after assumed delivery and account costs, before fixed overhead. A modeled $418 acquisition cost takes about 16 months to recover if that contribution holds and the account stays. Add any tank installation costs before approving a campaign.

Is keep-full more profitable than will-call?

It can be when the delivery arrangement lets you group stops and avoid expensive small drops. Extra visits, monitoring costs and service commitments can erase that advantage. Compare gallons per stop, route miles and retention for similar accounts. Apply the same fuel margin to both groups before deciding what the delivery program adds.

How do I find commercial propane accounts?

Select businesses near your routes with visible storage tanks, then qualify their equipment and purchasing arrangements. Restaurants, agricultural operations and warehouses warrant different questions. For a warehouse, loading docks and industrial yards can support forklift-fuel prospecting, but confirm that the fleet uses propane. Ask for twelve months of deliveries before budgeting the account.

How much does a Ground Control propane prospect list cost?

Homes cost $0.72 to $1.20 each, and commercial buildings cost $10 to $20 each. The exact price appears before payment; owner research and commercial decision-maker research are add-ons. Ground Control delivers within 48 hours after payment and credits wrong property matches reported within 30 days. These are target properties for outreach.

Research file

Sources used in this guide

Sources are linked at the claim they support and collected here for auditability. Vendor features and prices can change; verify them before purchasing.

  1. 2020 RECS Table CE2.1, annual household fuel consumptionU.S. Energy Information Administration: 656 annual gallons for households with propane as their main heating fuel and 387 across all households using propane; revised March 2024, checked November 4, 2026.
  2. 2020 RECS Table CE5.4, average consumption by end useU.S. Energy Information Administration: Annual propane end-use averages of 390 gallons for space heating, 182 for water heating and 23 for cooking; cooking excludes outdoor use. Checked November 4, 2026.
  3. Methodology for EIA winter fuel retail price estimatesU.S. Energy Information Administration: Distinguishes surveyed retail prices from wholesale price series and explains excluded taxes and discounts; checked November 4, 2026.
  4. NFPA 58, Liquefied Petroleum Gas CodeNational Fire Protection Association: Code scope and current published 2024 edition; state adoption must be checked separately. Checked November 4, 2026.
  5. Texas alternative fuels regulations and adopted code editionsRailroad Commission of Texas: Texas LP-Gas Safety Rules and adoption of the 2017 NFPA 58 edition effective September 1, 2020; checked November 4, 2026.
  6. North Carolina General Statutes, Chapter 119, Article 5North Carolina General Assembly: Section 119-58(b) on supplier consent and notice before disconnecting former service and connecting new service, in force November 4, 2026.
  7. North Carolina Session Law 2026-59, section 26North Carolina General Assembly: Emergency-fill exception and related amendments take effect December 1, 2026, after this article's publication date. Checked November 4, 2026.
  8. Commercial kitchen propane applicationsPropane Education & Research Council: Propane applications including pizza ovens, pasta cookers, fryers and broilers; page confirmed in web search and curl returned a 403 bot wall on November 4, 2026.
  9. Agricultural propane applicationsPropane Education & Research Council: Agricultural building heat and grain drying; page confirmed in web search and curl returned a 403 bot wall on November 4, 2026.
  10. Propane heat for greenhouses and livestock buildingsPropane Education & Research Council: Greenhouse and livestock building heating applications; page confirmed in web search and curl returned a 403 bot wall on November 4, 2026.
  11. Propane material handling applicationsPropane Education & Research Council: Propane forklifts and other material handling equipment; page confirmed in web search and curl returned a 403 bot wall on November 4, 2026.
  12. Propane delivery services and payment programsNew York Propane Gas Association: Automatic delivery, customer-requested delivery, pre-buy and monthly payment programs; checked November 4, 2026.
  13. ACS Table B25040, House Heating FuelU.S. Census Bureau: Occupied housing units by heating fuel, including bottled or tank gas; territory context rather than an address-level tank list. Checked November 4, 2026.
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