FRANKFORT, KY (September 22, 2014) -- The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet (EEC) and Kentucky’s propane industry are taking proactive steps to ensure that adequate propane supplies are available to meet the needs of Kentuckians this coming winter.

“The most effective short-term actions that suppliers and customers can take are to participate in fall fill programs,” said EEC Secretary Len Peters. “Weather is a dominant influence in the demand for propane — colder-than-normal winters both increase demand and negatively impact deliverability. Current weather forecasts indicate that we’ll experience another strong winter for the region and we want to make sure customers are prepared.”

Tod Griffin, executive director of the Kentucky Propane Gas Association, pointed out that the issue is not supply but getting the propane to where it is needed. “Propane production has increased significantly; the problem is bottlenecks due to lack of adequate storage and transportation infrastructure.” Griffin said the propane industry strongly urges consumers to:

1.  Fill storage tanks now, before the cold weather hits. Many dealers have pre-buy or summer fill programs that encourage customers to top-off before the high-demand season starts.

2.  Sign up for automatic delivery rather than being a “will call” customer. This allows dealers to better schedule delivery trucks and helps ensure that the customer won’t run out of propane.

3.  Sign up for budget payment plans. This helps the customer spread the payments for propane over several months.