There are a host of variables with the propane issue. I do not own my underground tank, but I also do not pay rent (actual or imputed). Early this fall my propane supplier was offering contracts at a price higher than Our Town Energy. If I switched, the likely scenario would have been that the new propane supplier would have “bought” the tank from my current supplier (tank is only 3 years old). Yes, there would have been inspections, etc. and I would have had to pay a tank rental fee to the new supplier. Bottom line is that I negotiated a per gallon price with my existing supplier which was slightly less than Our Town Energy when a tank rental price was factored in. If you own your tank, then the process is simpler if you switch suppliers, but if there is a problem with the tank, the regulators at the tank, etc., then it is your problem to fix. Propane offered the ability to use if for more than just heating and by using it for other appliances which would otherwise use electricity, it allowed me to use a smaller whole house generator, which of course also uses propane. Obviously, switching tanks if more complex with an underground tank, but the underground tank is not an eyesore nor does it need to be hidden or screened.
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