Underground tanks are low-maintenance, last 30 to 40 years and can be easily installed with the help of your local propane retailer.

For home owners whose neighborhoods aren’t serviced by gas utility lines but still want gas appliances like clothes dryers, water heaters and furnaces, propane is a clean, reliable and efficient solution. And now, many consumers and builders are installing propane tanks underground, replacing unsightly above-ground tanks. With an underground tank, all that’s visible above ground is a small dome for refilling, testing and servicing. The tanks are low-maintenance, last 30 to 40 years, require a small amount of excavation and can be easily installed with the help of your local propane retailer.

Not only are home buyers demanding buried tanks for aesthetic reasons, but new neighborhood and subdivision rules often require that all utilities be buried. Underground propane tanks are also environmentally friendly and not subject to EPA’s underground storage tank inspections.

A recent NAHB Research Center survey of home builders conducted on behalf of the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) found that in 2005, 34 percent of participants’ projects included an underground propane tank in locations where there was little or no natural gas delivery available. And while access to natural gas plays a role in influencing a decision to use underground tanks, outdoor “rooms” and standby generators (for home use during a power outage) also drive interest.

Propane-fueled appliances such as tankless water heaters, high-efficiency gas furnaces and standby generators also help fuel interest in propane. Standby generators turn on automatically when there is a power outage to supply electricity in a home, providing cost-effective and care-free protection from power loss and helping to prevent appliance-related losses during storms.

Additional information on underground tanks can be found at http://www.propanecouncil.org/.