RV Propane Usage Per Day Calculator

Running low on propane? Estimate your daily LP gas consumption based on which appliances you're using and the season.

Propane Usage Estimator

~1.92 lbs/day

How many hours does your furnace run?

Total burner time for cooking.

If tankless: total shower/dish time. If tank: heating time.

Daily Propane Usage
1.06 gal
(4.47 lbs)
Daily Cost
$3.73
per day

Usage Breakdown (lbs/day)

Refrigerator
24 hours
1.92 lbs
Furnace
8 hours
2.00 lbs
Stove/Cooktop
1 hours
0.15 lbs
Water Heater
2 hours
0.40 lbs

Understanding Propane Consumption

Propane usage varies wildly based on weather, appliance efficiency, and your habits. Here's what each appliance typically uses:

RV Refrigerator

A standard RV absorption fridge on propane uses about 1.5-2 lbs per day in summer (working harder to stay cool) and 1-1.5 lbs in winter. Newer models with better insulation use less.

Furnace

Your furnace is the biggest propane user in winter. A 20,000 BTU furnace can use 0.3-0.5 lbs per hour when running. If it's 20°F outside and you're keeping the RV at 65°F, the furnace might run 50% of the time or more.

Stove/Cooktop

Each burner uses about 0.15 lbs per hour. Cooking a typical meal (30-60 minutes) uses very little propane compared to heating or refrigeration.

Water Heater

Tank water heaters cycle on/off to maintain temperature (~2-4 hours per day total run time). Tankless water heaters only run when you're using hot water, so they're more efficient but use propane at a higher rate when actively heating.

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