Price of LPG swap-a-bottles - big variation in price

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Regs

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Snowflake

#828536 31-May-2013 01:02

lorenzo:
JimmyH:
bazzer: Is that unexpected? By way of comparison, the Z (and the Gull) on Greville has 91 for 199.9, a lot of other nearby petrol stations have it for 208.9. I don't see any reason why LPG similarly wouldn't vary by location too?

Be careful with the Gull comparison. My understanding is that they achieve the lower price by blending in 10-15% ethanol. This makes it cheaper, but also has a lower energy density than petrol so it also means that a litre won't get you quite as far.

Ethanol 66 power of gasoline.

At 15.pc dilution that would yield approx 95.pc of the power of 100.pc gasoline. Simple comparison Gull need to sell fuel 10-12c cheaper price litre for same energy/dollar yield. Plus or minus
Ref http://environment.about.com/od/ethanolfaq/f/ethanol_perform.htm

Interesting I hadn't thought about that before now .. Thanks

i bought a lawmower and was told not to go to gull for petrol. apparently the ethanol causes problems with some of the components (plastic or rubber ones, i assume- but didnt ask). wonder if there are any vehicles that would experience extra wear and tear due to the ethanol mix.

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SepticSceptic

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#828684 31-May-2013 11:00

sep11guy:
One 9kg bottle costs $24.95 to fill, and lasts about 3 months. It's absolutely not worth going to larger bottles in our case, but YMMV.
The 9kg bottles can usually be bought "on sale" for about $40 - they are able to be used for 10 years from date of manufacture/test - so check date in store before you buy in case they're quitting old stock.

$25 is a really good price. I havent seen any were filling up for less than approx $38 in Akl. Were can i get it filled for less?

There are 2 places that I know of - Rockgas at Bruce McClaren Road, Henderson, which I use regularily, and one at Silverdale, behind the BP a the top of the hill. Haven't used that one myself, but have seen the signs out for LPG refills - $26.00.
Bear in mind that these cheaper filling stations may not be open outside business hours, or have short weekend hours.

ajobbins

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#828690 31-May-2013 11:17

Here in Melbourne I've seen prices between $32 and $49 for a 9KG swap. Huge difference! Especially considering there is less than $15 worth of LPG in the bottle

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Fred99

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#828708 31-May-2013 11:41

sep11guy:
One 9kg bottle costs $24.95 to fill, and lasts about 3 months. It's absolutely not worth going to larger bottles in our case, but YMMV.
The 9kg bottles can usually be bought "on sale" for about $40 - they are able to be used for 10 years from date of manufacture/test - so check date in store before you buy in case they're quitting old stock.

$25 is a really good price. I havent seen any were filling up for less than approx $38 in Akl. Were can i get it filled for less?

The $24.95 price is from the Challenge gas station in Shakespeare Rd, Waltham, Chch.
That's obviously not much use if you're in Akl, but perhaps Challenge stations are lower price for LPG refills in Akl?
The particular Challenge station seems to do good business in LPG refills, their staff offer fast service with a smile - unlike other stations who seem to give the impression that you're being a nuisance asking for a refill. It's a bit crazy IMO, as margins (for the station owner) are very small on petrol/diesel sales, but the margin on LPG - even at $25 per 9kg - is pretty good, even allowing for labour cost, they have to be making over $10 gross profit per fill.
Beancounters sometimes fall into the trap of dividing total fixed overhead costs by # of transactions to create an impression that sales margin per small transaction needs to be very high to cover costs, but lose sight of the fact that this ends up as a race to the bottom (unless they enjoy a monopoly). If they were right, then a big mac would cost $20, and they'd only need to sell 10% as many to maintain the same profit level.

bazzer

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#828798 31-May-2013 13:58

JimmyH:
bazzer: Is that unexpected? By way of comparison, the Z (and the Gull) on Greville has 91 for 199.9, a lot of other nearby petrol stations have it for 208.9. I don't see any reason why LPG similarly wouldn't vary by location too?

Be careful with the Gull comparison. My understanding is that they achieve the lower price by blending in 10-15% ethanol. This makes it cheaper, but also has a lower energy density than petrol so it also means that a litre won't get you quite as far.

That doesn't bother me because I never go to Gull. Mostly for the reasons Regs mentioned. I know some cars are listed by the manufacturer as suitable for ethanol based but I prefer not to take the risk. I don't need to because the Z is across the road and they usually price match with Gull. Win-win.

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#830249 3-Jun-2013 21:37

The Caltex on Constellation dr charged me $25 last time I needed to fill a 9Kg bottle. As for the 45Kg bottles, they are approx $100 per 45kg of gas and a $100 per year fixed fee. (sometimes waived on new connections). Although that fixed fee seems steep they are delivering the gas to your house as well as giving you a cheaper price.

Definetly switch to the 45Kg bottles if you are using LPG for water heating. Stay on the 9Kg if you are only running a Gas Hob. If you are using LPG for space heating get the gas company to remove the bottles during summer so you will only be paying the fixed fee for 1/2 the year.

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nzkiwiman

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#830437 4-Jun-2013 12:44

We have RockGas and Nova Gas right next to each other in South Dunedin.
$20 at one and $22 at the other for 9kg LPG refills.

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#830516 4-Jun-2013 15:03

How much does it cost to buy a 45kg tank, rather than rent it?

Fred99

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#830576 4-Jun-2013 16:58

mattwnz: How much does it cost to buy a 45kg tank, rather than rent it?

It'll cost at least an extra weetbix a day to feed the mrs so that she's got the strength to carry it.
(A full one weighs about 80kg)
She'll also need to trade the daihatsu in for a ute, and get a D endorsement on her license, as without it you're not supposed to carry more than 25kg total (or 15kg inside a vehicle).

mattwnz

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#830636 4-Jun-2013 18:43

Fred99:
mattwnz: How much does it cost to buy a 45kg tank, rather than rent it?

It'll cost at least an extra weetbix a day to feed the mrs so that she's got the strength to carry it.
(A full one weighs about 80kg)
She'll also need to trade the daihatsu in for a ute, and get a D endorsement on her license, as without it you're not supposed to carry more than 25kg total (or 15kg inside a vehicle).

That is only the weight of a person, so can't be correct that you need a special license. Most utes will carry a ton. For many people, buying your own could be a cheaper alternative, if you have got two people to lift it, than hiring them.

nickb800

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#830663 4-Jun-2013 19:26

mattwnz:
Fred99:
mattwnz: How much does it cost to buy a 45kg tank, rather than rent it?

It'll cost at least an extra weetbix a day to feed the mrs so that she's got the strength to carry it.
(A full one weighs about 80kg)
She'll also need to trade the daihatsu in for a ute, and get a D endorsement on her license, as without it you're not supposed to carry more than 25kg total (or 15kg inside a vehicle).

That is only the weight of a person, so can't be correct that you need a special license. Most utes will carry a ton. For many people, buying your own could be a cheaper alternative, if you have got two people to lift it, than hiring them.

Not a physical limit of the car, but a legal limit for carrying dangerous goods. D Endorsement is for dangerous goods.

Having said that, looks like you don't need a D endorsement if its for 'domestic or recreational purposes'

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