“Propane autogas is the most widely used alternative fuel in the world for a reason, and we’re excited to make it available to more Canadian fleets through the Alliance AutoGas program,” says Cliff Hauer, British Columbia Area Manager of Canwest Propane. “Autogas is clean, cost-effective and convenient-especially compared to the hassle of converting to other alternative fuels like natural gas, which is at least 10 times more expensive.”

Propane autogas powers 18 million vehicles around the world. Fleets that switch to autogas can cut their fuel budgets by 40-50 percent, while also significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Alliance AutoGas provides fleets everything they need to launch and maintain a successful alternative fuel program, from autogas vehicle conversions and on-site fuel stations at their home base, to ongoing technical support and a reliable year-round fuel supply.

“With the addition of Canwest Propane, Alliance AutoGas will help fleets in even more Canadian communities save on fuel costs and support cleaner air,” says Stuart Weidie, president of Alliance AutoGas and founder of Autogas for America. “The experienced fuel providers and certified conversion centers that comprise our network set Alliance AutoGas apart for the consistently dependable service they provide, whether you’re in Alberta, Canada, or Atlanta, Georgia.”

Alliance AutoGas has exclusive U.S. distribution rights for Prins autogas systems, including the bi-fuel Prins VSI system, which offers fleets versatility, increased vehicle range and peace of mind.

With headquarters in Calgary and local branches throughout British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canwest Propane has provided reliable propane supply, service and equipment since 1987. Since its humble beginnings as a small, regional company, Canwest has grown to become one of Canada’s largest retailers of propane energy solutions, including reliable propane supply and a full range of related tanks, cylinders, equipment, accessories and service for residential and business clients. Canwest is owned by Gibson Energy Inc., a premier Canadian midstream service provider to the oil and gas industry. Visit www.canwestpropane.com for more information.

About Alliance AutoGas

Alliance AutoGas enables fleet managers to use clean, economical, domestically produced autogas through vehicle conversions, on-site fueling and ongoing safety training and technical support. For fleets interested in new propane autogas-powered vehicles, Alliance also provides OEM vehicles and buses from major manufacturers as part of the complete program. Alliance AutoGas distributes Prins autogas systems through Blossman Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Alliance AutoGas founding partner Blossman Gas . The Alliance network of propane marketers and conversion centers is experiencing tremendous growth, spanning 42 states, Washington D.C. and all of Canada. Learn more at: www.allianceautogas.com. For questions, contact David Finder, National Energy Programs Manager, dmfinder@allianceautogas.com or (828) 251-0027.

Source: Yahoo! Finance Canada

“Joining Alliance AutoGas allows us bring the world’s most widely used alternative fuel, propane autogas, to more fleets in our service area,” says Josh Arrick, business development manager for Arrick’s Propane. “Operating on propane autogas is a smart move for fleets, plain and simple, because it’s clean, affordable, dependable and American made. We’re even switching our own vehicles to run on autogas.”

Alliance AutoGas provides the only complete program in America that helps fleets run vehicles on propane autogas. Alliance has exclusive U.S. distribution rights for Prins autogas systems, including the bi-fuel Prins VSI system, which offers fleets versatility, increased vehicle range and peace of mind.

“As part of Alliance AutoGas, Arrick’s Propane is now a one-stop shop for reliable autogas fuel supply and in-house vehicle conversions for fleets in three states,” says Stuart Weidie, president of Alliance AutoGas and founder of Autogas for America. “Alliance is continually expanding, gathering our nation’s top clean fuel providers and automotive experts to help fleets across the country run on domestic clean fuel at an affordable price.”

Fleets currently save upwards of $2 per gallon on fuel costs by filling up with propane autogas versus gasoline. Autogas-powered vehicles also release significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions and harmful pollutants than gasoline or diesel vehicles; and, unlike many alternative fuels, autogas delivers similar performance and driving range. Ninety-eight percent of the U.S. autogas supply is made in America, so autogas fleets are contributing to our nation’s energy security.

Family-owned for three generations, Arrick’s Propane began as a part-time propane tank delivery service with one truck in 1952, and today has grown to include six retail offices and six satellite bulk plants, 25 delivery bobtails, two semi transports and more than 50 employees. The company motto is: “Large Enough to Serve You, Small Enough to Care,” and Arrick’s loyalty to customers and dedication to providing the best possible service sets the company apart from competitors. Locations include Lucasville, Ironton, Peebles and Proctorville, Ohio, as well as South Portsmouth and Grayson, Kentucky. Visit www.arrickspropane.com for more information.

About Alliance AutoGas

Alliance AutoGasenables fleet managers to use clean, economical, domestically produced autogas through vehicle conversions, on-site fueling and ongoing safety training and technical support. For fleets interested in new propane autogas-powered vehicles, Alliance also provides OEM vehicles and buses from major manufacturers as part of the complete program. Alliance AutoGas distributes Prins autogas systems in the U.S. through Blossman Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Alliance AutoGas founding partnerBlossman Gas. The Alliance network of propane marketers and conversion centers is experiencing tremendous growth, spanning 42 states, Washington D.C. and all of Canada.Learn more at: www.allianceautogas.com. For questions, contact David Finder, National Energy Programs Manager, dmfinder@allianceautogas.com or (828) 251-0027.

Source: Truck News

“If the program works, we’re going to convert more cars and then we’ll have more savings,” he said.

Dodd said Alliance AutoGas approached the department last year about the conversion program.

The fueling station, installed at no cost to the county, will be up and running within a couple of weeks at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office near the old fueling station, he said.

The fuel supplied will be from Blossman, which is affiliated with Alliance AutoGas, he said.

The county paid for the conversion of the 10 patrol cars.

Dodd said he checked into the program in place at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and found out they were thrilled with it. That department has converted 80 cars and saves around $300,000 in one year, according to information shared with Dodd.

Polk County spent $58,000 on the conversion, he said. With the propane-run cars, it will pay $1.53 a gallon for propane gas rather than $3.50 a gallon for gasoline for approximately 18,000 gallons in fuel the department will use this year, he said.

The investment into the program will be paid off in about a year and a half with those numbers, according to Dodd.

Polk County will also see some financial benefit coming from the federal government next year, he said.

“Because we went green, at the end of the year, the federal government will be refunding the county 50 cents a gallon for every gallon (of

propane gas) we bought,” he said.

The cars aren’t 100 percent propane, Dodd said. A vehicle will not start on propane, so it still has a gas ignition. It runs on gas until the vehicle motor reaches 150 degrees, then it automatically switches to propane, Dodd said.

Dodd also said the car will automatically switch back to gas if the propane tank runs too low.

Modifications include an extra fill spout for the propane gas and the propane tank is in the trunk.

There is a switch in the vehicle for a driver to manually switch from the two different fuels, although Dodd said he doesn’t ever see a need for a driver to switch manually.

The chief said the cars ride better now.

“The cars actually run better on propane because it’s a cleaner fuel.

It cleans out the motor and it helps the car last longer,” he said.

Searching for ways to increase efficiency and reduce our environmental impact, my company has been employing old and new technologies in many facets of our operations. I hope that sharing some of these initiatives might encourage other companies to explore their own procedures for conservation, making our industry more environmentally friendly.

The art of building a swimming pool is not an eco-friendly process. When you think about the manufacturing of steel, concrete, PVC and other petroleum-based products that our industry uses, our carbon footprint is rather large. To be more efficient with these products, we have to look to other industries.

Over the past three years we’ve launched five major initiatives to make our company the most efficient possible:

Propane conversion of gas-powered vehicles and pumps

Propane autogas costs one-third the price of gasoline, produces 30 percent fewer harmful emissions, extends the life of an engine, and is made in the United States. For a truck that gets 14 miles per gallon and drives 25,000 miles per year, the return on the investment to install an approximately $5,800 bi-fuel, propane, autogas conversion kit is about a year and a half. The performance remains the same between autogas and gasoline vehicles; and because autogas is a cleaner burning fuel, oil changes are needed around every 5,000 instead of 3,000 miles.

Alliance AutoGas provided vehicle conversions, fueling, fuel-station installation and training for our staff. They installed a 500-gallon on-site fueling station at our yard at no upfront cost, and they top it off every few weeks.

Once they helped us realize how beneficial this new system could be, we started examining the rest of our fleet. While the bi-fuel Prins VSI autogas system does not yet work with diesel engines, several of our pumps and mixers are powered by gas engines. With the help of Alliance AutoGas, we fabricated mounting brackets for propane cylinders, ran fuel lines under the bed of the plaster trucks, and brought the vapor injection system directly into those engines. The pumps and mixers run quieter, cleaner, and more efficiently than ever before.

On the vehicles that have been converted, the engines start up on gas and immediately switch over to propane autogas. At the touch of a digital button mounted on the dashboard, the driver can switch back to gasoline if they cannot make it back to our yard to refuel with autogas.

The fuel tanks come in a variety of sizes and can be mounted under the body or in the truck bed, with a second fuel door added to the side of the vehicle to make refueling easier. When it’s time to sell those vehicles, the conversion kit can be removed and installed on the new replacement vehicle, allowing our investment in the system to carry over as part of the new fleet.

Some of the other advantages of propane autogas include:

>Economical:

-Current price of propane autogas is $1.50 per gallon less than the national average price for gasoline >Clean:

-12 percent less carbon dioxide

-30 percent less carbon monoxide

-35.6 percent less hydrocarbons

-60 percent less NOx

>98 percent American-made: 

-68 percent U.S. natural gas

-30 percent U.S. petroleum refineries

-2 percent Canadian and other imports

Slurry boxes no more

We primarily install Pebble Tec brand pool finishes, and like all pebble products, the exposure process requires washing away the top layer of the cement coating, called slurry. A typical pool creates more than 1,000 pounds of slurry, which is a clay-like sludge that will harden if not broken up and hauled away within a couple of days.

The industry standard has been a wooden box inlaid with plastic sheeting, allowing the slurry and water to separate and dry, to be broken up later and hauled away. Because we install hundreds of Pebble Tec finishes each year, we were slowly filling up landfills and paying more than $50,000 annually to dumpster companies.

To reduce this expense, we fabricated hydraulic dump beds with waterproof liners on our F-550 pickups. The slurry is pumped into the bed as it is being produced and brought back to a dump area at our yard when the job is done. The locks are released on the hatch, the slurry pours out of the truck, and the bed and liner are washed out using well water and a pressure washer.

Once we have enough dried material to fill a dump truck, we take the dried slurry to an inert landfill several miles away, paying a much lower price than a traditional landfill. The state Department of Transportation then picks up our dried cement chunks and reuses it as crush and run for the construction of road beds. The slurry is desirable because under the weight of a bulldozer or steamroller, it flattens easily. There are now many miles of Georgia’s roads with an underlay of multi-colored slurries, recycled to help build our road system.

Diesel refueling station

When crews are paid by the hour, every second counts. A 15-minute stop at the gas station each morning may not be a big deal for a single technician, but each of our installation crews has seven men, so that short stop costs nearly two hours in combined wages. We found a fuel vendor who provided us with a 500-gallon aboveground tank so the crews can top off their vehicles at the end of each day, allowing them to start the clock the moment they arrive the next morning. There are no savings in the cost per gallon of diesel, but this has made our crews more efficient, thus saving on payroll. Bag recycling

Many pebble finish manufacturers use plastic to bag their product. Pebble Technology uses paper bags that are 100 percent recyclable. Most bags are recycled, but for those that find their way into a traditional landfill with our other non-cementitious waste, the bags will decompose in just a few years.

Cement-reducing additives

Every finish we install uses P3, a unique additive that makes our Pebble Tec finishes stronger, more colorfast, and reduces one bag of cement per batch. Since the average pool uses seven batches, that’s 700 pounds less cement per installation, which in turn reduces the weight of the slurry, and ultimately reduces the amount of greenhouse gas produced during the manufacturing process of the cement itself.

We implemented these initiatives in order to address our growing environmental challenges, and the waste reduction helps make the art of installing interior finishes in pools better for our planet. This is also used as a selling point by our builders when they talk about their quality-minded plastering and shotcrete subcontractor, looking for ways to differentiate themselves from the competition.

Shawn Still is general manager with Olympic Pool Plastering in Norcross, Ga. He has been with the firm since 2003 and has served on the boards of the National Plasterers Council, APSP’s Georgia Chapter and Southeast Region.

Source: Pool & Spa News

Both located in the Madison area, the Fillback Family of Dealerships is an automotive leader serving southwest Wisconsin since 1948, while Dave Jones, Inc. is a mechanical contractor that provides plumbing, fire protection and HVAC services. Dave Jones, Inc. has converted seven Ford E-350s in its own fleet to run on autogas, and the Fillback Family of Dealerships has converted customer vehicles that include Ford Crown Victoria cruisers, Ford E-350 vans and a Chevrolet Silverado truck.

“Our company takes great pride in staying on the cutting edge of green technology to protect our environment for future generations,” says David D. Jones, president and owner of Dave Jones, Inc. “We already offer green options like geothermal technology and energy efficient HVAC equipment for our customers, so operating our service fleet vehicles on clean fuel was a logical next step. Running vehicles on propane autogas significantly reduces emissions in addition to saving fleets on fuel costs.”

Alliance AutoGas is the exclusive U.S. distributor of Prins autogas systems, including the versatile bi-fuel Prins Vapor Sequential Injection (VSI) system, which is EPA-certified for more than 200 vehicle types. The Prins VSI system offers flexibility and peace of mind because the vehicle can revert to gasoline if necessary, and the entire autogas system can be switched to a newer fleet vehicle as older models are retired.

Blossman Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Alliance AutoGas founding partner Blossman Gas, manages the Autogas Technology Center in Asheville, N.C., the U.S. distribution hub for the Prins autogas systems and fueling station equipment. The center also provides warranty support, trains autogas vehicle technicians and conducts autogas equipment research and development.

“We’re excited to be a part of the Alliance AutoGas network and help fleets run on the most viable fuel on the market,” says Mark Fillback, owner of the Fillback Family of Dealerships. “Propane autogas is ideal for a range of vehicle types, whether your fleet is comprised of light- and medium-duty trucks and vans, school buses, law enforcement patrol cars, taxi cabs or limousines. Autogas offers comparable performance to gasoline while being cost-effective to implement.”

Propane autogas is the most widely used alternative fuel in the world, and 98 percent of the U.S. supply is made in America. Fleets are currently saving around $2 per gallon on fuel costs filling up with autogas, which is 30 percent cleaner than gasoline.

Dave Jones, Inc. is a full-service mechanical contractor, providing plumbing, heating and cooling, and fire protection for both residential and commercial customers. A family-run business since 1977, Dave Jones, Inc. has more than 150 dedicated employees (and growing) who provide unmatched customer service. The company plans to continue adding propane autogas vehicles to its fleet.

Source: VehicleServicePros.com

This propane autogas and alternative fuel video curriculum is designed to help organizations with vehicle fleets learn more about the many benefits of switching fuels to clean-burning, cost-effective propane autogas.

Source: Mass Transit magazine

The first video in the series, which is available now, features Alliance AutoGas President Stuart Weidie discussing propane autogas basics such as anticipated fuel cost savings, refueling infrastructure, vehicle conversions and safety. Weidie also describes how the Alliance AutoGas network gets involved in these various steps.

New episodes will be posted throughout the spring, and alerts will be sent to those who subscribe (free of charge) to the YouTube channel.

Source: NGT News

Wednesday, the Tennessee Alternative Fuel Vehicle Roadshow displayed propane, natural gas and bio-fuels that municipalities are using across the country.

In Tennessee, we have several cities and counties that have switched over to propane or natural gas vehicles.

Steve Whaley from Alliance Auto Gas said “The City of Kingsport started two years ago by outfitting law enforcement cars to operate on it and they have used it ever since.”

But they aren’t the only ones. The Sevier County Utility District have several trucks that run off natural gas.

Kevin Ford from the Sevier County Utility District said “We have 35 vehicles in our fleet and we’re in the process of changing all of them over to compressed natural gas vehicles. It’s going to save us money and free us from depending on foreign oil.”

School buses are also making the switch and Morgan County has already invested in two propane powered buses.

Chuck Harvill from Central States Bus Sales said, “The buses run on propane which is cleaner and better for the kids on the bus when the windows are down. Also, the money you save on diesel gas is huge.”

The estimated cost of natural gas and propane comes in around $1.50- $2.00 while the national gasoline average is around $3.50.

“We have cities like Greenville, South Carolina with law enforcement agencies that have saved $250,000 in fuel cost last year alone.” said Steve Whaley

Saving money is one of the biggest reasons municipalities are making the big switch but there’s two other reasons alternative fuels have grown in popularity.

“First, the United States supplies 98% of the world’s natural gas and propane therefore, we would limit our foreign oil dependency. Second, natural gas and propane are cleaner than gasoline.” said Steve Whaley.

It will take a few years for us to start driving propane or natural gas cars but the technology is here and being used successfully.

Source: WVLT-TV Local 8 Now