Deputy Josh Duehning fueling his squad with propane
Sheriff Roger Scott announces an alternative fuel pilot program aimed at cutting the Sheriff’s Office fuel Budget. During the week of Thanksgiving 2014 six recently converted squads started using propane as an alternative fuel. During early 2013 research was done to look for an alternative fuel that could help cut costs for the Sheriff’s Offices’ fleet of vehicles and after exploring several options propane stood out as the most cost efficient alternative. It is anticipated that each converted squad will save over $2,000 per year in fuel costs. A visit to Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin provided valuable information as their department has been using propane in its fleet of squads for nearly 30 years.
Safety and procedure class for propane fueling at the DeKalb County Highway Department
Six new Chevrolet Tahoe’s were converted to a dual fuel propane system and put in service during the department’s 2014 squad replacement cycle. The squads are able to burn either propane or regular gas. In addition to the much lower cost propane is a cleaner burning fuel for both the engine and environment. Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by up to 25% compared to gasoline and propane does not leave heavy carbon deposits inside the engines which can potentially add longevity and reduce maintenance costs to the vehicles. Deputies assigned propane vehicles received safety training and certification on propane autogas refueling from HicksGas who is supplying the propane and fueling equipment.
The Illinois EPA offers rebates of up to 80% to a maximum of $4000.00 for alternative fuel conversions such as propane and CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) which was used to help lower the conversion costs for the squads. The US Department of Energy also offers a rebate program for propane autogas which is .50 cents per gallon and will be applied for when it is available. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office received recognition and was designated as an Illinois Green Fleet by the Illinois EPA and Chicago Area Clean Cities (CACC) at their annual stakeholder meeting, awards ceremony and reception which was held in Wheaton on December 10th, 2014.
During the initial stages of the program fuel savings costs will be monitored to see if it will be cost effective to continue conversion of the patrol fleet to propane in the coming years. Long range monitoring will determine whether or not the systems help save on maintenance and fuel costs for overall lifecycle savings on the squads. In 2000 the department switched to Chevrolet Impala’s as a means to reduce fuel consumption and costs which has been very successful and the hope is that this will be the next step in further reducing those costs.
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