WASHINGTON — The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) announced the Boston/Cape Cod KOA Campground as 2020’s Commercial Propane Project of the Year, an annual contest that recognizes the best residential and commercial projects being powered by propane.

The campground is a popular tourist destination for people visiting Boston, Cape Cod, and Southeast Massachusetts. Like any hospitality business, guest experience is extremely important and was a driving factor in their decision to switch from electric to propane for water heating.

After fielding customer complaints about minimal hot water use and long wait times, the KOA Campground started converting water heaters to propane tankless systems several years ago, but the campground’s budget only allowed them to convert two water heaters per year.

Fortunately, with the help of JaySan Gas Service operations manager Evan Pittsley, the campground was able to expedite converting all the water heaters to propane for a total of 18 cabins running on propane, improving overall customer experience. Pittsley negotiated appliance and material pricing with vendors, secured incentives from the Propane Gas Association of New England (PGANE) and arranged rebates from tankless manufacturer, Rinnai, to help fund this project.

“The switch from electric water heating to propane instantaneous water heaters seems to be the perfect fit for this campground,” said contest judge Matt Evans, building systems analyst and certified HERS rater at Newport Ventures. “This eliminated the wait time for campers who want to camp and not wait for a warm shower. As an avid camper myself who rents cabins like these, I can attest to the benefits of propane tankless versus electric water heating firsthand.”

“What impressed me most about the project was the propane supplier’s ability to go above and beyond in finding a solution to provide the entire campground with propane hot water heaters,” said contest judge Brian Brooks, manager at Brooks Gas. “It highlights the personal relationship our industry has with both their customers and suppliers — relationships that other energy providers simply don't have.”

In addition to the tankless units in the cabins, the campground utilizes propane in a pump station that fills portable cylinders and RVs and in a laundry building with propane-powered commercial dryers.

“Propane tankless systems offer considerable advantages over electric water heating options, and we were thrilled this conversion could help enhance their overall guest experience,” said Bryan Cordill, PERC director of residential and commercial business development.

For more information, visit www.propane.com/project-of-the-year.