The factors that affect the election of the fuel are different according to the point of view from which they are studied:
- The availability in the zone.
- The initial investment to realise:
- The price of the burner, being the most expensive dual burners (able to burn 2 or most fuels), burner of H.F.O. (heavy fuel oil); those of gas and finally those of light oil.
- The necessary cost of the pipeline of fuel provision till the burner, vessels, safety measures, etc. This point has major incidence that the previous one.
- The considered consumption derivative of the activity: The election in this case, can depend on the hours of process and the calorific necessity of the same. The ideal is to do a comparison by unit of calorific power like kilocalories or thermia (1000 kcal) necessary in its process: The product of the multiplication by the PCI of each fuel and the cost in kg, liter or m3 of each, will give to you the cost by thermia and therefore, what fuel is the most convenient for your activity. In the following table appear the PCI's of the more current conventional fuels:
| Type of fuel | Calorific power | |
| Inferior | Superior | |
| Natural gas | 9.270 kcal/m3 | |
| Liquefied petroleum gases | ||
Comercial Propane | 11.082 Kcal/Kg | 12.052 Kcal/Kg. |
| Methane | 5.500 kcal/m3 | |
| Commercial butane | 10.938 Kcal/Kg | 11.867Kcal/Kg. |
| Light oil type C | 10.100 kcal/kg | |
| Biodiesel | It depends on his composition | |
| H. Fuel oil | 9.400 kcal/kg | |
You can visit a web about Liquefied petroleum gases in which there is an example about the equivalence of 1 kg of propane in reference to the energy provided by:
1,24 ms ³ of natural gas;
1,20 lt. of H. fuel-oil;
3 ms ³ of citizen gas;
1,30 lt. of light oíl;
3 to 6 kg of firewood (generic data);
14 kWh of electricity;
to 2 kg of coal.
- On the basis of the tariffs that propose to you: With an approximate calculation of the consumption you will obtain the supply tariff of your gas and electricity suppliers, whose prices are very tie to the zone in which you are located.
- On the basis of the maintenance: The burners with gaseous fuels always have a simpler maintenance than those of light oil and heavy fuel-oil (being used these last ones in boilers and furnaces of major heat ratings), because gases have a cleaner combustion.
- On the basis of the environment: Companies located in cities, laboratories or other companies of nonpolluting character, are forced in many occasions to use the electricity to avoid emissions of CO2 to the atmosphere.
