LP vs Natural Gas: Which Is Right for Your Grill?
Short answer: If you have a gas line at the install point and you'll never move the grill, go natural gas. It's cheaper to run, never empties mid-cook, and lasts as long as the grill does. Propane wins if you're renting, want portability, or don't want to pay for a gas-line plumber.
That's the recommendation we give about 70% of customers who call us. The remaining 30% have a wrinkle — a townhome with no line access, a deck install where running a line would mean opening a wall, a chef who hates dealing with tanks. This guide covers the wrinkles.
We carry Bull BBQ, DCS, and Hestan Outdoor — every one of them ships in both LP and NG configurations. The conversion kits exist, but they're more involved than the marketing pages suggest. Pick right the first time.
How LP and NG actually differ at the burner
LP and NG are both gases, but they burn differently. Propane carries more energy per cubic foot — about 2,500 BTU/ft³ vs natural gas's 1,000. That means an NG grill needs about 2.5× the gas volume to hit the same BTU output as the LP version of the same model.
Manufacturers compensate by drilling the NG orifices larger. A Hestan Aspire 36 ships at 67,000 BTU on either fuel — same headline number, different physics underneath. The reason the BTU rating doesn't change is that the regulator throttles flow to match what the burner is designed for.
Practically: if you order a grill in the wrong fuel, you can't just swap a hose. You need the conversion kit (different orifices, sometimes a new regulator), and on some models the warranty is voided if it's not done by a licensed installer.
The five questions we ask every customer
1. Do you have a gas line where the grill is going?
If yes — and the meter has capacity for an additional 60-90k BTU appliance — natural gas is almost always the right call. If no, the install will run $400-$1,200 depending on distance and whether you're going through a wall.
2. Will you ever move the grill?
Built-in installs are stationary by definition. Freestanding LP grills can roll into the garage for winter or move to a new house. Natural gas grills are anchored — disconnecting and re-plumbing is a job, not a weekend project.
3. How often do you grill?
A serious cook (3+ sessions/week, big cuts) will spend $30-50/month on propane vs maybe $8-15 on natural gas. The fuel savings on NG pay back the install cost in about 18-24 months for a daily user. A weekend-only griller might never break even.
4. Are you renting or do you plan to sell within 3 years?
Propane keeps your options open. Renters can't run gas lines without landlord permission, and home buyers don't typically pay extra for an existing NG grill stub — but they do pay for a clean patio with no exposed gas pipe.
5. Are you in a high-altitude or cold-climate region?
Propane gets sluggish below about 20°F — the tank pressure drops because liquid propane stops vaporizing fast enough to feed the burners. NG doesn't have that problem (utility pressure is consistent). Above 5,000ft you also need to derate the BTU output on either fuel.
What about the cost per cook?
Rough math from our actual customer feedback (not vendor marketing copy):
LP 20-lb tank: $20-25 refill, gives ~18-20 hours of cooking time on a 60k BTU grill (~$1.25/hour)
Natural gas: ~$0.20-0.40 per hour at typical utility rates
Install one-time cost (NG): $400-1,200 depending on plumber rate + distance
Conversion kit (LP → NG or vice versa): $80-150 parts + $100-250 labor
Bottom line: NG is roughly 4-6× cheaper to operate. The break-even on the install depends entirely on how much you grill.
Where Bull, DCS, and Hestan differ on the install
Each of our three carried brands handles fuel differently in the spec sheet:
Bull BBQ: Orifice swap available on every model. Conversion kit is $79-129 from Bull direct. We've done dozens of these — straightforward 30-minute swap if you're comfortable with gas fittings. Warranty stays intact when the kit is genuine Bull and the work is documented.
DCS: Factory-set per order. DCS strongly recommends ordering the right fuel from the start; conversion is technically supported but requires a certified DCS service tech (their warranty terms). Add $300-500 if you need to convert after delivery.
Hestan Outdoor: Same as DCS — factory-set, certified-installer-only conversion. Hestan's premium-tier warranty assumes the factory configuration. The plus side: when you order correctly, the regulator and orifices are tuned to within tight spec for cleaner flame characteristics.
The wrinkles we see most often
Wrinkle 1 — Meter capacity. Your gas meter is sized for the house. Adding a 90k BTU grill on top of a furnace, water heater, range, and dryer can push past the meter's flow rate. Symptom: yellow flames or pilot drop on the furnace when the grill fires. Solution: utility upgrade ($200-600) or stick with propane.
Wrinkle 2 — Cold-weather propane. 20-lb tank capacity drops 30%+ in winter. If you grill year-round in a northern climate and you're on LP, plan to swap to a 40 or 100-lb tank or accept that January cookouts run lean.
Wrinkle 3 — Quick-disconnect couplings. If you go NG, install a quick-disconnect at the grill end. Costs $40-80 extra at install. Pays for itself the first time you need to roll the grill for cleaning or move it for a deck repair.
Wrinkle 4 — Smart-feature compatibility. Some Hestan + DCS models with WiFi-connected ignition systems behave differently on LP vs NG firmware. Confirm with the manufacturer when ordering connected models — we've had two customers stuck in firmware loops because they were on the wrong fuel profile.
Final framework — pick in 30 seconds
Choose Natural Gas if: you own the home, have a gas line within ~30ft of the install point, plan to stay 3+ years, and grill at least weekly.
Choose Propane if: you're renting, the install is freestanding, you want to move the grill seasonally, you grill 1-2x/month, or running a gas line would mean opening a wall.
If you're on the fence — call us. We'll walk through the install with you over the phone in 10 minutes. Better to spend 10 minutes now than $400 on a conversion kit later.
Related reading
Pair this with: How Many BTUs Do You Need (sizing), Built-In vs Freestanding Grills (form factor), Built-In Grill Installation Guide (the actual cutouts + clearances).
