Propane Gas Forced Air Heat & Propane Gas Fireplace

[RCWRTR]

Since my partner and I are currently building a new home, I'm curious as about y'all's experiences with propane gas forced air heat and/or propane gas fireplaces (with electrical blowers). I understand their efficiency has improved considerably over those from the 80s, 90s and even early 00s, so I'm particularly interested in information about the newer and more efficient models. Natural gas, oil, ground source heat pump and solar heat are not options for us, but electric heat pump and propane gas are.

[RCWRTR]

Thanks for the information, Oddball! I'm familiar with Rinnai's products, having had a Rinnai inline hot water heater in a previous home. The manufacturer for the propane furnace & central air conditioning for our new home is Goodman, aka Goodman Manufacturing Company. The propane fireplace manufacturer is Fireside Hearth & Home.

Having had natural gas, ground source heat pump with natural gas backup and total electric with and without heat pumps in homes I've owned previously, I decided to research the brands and specific model numbers for our furnace, central air conditioning and propane gas fireplace. I believe we will be getting quality products from both companies.

What I find difficult to get a handle on is how warm and cool our new home will be with these products and how affordable propane will be for our 2,884 sq. ft. home. My current home, which has ground-source electric heat with electric heat pump for central air is anything but warm in the winter. Since home sizes vary between 1,800 and 3,100 sq. ft. in our new community, talking to future neighbors has only added to my confusion. Also, some opted for one or more propane gas fireplaces, some didn't. Other factors are whether people chose the top-rated windows, like we did, the type of insulation chosen and the type of flooring in the various homes (ceramic, hardwood and similar flooring vs. carpet on floors can contribute to how warm or cold a room feels).

[Gardenarian]

Hi there,
I've got a propane fireplace in my cabin. There is an integral fan. It works very well to heat the space quickly and the price is low.
One thing I don't like is that, of course, the fire lights up whenever the heat goes on - which is fine during the day, but the light from the fire wakes me up at night.
I belong to a buying club, which I think is very common. You all agree to buy propane from the same vendor and you get a lock on price per gallon for the year. We were paying almost $1 less per gallon than if we did not belong.
I also use propane for the water heater - again, very affordable - cheaper than the natural gas we have at my main house.

[RCWRTR]

Thanks for sharing, Gardnerian! Our propane fireplace will have an optional integral blower. Thankfully, it is located in the living room on the first floor, so I don't expect the light from the fireplace will wake us up at night in our bedroom on the second floor.

There are 3 giant buried propane tanks at the edge of our planned community of 162 homes, which serve all of the homes in our planned community. Each individual home has separate metered service. The homeowner's association seeks bids from the various propane suppliers in the region, to ensure we get the lowest possible price for our propane. The propane suppliers in the region are VERY competitive and really want the long-term business of communities such as ours.