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The 2025 Southern Living Idea House is a custom home set on a wooded, rolling landscape in Keswick, Virginia, just outside Charlottesville. The cedar shake and standing seam metal roofs, clapboard siding, and deep front porch beckon visitors to step inside this timeless custom home — but the architectural details aren’t the only inviting aspect. A chef-worthy kitchen, expansive outdoor living space, and fieldstone fireplaces urge you to sit and stay awhile.
Propane makes this easy living possible, as it powers the range, fireplace, tankless water heater, hydronic heating system, and backup generator.
Build Anywhere — Even in Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Propane is a best-in-class energy choice for custom builders, providing a reliable, clean, on-site energy that allows contractors to build anywhere, irrespective of proximity to natural gas lines or even electricity. That flexibility is key, especially in a region like central Virginia where access to natural gas isn’t guaranteed in more scenic or tucked-away parcels of land.
Siting
At this project, the house is sited at the back of the property and adjacent to riparian plains. This necessitated a long driveway approach and careful consideration of the surrounding environment. These were just two of the factors that compelled the builders to power the home with propane rather than extending natural gas to the site, even though it was locally available. “Our experience with propane was great,” notes Project Manager Allan Pettit. “In the market that we serve, over half of our projects do not have access to a natural gas utility and therefore we work with propane frequently.”
Two buried propane tanks, daisy-chained together, allowed the builder to bring the energy source literally to the front door. One supports the appliances and systems throughout the whole home, while the other supports the generator. This allowed the builder to incorporate high-efficiency heating, a gourmet-style kitchen with gas cooking, an on-demand water heater, and even backup power options, all without being tied to the limitations of utility infrastructure.
Environmental concerns
Propane is a versatile, clean and dependable energy solution, giving builders and homeowners the freedom to build dream homes almost anywhere. This was an important consideration due to the home’s location next to two environmentally sensitive riparian plain streams, which can pose site challenges and prevent builders from running natural gas lines through the area.
Propane has lower carbon emissions than the average US grid emissions. Propane is nontoxic and won’t pollute soil or groundwater, making it the right energy source to power homes in eco-sensitive environments. “Propane aligned well with our sustainability goals: it’s a clean fuel with a lower carbon footprint than many traditional energy sources, and it’s easy to store safely on site,” explains Julie Cline Dixon of Rosney Co. Architects.
Greater Energy Independence
Having an alternative, on-site source of electricity is an appealing amenity for homeowners, especially with the electric grid challenges and increasing electricity costs. When builders specify propane appliances rather than electric options, they reduce the demand on the home’s electric panel, lower electricity costs, and reduce the size of the backup generator needed to support the home.
The Southern Living Idea House builder also wanted the homeowners to have greater energy independence, with resilient and reliable backup power. “A backup generator has become a standard client expectation,” says Pettit. “Propane is always our go-to as the fuel source because it is the only fuel source that is stable and, when stored correctly, doesn’t expire.” A propane-powered generator provides dependable, affordable power when needed, while also being quieter, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly than diesel or gasoline options. Because this home has so many propane appliances, that reduced the size of the generator needed, which means less dependency on the grid.
A Whole Home Solution
This house is a great example of how propane is a whole home solution, offering comfort, efficiency, and reduced demand for electricity. These are the appliances Pettit chose to incorporate into the Southern Living Idea House.
- Range. Propane ranges are preferred by professional chefs and home cooks for precise temperature control.
- Fireplace. Propane-powered fireplaces provide six times the heating capacity of wood-burning models, without the soot or ash to clean up.
- Hot Water. Propane tankless water heaters provide on-demand hot water and help reduce the home’s energy consumption.
- Home Heating. The hybrid heat pump solution provides comfortable, efficient heat to the entire home, supported by propane. Traditional electric heat pumps struggle when temperatures fall below 40°, which is common in this region. Hybrid heat pump solutions eliminate the need for electric backup heat strips by utilizing hot water, powered by propane, to deliver comfortable, affordable, and efficient heat. Working with the home’s existing thermostat, an air handler module communicates to the propane tankless water heater to circulate hot water through a hydronic coil that has been installed at the air handler. The result is improved efficiency, lower operating costs, and greater comfort for homeowners.
“Because propane is able to be used in hot water production and emergency or backup heating, it reduced the electrical demands of the house, and we were able to reduce the size of the generator by 50%,” Pettit explains. “Because of the distance of the house from the road, propane tank burial and running lines to the house was less costly than natural gas service. This also meant that the area of soil disturbance was smaller, since we didn’t excavate a long trench from the road.”
Builders Can Count on Propane
Propane is the preferred energy choice for many builders due to its superior reliability and cost-effectiveness, especially when compared to electric alternatives. And when natural gas lines are unavailable or cost prohibitive to extend, having this energy choice is key. Propane appliances use less energy, cost less to operate, and have fewer full-cycle emissions. Designers, builders, and homeowners alike count on propane to bring home more comfort, savings, reliability, and versatility.
Builders and remodelers can reap the rewards of incorporating propane appliances into their build projects by participating in the Propane Construction Research Program (PCRP). Builders share installation information and emissions comparisons for houses they built with propane vs. all-electric in a specific location. Qualified builders can earn up to $1,000 per home for participating in this research and data collection. Please follow this link for more information and to apply: https://percstates.wpenginepowered.com/pcrp.