Our propane will take care of the gas fireplace only but when i ran the lines, i stubbed out for future in the event that we want to change the cooktop or water heater to propane. I also ran a line out to a deck area for a bbq.

Future plans for an addition will include a wood burner which will be the primary source of heat, leaving only the bbq for propane and the occasional use of the gas fireplace when we aren't there in the winter. You might want to consider running stub outs for future tie ins while you are at it.

We are going with an oversized tank even though not much is being used of it because in our area, you can get better rates in the summer than in the winter months when demand is higher. Fill 'er up in the summer and top off if needed in the winter depending on your load.

all electric heat is expensive! propane is a little cheaper, but not much.

if i had it to do all over again, i would have my heat pump use propane for the backup.

i do prefer to cook on gas, though we currently use an electric stove. the nice thing about using a gas stove is that even in the worst case they require a 120v outlet to operate the gas valve and ignitors, so even a small portable generator will run them.

if you go all electric, you need a big gen set to run the central HVAC, water heater, and stove/oven. that is IF you desire to be able to use all at one time. my line of thinking is that i would size the generator big enough to handle all at once if you have frequent extended outages. if it is for just a once in a blue moon 2-3 hours outage, then size it to run the single largest load +at least 25% more. say you have 15kw electric strip heat, then you need 15kw genny JUST to run that. so figure on a 20kw to give headroom for the fridge and your lights.

now, what we do is is use a 6kw installed genny. small, but it was free! i can run all of the 120v stuff in my house with no issues. during the winter we heat the den with blower insert inthe fireplace. this runs off 120v, so the genny takes care of it. i cannot run either HVAC system off it, but i do get my lights, tv, satellite and internet plus the fridge and deep feeze. so far, i have only needed it one time for about 3 hours. no where near enough time required there to even need the HVAC systems!

We too are building in the Mid-west and had to make the same decision. Since I have an all-electric house now, and LOVE my heat pump, I chose to go all electric again. Bur we will have 2 propane gas fireplaces and will run lines for a bbq. If you have a well-insulated house and energy efficient appliances, I find that electric is actually cheaper than propane. Propane is projected to be much higher in a few yrs. We will also install a propane powered generator as a back-up.

We have electric for our oven and water heaters etc.We have a propane tank for our fireplaces and grill. We have future stub outs in case we want to change anything from electric to gas.

We have everything electric except the stove top, it is propane. We were going to go with all propane but turns out we are doing better with electric. I have only had to turn on my A/C once, which is unheard of in Texas but even when it was 92 outside the inside was a nice 72 :-)Not sure how long I can be so lucky....but I am taking it while I can! The small propane tank we do have cost me a small fortune to fill up.

Electric prices vary around the country. But where I am oil is the least expensive. Electric is crazy expensive (but cheap to install). Propane is more expensive than oil because a gallon of propane produces far fewer BTUs than a gallon of oil. But propane systems are cheaper to install than oil systems. Propane is used for the small, cheap spec houses around here.

I would recommend oil if this were your primary system. But since it is backup only, I would price out oil and propane and then make your decision based on the install cost.

It is funny how things are different across the states. Propane is used a lot here, at least in central Texas anyway, and not just for "cheap spec houses".

Oil,kerosene,propane and wood are the primary sources concerning heat in our area with most,including high enders, opting for propane and wood.

kelntx, i see the same thing here. houses worth 5-600k have huge LP tanks sitting beside them. around here they don't bury them due to high water table. and to give you an idea of what that 5-600k equates to, my house is 30 years old 2400 sq ft on 4 acres and it is worth around 200k.

Kelntx,
Texas has far fewer heating days, so it makes sense to go with a system that costs a little more to run (per BTU cost) but costs less to install because you have far fewer heating days. In Maine the efficiency difference between oil and propane amounts to hundreds of dollars each year because there are so many heating days. The spec builders save themselves money with the cheaper to install propane system, but it costs the homeowner a lot more in the long run. What makes sense for Texas is different than what makes sense for Maine. The OP is in an area with a lot of heating days, so real cost per BTU should be a factor.

Sue I got what you meant! LOL! I grew up in Pa so I know how much more harsh the northern winters are compared to Texas. Don't kid yourself though, Texas can see some pretty harsh winter temps. Nothing like up north though so I understand the need for a more cost effective way to heat. I was just commenting on how things are different in each area of the country. Down here it is propane (which my small little tank was NOT cheap by any means LOL!)up north y'all deal with a more different means of heating. I know most spec houses can be made poorly but I certainly won't want to call someones home cheap. I am sure not everyone on the board is building a custom home. Not that I am trying to start a debate I was simply stating how each part of the country is different in regards to home building, ie...we do not have basements in Texas so it is still weird to see some folks talk about their basements. Thats all!