Written on: October 26, 2024
Propane is a key component in the 2024 Southern Living Idea House which is located in Johns Island, South Carolina this year. The Idea House concept is a popular annual feature for Southern Living Magazine. Nestled in a quiet area south of Charleston, the 4300 sq ft home was designed to maximize beautiful views of natural surroundings around trees and close to water. You can take a virtual tour of the home here. Propane is very useful for this home because of its challenging conditions.
In a recent Path to Zero Podcast hosted by Tucker Perkins, President and CEO of the Propane Education & Research Council, Perkins was joined at the Southern Living Idea House by the home’s builder and others to highlight sustainable home construction using propane which can help reduce carbon emissions. A link to a video of the podcast is here.
Joining Perkins for the podcast discussion were Tom Dillard, president of Dillard Jones and builder of the Southern Living Idea House, Matt Blashaw, TV personality and owner of Blashaw Residential and Will King, owner of High Cotton Homes. All build homes that utilize propane.
TRENDS IN CUSTOMER PRIORITIES
Perkins asked each builder about trends in customer priorities. Dillard noted customers want independence from the electric grid, power despite a storm knocking the power off, safety, security and the ability to live where they want to live. Blashaw stressed the interest in backup generators, people wanting power despite changing weather, safety and furnace running. King mentioned efficiency with usage of the energy that goes into the house. “Residential energy accounts for 50 percent of propane used in the United States today,” Perkins said. He noted that a million more homes will be built in 2024.
Blashaw said that he is building a lot of homes on the outskirts of Kansas City. “People are interested in more rural homes near lakes,” he said. While many have initial concerns about a propane home, he said that once they are comfortable with propane, they have a whole lot more options for lots to choose from that don’t require natural gas availability. He said they ask, “Who’s going to deliver the propane.” Perkins commented that new propane users are often comforted to know that quite often the propane is going to be delivered by someone living right there in the same community where they live.
“In North Alabama, natural gas is not available for about 80 percent of the homes we are building,” King said. He said customers are often adding vacation homes and understand that if they run out of propane, they will lose power. Dillard said more and more people were moving out of cities after COVID. “With COVID, they wanted out of the cities and for many, if they had Zoom and could work at home, it was a good time to move further out of the city.” Dillard advises people building further outside the city to go ahead and put in a backup generator to boost their level of independence.
SUSTAINABILITY
Dillard stressed the importance of sustainability. “It is the most important thing to use energy sources that make sense for the environment,” he said noting the efficiency of the hydronic system. “The Heat Pump Helper is great for efficiency, savings and the environment.” Perkins said this home represented 13 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than electric.
King, who had been a fireman for 10 years takes all things he did as a fireman into account in the building process. He too believes in the importance of being prepared for the power to go out. Blashaw, who grew up in California remembers well earthquakes such as one in Northridge, California many years ago but is still adjusting to tornado threats in his new hometown of Kansas City and has already had a tornado touch down a few blocks from his home. He also stresses to clients the importance of backup generation when such weather events occur. All stressed the importance of having many smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and training the family to cut the gas and water in emergencies. They also stressed the importance of having the hood sized correctly for cooking with gas.
Dillard mentioned the propane-powered features in the Idea House include appliances, a fire pit, a grill, a gas stove, a small swimming pool, a fireplace and a dryer. He stressed the efficiency benefits of the Heat Pump Helper which replaces electric strip heating when temperatures get really cold.
You can see a video of the full podcast here.
