There are many instances when a smart choice for household heating would be a unit like the monitor kerosene heaters easily available on the market.
Natural gas is still probably the cheapest fuel on an ongoing basis, but there are plenty of homes that cannot hook up to a natural gas supply. When it comes to propane versus heating oil, the oil often works out the best value for money. Many argue that it is also safer than either form of gas - certainly there are more fume inhalation deaths from natural gas than heating oil.
These monitor units are not like antique kerosene heaters though. Like the older classic units they are highly efficient (in the region of 93%), but unlike their elderly forefathers, they come with a welter of safety features.
Many of the monitor units are designed to use a balanced flue to the outside so all fumes go outside and all intake air comes from outside the home too. All of them feature sealed combustion units for safety, and cut outs.
Some of them are designed to be used with large home heating oil tanks, which means that they can be really quite easy to operate. If you are considering oil heating systems, then a kerosene heating unit might be just the thing.