I actually have a heater like the one in the show. You can hook it up to a propane tank and it doesn't require electricity. However, I have it for emergencies. I live in Texas, and after the great freeze of a couple of years ago when it was 9 degrees outside and I was without electricity on an off for three days (some were without for three days straight), I bought one. I can imagine having something like that in a cold climate.
However, that one was old as heck. No wonder it killed everyone in the house. The hose was probably cracked.