If you’re considering purchasing a Valor gas fireplace or another high-quality option from Croft Fireplace, you might be wondering how much gas is needed to operate it. How much gas does a gas fireplace use? It’s a crucial question for estimating your fuel costs.
A gas-burning fireplace requires a constant gas source to function, which involves a different cost calculation than other types of fireplaces. However, the amount of gas you need varies greatly depending on a number of considerations.
We’ll explain gas fireplace BTU, break down the factors that impact how much a gas fireplace costs to run, and share some cost-saving tips to help you enjoy the glow and heat without breaking the bank.
Browse a specific category by clicking on any of the quick links below:
- Understanding Your Fireplace’s BTU
- Factors That Impact the Cost of Gas for Your Gas Fireplace
- How to Calculate Fuel Costs
- Cost-Saving Tips for Using Gas Fireplaces
- Reach Out to Croft Fireplace for Help
Understanding Your Fireplace’s BTU
Before you make any calculations, it’s important to understand BTU. Short for British thermal unit, BTU is a measurement of heat that indicates how much heat a fireplace creates with the maximum amount of fuel. Knowing the BTU of your gas-burning fireplace will help you calculate the cost of using it.
For example, a fireplace with a 60,000 BTU rating will consume up to 60,000 BTUs per hour of use. However, the level of BTU varies based on different circumstances.
Consult your fireplace provider to learn more about your fireplace’s BTU. This information is essential for estimating fuel costs.
Factors That Impact the Cost of Gas for Your Gas Fireplace
Quite a few components come into play to influence the amount you’ll pay to use your gas fireplace. Here are some of the factors that make a difference.
Fuel Source
The cost to use a gas-burning fireplace varies based on whether it’s fueled by natural gas or propane. These fuel sources cost different amounts per therm, a measurement of how much fuel is needed per 100,000 BTU.
Natural gas is typically sold by the therm (100,000 BTUs), while propane is sold by the gallon (which equates to about 91,500 BTUs). Though the units differ, propane often costs more per BTU. If natural gas costs $1.20 per therm and propane costs $3.00 per gallon, for example, propane heating ends up being significantly more expensive for the same heat output.
Staying apprised of the current rates of natural gas vs. propane costs is essential for estimating overall heating prices accurately.
Fireplace Purpose
One aspect that can influence how much BTU a gas-powered fireplace has is whether it is designed to be a decoration or a heat source. Decorative fireplaces are intended to benefit a room’s ambiance and appearance, whereas heat-producing ones are meant to warm the entire room. You can actually get the most bang for your buck with an energy-efficient direct vent fireplace—it produces significantly more heat and uses much less fuel than an open gas-log fireplace.
Usage Details
Another factor determining how much your gas-powered fireplace will cost is the time of year in which you intend to use it. Gas is only used when your fireplace is running, so you’ll pay more the longer the unit runs. You may choose to run the fireplace more in the winter when it’s colder, using more fuel. In the summer, you may decide not to turn it on at all. Factoring in how many hours, days, and times of year you will be operating the fireplace is essential when making your final calculations.
Fireplace Settings
How often you use your fireplace has a big impact, but so do the settings you select when you turn it on. It won’t come as a surprise that intense, bigger flame setups will use more fuel than more modest settings. Adjusting your gas fireplace to produce large flames, cranking the temperature, and using the unit more often will all increase your fuel costs.
Maintenance Regularity
You probably know that you’re likely to save money at the gas pump if you get regular oil changes, keep your tires evenly inflated to the correct PSI, and follow the manufacturer-recommended maintenance schedule for your car. Gas fireplaces may not have tires, but they operate under a similar principle.
Hiring a professional for an annual check-up and regular maintenance services can keep your fireplace running at peak efficiency, saving money in fuel costs. On the flip side, a lack of maintenance can leave your fireplace working harder to achieve the results it once did—driving up fuel use and prices. Damaged vents, clogged ports, debris build-up, and reduced airflow all have an impact.
Climate
It’s common sense: Colder weather generally encourages us to use our fireplace. There’s nothing quite like snuggling up in front of a fireplace while the air is crisp and snow blankets the world outside. If you experience lengthy, extreme winters where you live, there’s a good chance you’ll need more gas. You’ll be using your fireplace more often and at a higher temperature.
But elevation also comes into play. Those living in the Utah mountains may experience reduced air density, which can drive up gas consumption. Being surrounded by majestic mountains is stunning, but this is one trade-off.
Fireplace Size
Bigger fireplaces cost more to maintain and use than smaller units. It’s really that simple. Now, as we pointed out earlier, settings also come into play. A large gas fireplace in lower settings may use less gas than a medium-sized fireplace that is always running full blast. But all other factors being equal, a big, beautiful fireplace simply costs more to run.
Home Style
Your home’s design and layout help determine how much gas you need to heat a room and keep everyone toasty. A ranch-style home with a relatively closed den or living room may do a better job of keeping the heat contained compared to a modern house with vaulted ceilings and an open floor plan.
How to Calculate Fuel Costs
As you can probably tell from our long list of factors impacting total cost, there are many variables that make a simple calculation challenging. We can offer some generalizations, but you’ll have to look at your actual usage, along with the factors above, to get an accurate estimate.
You’ll need to know your gas fireplace’s BTU rating, whether you’re using propane or natural gas, and local fuel rates.
- Figures depend on the value of a BTU per unit of fuel.
- Natural Gas: 100,000 BTU per therm
- Propane: approximately 91,500 BTU per gallon
- Divide your fireplace’s BTU output by the BTUs per unit of fuel to see how many therms or gallons it uses per hour.
- Example: Let’s look at a 30,000-BTU gas fireplace. With natural gas, it would use up to 0.3 therms per hour. With propane, it would use around 0.33 gallons per hour. If you’re running the fireplace on lower settings, it’s probably using fewer BTUs.
- Multiply the answer by the current rate per unit of fuel to calculate the cost per hour.
- Example: Continuing our example of the 30,000-BTU fireplace above, let’s say natural gas costs $1 per therm. The fireplace would cost about $0.30 per hour to operate at full capacity. If propane costs $2.66, then your propane-fueled gas fireplace would cost around $0.88 per hour to run.
Cost-Saving Tips for Using Gas Fireplaces
A gas fireplace epitomizes warmth, coziness, and comfort. We believe its value goes beyond the warmth it provides; it offers a homey yet luxurious experience.
But very few of us get to live our lives without checking our bank account balances. Here are some money-saving tips to help you enjoy the experience while considering total costs.
Use Energy-Efficient Fireplace Inserts
Certain inserts are designed to offer more heat while using less energy. If your current setup isn’t designed for energy efficiency, upgrading to an eco-friendly fireplace insert can be a wise investment for the environment and your monthly fuel costs.
Install a Fireplace Blower
This special fan can make your gas fireplace more efficient by spreading the hot air out, helping the room heat more quickly and effectively. A fireplace blower may enable you to use lower settings for the same effect, reducing your BTU and overall energy consumption.
Invest in Proper Maintenance
We mentioned this above as a factor in your spending. If a lack of regular maintenance can drive up costs, you can save money on fuel by having a professional look at your system and make sure it’s running at peak efficiency. Croft Fireplace offers gas fireplace maintenance; it’s a great place for Utah residents to start.
Saving on Overall Heating Costs
We’ve been focused on saving fuel costs for your gas fireplace, but what if you could actually utilize your fireplace to reduce your home heating bills? One of the best ways to reduce your gas bill during colder months is to practice zone heating. This involves keeping your thermostat at a cooler temperature and just heating the spaces where you spend the most time.
If the idea sounds familiar, you’ve hit the nail on the head: Using a gas fireplace for heat is an example of zone heating in action! Turn your furnace down and spend more lazy nights reading or watching TV in front of the fire. An energy-efficient fireplace insert uses much less fuel than heating your entire house with your furnace.
One customer reported reducing his gas bill by $50 per month by adding a single fireplace insert to his home!
Reach Out to Croft Fireplace for Help
At Croft Fireplace, we have the expertise to take care of all your fireplace needs. We are the premier stop for Utah residents looking for a new fireplace. Our financing options make your new fireplace easy to pay for, too.
We look forward to working with you to bring the beauty of a fireplace into your home.