Gas Fireplace Costs of Operation

We are hearing from many people, the statement that it costs too much to operate a gas fireplace and therefore it isn’t being used at all. That seems a shame, given the cost to originally put it into the home, and the pleasant atmosphere an occasional fire can provide for the occupants.

We have done some investigation on that subject to help put the cost of operating the fireplace into some perspective. The typical cost to operate gas logs is typically well under $1 per hour. Some heat is pulled from the home via the updraft, but the gas fire provides radiant heat to the room, too. It seems reasonable to assume the overall operating cost of a gas log fireplace is about $1 per hour.

Using the fireplace a couple evenings a month is unlikely to add more than about $10 to the monthly bill. Since people are likely to use a fireplace starting around Thanksgiving, and get tired of it before the end of February, we are only discussing it’s use for about three months in any event.

Maybe upon reflection, occasional fireplace use IS affordable.

Don’t forget to close the damper when the fire is out and surfaces have cooled so that you won’t get burned. When we test homes for leakage, we find about half the fireplaces have wide open dampers, but frequently they haven’t been used in months or even years! An open damper is just like leaving a window open, 24/7, so it will almost certainly have a substantial impact on utility bills and comfort.