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Written on: October 23, 2023
As the nights get longer, and chillier, we get more inquiries from customers looking for information about adding a propane fireplace. They’re a great option for supplemental heat that looks as good as it works.
One of the questions that people ask when they visit our showroom is how much propane a gas fireplace uses. And of course, the answer is that it depends on a lot of factors: if you use your fireplace every night, you’ll use more propane than if you just light it on weekends. If your home is well-insulated, you may not need to turn it up as high. For comparison, your water heater, which you use 365 days a year, uses about 250 gallons per year, and your cooking range uses about 40 gallons per year.
The real question is should be whether a propane fireplace is efficient to run.
And people love to learn that propane fireplaces run at about 80 percent efficiency—which makes them four or five times more efficient than a wood-burning fireplace.
A big reason a propane gas log set is more efficient than a wood fire is the chimney—or lack thereof. A wood fire needs a chimney to burn safely, but as much as 90 percent of the heat is sucked up the chimney along with smoke and combustion gasses. With direct vent or ventless propane options, all the heat stays in the room, instead of going up the chimney.
A propane insert using direct venting only needs a single dual-chambered pipe directly through a wall to the outdoors. The pipe simultaneously draws air for the fire from the outdoors, while it expels the fire’s combustion byproducts to the outside.
Ventless models have a regulator that produces a fine gas-air mix that allows the gas to burn cleanly. You don’t even need a chimney or a flue.
With a wood fire, you need to pay constant attention, adding logs and poking embers, or your fire will die down and your room will get cold. With today’s propane logs, a remote control and a thermostat lets you dial up the heat you want—which is great not only for controlling temperature, but for controlling your propane use. Those electric igniters are also more efficient than a standing pilot light.
Another feature you don’t get with a wood fireplace are multispeed blowers that push warm air into the room, providing better, more even heat—especially in larger spaces like great rooms.
Lastly, they let you spend time enjoying time with family and friends, not tending a fire—how efficient is that?
Imagine gathering with loved ones around a toasty fireplace over the upcoming holidays!
Stop by our showroom and let the team at Pico show you how easy and affordable installing a propane fireplace can be. Contact us for more information today.
