Gas fire place versus....

**Ima saver** · 10-22-2007, 08:29 AM

I never use mine either!

**beebop25blue25** · 10-22-2007, 12:30 PM

The only heat that we use in the winter is our Gas Log Fireplace! It heats our whole house of about 1,400 SQ!! We have a main level where the master bedroom, kitchen, dining, and living room are. Then upstairs are two bedrooms. Heat rises so the bedrooms upstairs are nice and toasty and the downstairs is "just right"!! We feel that it's less expensive than running the electric heat pump! Ours has an automatic on/off heat sensor, so we set it at a certain temperature and when it reaches that temp it turns itself off, and then when the temp drops it turns itself on! So we set it and forget it!

The big PLUS to me is the ambience it creates!! I love watching the "fire" burn and the cozy feeling it gives!! Nothing cozier in my opinion!!

**financeman45** · 10-22-2007, 12:56 PM

Originally posted by herm4 View Post

We have three gas fireplaces in our house and have never really used them. I was always afraid they were too expensive to run. They have blowers on them to circulate the heat so....I'm wondering if heat wise, they are cost effective, rather than running the central heat all the time. It gets VERY cold here in Nebraska and heating the house gets very expensive.

Central heating is always the most expensive method. Your fireplace acts as a "space heater" (even though it has a blower) rather than heating all of the walls and structure of the house.

**sweeps** · 10-22-2007, 01:01 PM

Originally posted by financeman45 View Post

Central heating is always the most expensive method. Your fireplace acts as a "space heater" (even though it has a blower) rather than heating all of the walls and structure of the house.

Using the fireplace may be "cheaper" than central heating, but it's different. You're heating 1 or 2 rooms rather than the whole house. In fact, the rooms further away from the fireplace will likely get even colder because air is getting sucked from the outside to feed the fire.

**herm4** · 10-22-2007, 03:34 PM

Originally posted by financeman45 View Post

Central heating is always the most expensive method. Your fireplace acts as a "space heater" (even though it has a blower) rather than heating all of the walls and structure of the house.

Good point. It seems like it would be cost effective to use them then.

**herm4** · 10-22-2007, 03:37 PM

Originally posted by sweeps View Post

Using the fireplace may be "cheaper" than central heating, but it's different. You're heating 1 or 2 rooms rather than the whole house. In fact, the rooms further away from the fireplace will likely get even colder because air is getting sucked from the outside to feed the fire.

So the gas fireplace sucks in air from the outside? I had no idea! That could be a bad thing.

**sweeps** · 10-22-2007, 06:28 PM

Fireplace doors can help... Fireplace Doors - Close your fire in for efficiency

**LivingAlmostLarge** · 10-23-2007, 08:26 AM

We just installed our gas fireplace. Absolutely it will save us money. Why? Our furnance is in the attic up 3 stories from our bottom floor. Unfortunately heat is difficult to push downwards.

So by installing a gas fireplace, we're going to be able to heat our bottom floor efficiently. We are going to save a ton of money and the house will be warm.

Last year we couldn't get it above 50. In fact during a super cold weekend our pipes in the kitchen burst. We had the heat on full blast, but we were unable heat the bottom floor very much. This year I think we'll be able to hit 65!

Gas fireplaces inserts rules. Sure we could have kept our wood fireplace, but it was inefficient heating, and wood where we live costs a lot. And it doesn't get very warm.

**herm4** · 11-25-2007, 05:27 PM

I have used just ONE of my gas fireplaces to heat the house ( approx 5000 sq feet) over the past 3 days. It has kept my house at an almost too warm 74 degrees! I am so amazed at how well it has warmed my house! I will be interested to see if using the gas fireplace instead of our central heat will be less expensive.

Gas fire place versus....