Ahh, a fireplace. It’s the ideal image of a toasty, cozy, welcoming space. Whether it’s rustic or elegant, old-fashioned or top-of-the-line, a fireplace can’t be beat for atmosphere and making a house feel like a home. Unfortunately, wood-burning fireplaces are messy and inconvenient, and perhaps worst of all, they’re extremely inefficient.
A gas-burning fireplace can provide that welcoming atmosphere and cozy, homey feeling without getting your living room covered in sawdust, bark bits, and ash. And it can help you to spend less on heating. Not only is a gas-burning fireplace more efficient than one that burns wood, it’s also a cheaper way to heat than your electric furnace. Here’s why.
Ancient Technology
When you use a wood-burning fireplace, you’re essentially using the same technology that has been used for thousands of years, almost totally unchanged. And while a stone castle heated only by huge fireplaces may be a lovely idea in a fantasy, the reality is that those places were, well, stone-cold.
In order to avoid having deadly carbon monoxide trapped in your home (or castle) it is necessary to let the exhaust out through a chimney. In a traditional fireplace, fresh air enters to provide oxygen to feed the fire, and the fumes from the combustion exit. Unfortunately, that allows much of the heat out as well. This ancient technology doesn’t do much to maximize the heat that’s kept in the home.
Modern Technology
Gas-burning fireplaces have addressed this problem and are able to keep much more of the heat they generate inside your home where you actually want it. Modern flue venting systems can direct the carbon monoxide safely away without allowing anywhere near as much heat to escape. People who transition from a wood-burning fireplace to a gas fireplace spend much less on gas than they once did on wood.
Gas vs. Electricity
An electric heating system is 100% efficient. It does not use combustion to generate heat, it does not create any exhaust fumes, and it does not need ventilation. That means all the energy it uses can be converted directly into heat which stays in your home. So how could a natural gas fireplace be a more efficient option than an electric heater?
The key here is the cost of the energy. Electricity is often more expensive than natural gas. So if you have an electric furnace and a gas fireplace, consider using the gas fireplace more of the time. You might find that your increased gas consumption doesn’t cost you nearly as much as what you’re saving on your decreased electric bill.
Do you have more questions about gas fireplace installation in Cantonment, FL? Whether you’re hoping to convert a wood-burning fireplace to gas, install a gas fireplace where there’s never been a fireplace before, or get maintenance or repair on your existing gas fireplace, we’ve got you covered.
Contact the team at Commander Air Inc. Your hometown heating and cooling specialist for three generations.