Gas heat or Gas fireplace....

which is cheaper to run? We had our new fireplace installed and I'm shocked how it's heating 2 floors in my home.Does anyone know if it is cheaper to run the fireplace or the heat?

Re: Gas heat or Gas fireplace....

I would think the gas heat because the fire isn't always on for your boiler. It hits a certain temperature and the circulator kicks in to circulate everything-basically kicking the gas on and off all day. Whereas the gas for a fireplace is always running to make the heat.

Re: Gas heat or Gas fireplace....

We use our gas FP more than our gas heat! You're right about how much it heats up the other rooms and if I leave the bedroom doors open upstairs the heat reaches there as well. My gas bill averages about $185 per month in the winter. We keep the heat very low in our house (typically about 64-65 degrees) and use the gas FP when we're home. I wouldn't just use the FP to heat my home, but do keep the heat on a lower setting. I was told by my HVAC guy that the gas FP's are very economical to run. When that baby is on the thermostat reads 80 degrees!

Re: Gas heat or Gas fireplace....

Oh, one other thing, the reason why I wouldn't just use the FL to heat the house is because I would be concerned about water pipes and lines bursting on the lower levels. Inasmuch as the FP's heat the house (remember hot air rises) I would worry about the basement or ground levels not getting enough heat to keep the areas where the pipes are warm enough.