By turning off your gas fireplace in summer, you are saving on your heating. If you were to leave it on, it would continue to burn gas and warm your home to a certain extent. These types of fireplaces continue to give off some heat even if you are not actively using them.
There are gas fireplaces that can be left burning for long periods. If the glass is properly sealed and the fireplace is fully vented this fireplace should run continuously without incident.
Traditional fireplaces can overheat
A gas fireplace allows you to get in there quickly and shut off the gas so things can cool immediately instead of fuming. They can be incredibly unpredictable and can damage the chimney.
As the weather gets warmer, many homeowners wonder if they should turn off their gas fireplace pilot light in the summer. Typically, extinguishing the pilot light in the summer is safe and often sound practice.
Running a gas fireplace costs between $400 and $640 per year. The average cost to run a gas fireplace annually is $520. This comes out to $0.35 to $0.62 per hour, but your costs will depend on several factors, including your fireplace's fuel type and heat output. Your location and usage habits also play a role.
That's not to mention the hassle and expense of buying firewood and having the chimney swept annually. For these reasons, many homeowners choose electric or gas fireplaces instead. Of course, one downside to those alternatives is that their use adds to your monthly utility bills.
In the end, keeping the gas fireplace pilot light on or off is a personal preference. The decision boils down to residual heat, gas usage, and the possibility of nesting spiders. Generally, we recommend turning off the gas pilot light during the summer months.
Besides being safe, leaving a pilot light on has some safety benefits. The continuous flow of gas and continuous flame prevent insects from making a home in the gas pipes. In a similar way, they prevent spiders from forming webs.
LP gas is measured in terms of gallons. There are 92,000 BTU's per gallon. The price of one gallon of LP is $1.10, which means that you will have to pay roughly $5.20 every month to keep your pilot light on.
A direct vent gas fireplace or fireplace insert has a sealed piece of tempered or ceramic glass on the face of the fireplace. As a result of normal operation of these fireplace products, the glass front will become very hot. It is not unusual for the glass to reach sustained temperatures of over 475° Fahrenheit.
Make sure family members and guests are aware that the glass panel of a gas fireplace, stove or insert can be very hot. Wait for the appliance and glass panel to cool down before allowing anyone to get near it. Cool down can take a long time – an hour or more.
Although gas log fireplace inserts and direct-vent gas log fireplaces can run continuously, please note this safety guideline: DO NOT leave a gas fireplace on overnight. Among the potential dangers is the release of carbon monoxide fumes during combustion.
Signs of a carbon monoxide leak in your house or home
Sooty or brownish-yellow stains around the leaking appliance. Stale, stuffy, or smelly air, like the smell of something burning or overheating. Soot, smoke, fumes, or back-draft in the house from a chimney, fireplace, or other fuel burning equipment.
The amount of gas a gas fireplace uses depends on several factors, including the size and type of fireplace, how often it is used, and how long it is used each time—generally speaking. However, most gas fireplaces use between 10,000 and 25,000 BTUs (British Thermal Units) per hour.
Save Energy and Money – Don't Leave Your Pilot Light Always On. As the weather gets warmer, you will be using your gas fireplace less and less. Turning off your gas fireplace seasonally can save you a substantial amount of energy and money.
If you have either a gas fireplace insert or a direct vent fireplace, you should be able to leave your fireplace on continuously throughout the day. However, it's still very important to monitor your fireplace to make sure it is working properly.
A fireplace pilot light might consume about 24,000 BTU per day, adding up to about 720,000 BTU a month, or 7.2 therms. If you're paying $1 per therm, then leaving the pilot light on all the time throughout a month might cost you around $7 per month and $84 per year. This may or may not be a concern for you.
Gas Fireplace
They are very convenient to use, as they can be switched on and off at the touch of a remote or button. While they preserve more heat than a wood-burning fireplace, they still lose around 75% of the heat they generate. The cost of the natural gas you burn can increase your heating bill.
Your gas fireplace is never actually 'off' in the usual sense of that word. For most fireplaces, there is a very tiny flame that is always burning, and that's called your pilot light. Some newer fireplaces feature a standing pilot system with an 'intermittent pilot,' where the pilot isn't actually on all the time.
Turning it off can save you the money you spend on fuel, even though natural gas is inexpensive. You will also be eliminating the risk of accidentally turning on the furnace in the middle of the sweltering summer.
Best For Lifespan: Gas Fireplace
The best fireplace lifespan would be gas fireplaces. Gas fireplaces last, on average, 20–25 years.
The average cost to run a gas fireplace is $1.20 to $6.30 per day, or $40 to $190 per month when running the fireplace 3 to 6 hours a day. The cost of running a gas fireplace depends on the fuel type, home location, and the fireplace size, type, and efficiency.
Zone Heating with Gas Fireplaces
Operating a furnace for one hour at 75,000 -100,000 Btu cost a homeowner $1.12 - $1.49 based on last month's national average natural gas rate. By comparison, a natural gas fireplace running at 30,000 Btu per hour cost only 45 cents.