Gas Vs Electric Vs Wood Fireplace - Which Is Best?
When it comes to heating your home, no doubt you’ll be wanting to use the most efficient and cost-effective method possible. So, if you’re struggling to decide between a gas vs electric vs wood fireplace, the following guide should help you out. We look at the pros and cons of each, in order to determine which is the best method for heating your home.
Gas Fireplace
Pros:
- Low running costs: gas is cheaper for heating your home than electricity, but less so that wood
- Efficiency: gas fires can be up to 90% efficient
- High heat output: gas fires can provide up to 3x more heat than electric fires
Cons:
- High installation costs: A professional gas engineer needs to install the fire
- High maintenance: It’s essential that gas fires are serviced annually by a gas engineer to ensure they’re safe to use
- Carbon monoxide: You’ll need to install a carbon monoxide detector nearby in case of any gas leaks
- Chimney cleaning: Your chimney will need to be cleaned 1-2 times a year, unless your appliance is flueless
So, whilst gas fires are efficient and cheap to run, this is often counteracted by high installation fees. When it comes to deciding between a gas vs electric vs wood fireplace, maintenance requirements are also something to consider. Gas appliances unfortunately require a higher level of maintenance (annual services or chimney cleaning in some cases), and this is another factor to take into account when comparing gas vs electric vs wood fireplaces.
Electric Fireplace
Pros
- Reasonably priced: Most electric fires start at relatively low prices
- Easy installation: Some electric fires can be installed without professional help, and just need plugging in
- Efficiency: electric fires are 100% efficient, meaning no heat is lost
- Low maintenance: Electric fires don’t require services like gas fires, and don’t produce any mess
Cons
- Very expensive to run: Although they can be cheap to buy, electric fires are a lot more expensive to run than gas or wood burners
- Unrealistic appearance: The flames in electric fires have a tendency to look ‘fake’, and this can make the overall appearance look drab
- Low heat output: When it comes to assessing heat output between a gas vs electric vs wood fireplace, electric definitely comes out last, with most electric fires being limited to 2kw or less.
There’s no denying that electric fireplaces are easy to install and to run. However, the biggest drawback is how expensive the running costs are, in addition to the unrealistic appearance that electric powered fires have, and this is an important factor to consider when comparing gas vs electric vs wood fireplaces.
Wood Fireplace
Pros
- Real, cosy warmth: You can’t replicate the feel and appearance of a real fire, that creates a cosy focal point in the room
- More efficient than open fires: Whilst open fires lose a lot of heat through the chimney, wood burners are usually between 60-80% efficient
- Low running costs: When using a good, kiln-dried heat source, such as hardwood heat logs, wood fireplaces are a lot cheaper to run than gas and electric
- Carbon neutral: Any CO2 released by burning wood is reabsorbed by the re-planted tree in life. So, as long as you’re using sustainably sourced wood that has been properly dried, wood fireplaces are not big pollutants
- Independence from energy suppliers: Unlike with gas and electric, you don’t need to worry about ever-increasing energy costs and the risk of being without heating should there be an issue with the supplier.
Cons
- Higher initial cost: Wood burners tend to be more expensive to buy than gas or electric appliances, but they pay off in the long term.
- Installation: A professional will need to install your wood fireplace to ensure it is safe to run.
- Maintenance: You’ll need to get your chimney cleaned regularly, as with most gas fires.
Wood appliances do require maintenance and they can be expensive to buy. However, once set up, running costs are low, and heat output is incredibly efficient. When it comes to deciding between a gas vs electric vs wood fireplace, it’s also impossible to replicate the atmosphere and appearance of a cosy, wood burning fireplace.
Gas Vs Electric Vs Wood Fireplace - Conclusion
When it comes to deciding on whether a gas vs electric vs wood fireplace is the best method for heating your home, there’s certainly a lot to consider. As we’ve discussed, there are pros and cons to all three of these heating methods. Ultimately it comes down to choosing an appliance that will be cost effective and produce the level of heat and warmth you need to keep you cosy throughout the winter months.
Whilst gas and electric heaters can be cheaper to buy, and in regards to electric heaters, low maintenance, they don’t provide the same authentic heat output as a real wood fireplace. Not to mention, electric heaters are very expensive to run, and gas heaters have high installation costs. The real benefit of owning a wood fireplace is that you’re completely independent from energy suppliers, benefiting from low running costs and experiencing the cosy warmth that you simply can’t get from gas or electric.
What about the environmental impact?
Understandably, when comparing gas vs electric vs wood fireplaces, a concern that people often have about wood fireplaces is their environmental impact. There is a common misconception that all wood burners are bad for the environment and should be avoided.
Always prioritising environmental needs, Lekto wood fuels are 100% natural, sourced from sustainable plantations, and kiln-dried to achieve a moisture content that is below 15% at the very least, or below 9% in the case of our hardwood heat logs. To find out more about our sustainable wood fuel products, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.