Are Log Burners Cheaper Than Gas Fires?

There is nothing that creates a beautiful ambience quite like a live burning fire. With this in mind, it’s important to consider which type of fire you want for your home. If you are planning on installing a new gas fire or log burner in your home, there are some factors that you should take into account.

Gas is the cheapest type of energy, so a gas fire could help reduce your running costs and heating bills. Despite the gorgeous aesthetics of a log burner, when compared with gas fires, they can be very poor performers in terms of energy efficiency. Log burners are also often more expensive to install than a gas fire.

The overall cost of running a log burner or a gas fire will vary, depending on how much you plan to use the fire. If you plan on heating your home often and having the fire on for a long time, then a wood burner could end up saving you money in the long-run as wood burns for much longer than gas.

Below, we will go over some of the differences between log burners and gas fires. We will also go over some information on each to help you decide which is the best option for you.

Are Wood Burners Hotter Than Gas Fires?

Wood burners are much hotter than a gas fire. However, they tend to take longer than a gas fire to heat up and will equally take much longer to cool down than a gas fire. This means that you’ll often lose a lot of heat and will have a lot of unnecessary heat from burning a wood fire when compared to a gas fire.

If you are looking to make a particular room very warm, a wood fire will definitely help you achieve this. However, you are very limited on your control of the heat with a wood burner. It’s definitely the cosiest option, but when it gets too hot in the room, it can be very difficult to turn it down as it tends to stay warm for a long time.

Gas fires have a slight advantage over wood burning fires as, although they may not get as hot, you can easily control the temperature with the push of a button or the turn of a dial. This gives you more control over the overall temperature in the room so you can remain as comfortable as possible at all times.

Are Wood Burners Expensive to Install Compared to Gas Fires?

Installing a wood burner is usually considerably more expensive than a gas fire installation. This is due to the additional cost of the materials and labour costs.

If you are looking for a budget-friendly fire installation, a gas fire or electric fire would be the best option in terms of the initial upfront cost. Wood burning fires tend to cost more upfront so wouldn’t be the best option for someone who is looking for a cheap fire installation.

Cost of Wood Compared to Gas

If you are comparing the cost of running a gas fire and a wood burning fire, you’re probably curious about the cost of wood when compared to gas.

The cost of running a gas fire is around 5.27 pence/kWh and gas has an energy efficiency rating of around 90%. Wood has a running cost of around 6.44 pence/kWh and has an energy efficiency of around 85%.

With this in mind, there is not too much different in the cost of running each type of fuel. However, gas does seem to have the edge over wood. Of course not all wood is priced equally, you can choose different types of wood that vary in cost and fuel output. Both gas and wood fires are significantly cheaper to run than electric fires, so they both have their benefits.

How Much Wood Do You Need For a Log Burner?

If you’re considering getting a wood burning fire installed in your home, you may be curious about how much wood is needed for a log burner to run. It can be difficult to determine how much wood you should order for your log burner as this will vary depending on how much you are planning to use the fire and how quickly the fire heats up the room.

There is, however, a good rule of thumb that may be helpful. If you are planning on using your wood burning fire a few evenings each week over the winter, it is recommended that you order around two cubic metres of wood which will last you through the winter. If you plan on using your wood burner for most evenings, then you’ll likely need to order closer to three or four cubic metres of wood to last you through the winter. If you use your wood burner all through the day and night, then you’ll likely need closer to six cubic metres of wood.

If you have an open fire as opposed to a wood burner, this will be a lot less efficient and will require more firewood. You will need at least three times the amount of firewood for an open fire compared to a wood burner in order to get the same amount of heat.

Is a Log Burner or a Gas Fire Easier to Maintain?

Wood burning stoves involve more maintenance than a gas fire in general. Both of these fires will require a chimney or some method of extracting the fumes outside unless you have chosen a flueless gas fire. Chimneys need to be inspected and cleaned regularly to ensure the fire remains efficient.

A wood burning fire may also need additional cleaning as the live fire will cause more pollution compared to gas and the leftover wood will need to be cleaned out after use.

Wood burning fires also require a certain amount of knowledge to get going. However, once you become used to the routine of burning a real fire in the home, the process should be quite simple.

It’s important to get both gas fires and wood fires inspected by a professional regularly to ensure they are safe and working properly.

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