Which is more economical?

[disneymagicgirl]

Run the gas fireplace or the heater?

 

[tvguy]

If it is a normal fireplace? If so, most of the heat goes right up the chimney.
Even if it has some sort of device in it to radiate heat, the heater is going to do a better job of evenly heating your house.

Are you trying to heat the whole house, or just the room the fireplace is in?

And is the heater gas or electric?

All factors, but normally the heater is going to be cheaper.

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

For us the gas fireplace is good. We have forced heat so to heat the whole house also involves a good amount of electric.

 

[aprilchem]

In our house the gas fireplace (if you're talking about gas logs, which is what I am assuming) is much cheaper. We have ventless logs and gas is very cheap where I live.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Both the fireplace and heater are gas. We don't have a blower on the fireplace but might get one.

It heats the living room/kitchen/breakfast nook area well. We prefer our bedroom to be cooler, so that's fine. The downstairs front rooms In our house don't warm well, even with the heater, due to lack of sunshine in the front and being on a tall crawl space...at least I assume that's why. However, we don't use those rooms much anyways (office, guest room/bath, dining room). The upstairs is heated by a separate gas heater.

So I guess just to heat this main area that the fireplace does reach, should I turn off the downstairs heater and just use the Fireplace? I haven't gotten a gas bill since we started using it a lot so I am worried.

Oh, and the heaters are set to 68.

 

[wiigirl]

In our house the gas fireplace (if you're talking about gas logs, which is what I am assuming) is much cheaper. We have ventless logs and gas is very cheap where I live.

 

[Kellydelly]

It is much more expensive for us to use our gas fireplace than our gas furnace. Our fireplace is a converted natural one, not sure if it is vented or not? It looks like a regular fireplace but has a gas log unit in it. When we use it our gas bill goes up considerably.

 

[bigmamimia]

Purchase a small electric space heater and use that. Electric will be the most economical way to go. Even with the cost of the heater, which will probably be $25 you will still save money.

 

[manning]

A fire place needs two thing. Fuel and air. Unless the air has to come from somewhere. It is going to come from two places. If it is an open fireplace it will come from the room. If enclosed it will come from a vent leading into the fireplace from the outside.

When a fire is burning a draft is created. The cold air is drawn into the fire from the vent or the room. From there it goes up the chimney. Along with that the heat also goes up the chimney. Well over 90% percent of it. When you are sitting in front of it you are feeling mostly the radiant heat.