Propane Fireplaces Offer True Versatility & Comfort in Your Home

Homeowners today are cozying up to propane fireplaces. They offer both comfort and ambiance, along with high-efficiency heating for the home.

Propane fireplaces have widely varying levels of fuel use, depending on how you use your fireplace and how many fireplaces are in your home. A rough estimate of propane fireplace consumption levels is provided in Table 1 below. When a fireplace is used to help provide space heating, the usage numbers will increase. However, in these situations it’s important to note that space heat provided by the fireplace offsets space heating energy in some other form (i.e. provided by your furnace or your boiler).

Propane fireplace operating costs vary as well, and for occasional use may range from $50-$150/year. If the fireplace is operating to provide space heating, the net energy cost will be even lower because the fireplace is offsetting energy use from your home’s main heating system, as well as providing more targeted zoned heating.

Efficiency at a Glance:

• Offers Fireplace Efficiency (FE) ratings of over 90 percent. By comparison, wood-burning fireplaces are about 15 percent FE
• Delivers five to six times the heating capacity of electric fireplaces
• Remote control feature helps to maintain a constant room temperature
• Average cost to operate is roughly $50-$150/year
• Propane carries a smaller environmental footprint, produces fewer particulate emissions and less carbon monoxide than wood-burning units

Courtesy of the Propane Education & Research Council