Does It Cost Alot To Run A Electric Fireplace

It s really inexpensive to run a gas fireplace or insert.

Does it cost alot to run a electric fireplace.

So enjoying a fire for an entire evening can cost as little as 2. Multiply the fireplace s btu rating by the per therm cost of gas and divide the result by 100 000 to get the per hour cost of running the fireplace. Electric fireplaces have an output that is based on the electric current. For example if a fireplace has a btu rating of 32 000 and the cost of gas is 90 cents per therm which was the national average cost as of march 2015 use the formula 32 000 x 90 100 000.

Since they depend on a power source electric fireplaces won t light or heat your home in the event of a power outage or storm. Gas fireplaces use between 7 000 and 16 000 btus are between 70 and 90 efficient at converting energy to heat and cost around 60 a year to run. With a sample average computation the operational costs of electricity range from 8 to 23 cents per hour when you use an electric heater. The average electric fireplace uses nearly 1500 watts of power.

Based on the national average kilowatt hour kwh rate of 12 cents a 1 500 watt electric fireplace will cost around 18 cents per hour with all settings at maximum. Costs fluctuate by geographic region and variations in electric utility costs. When it comes to energy efficiency you may find a wide range depending on size and model. 1 with heat 2 flames only or no heat.

Considering a combination of these settings it costs between 50 and 80 a year to use an electric fireplace considerably less than the annual cost for a gas fireplace with costs ranging between 200 and 500 annually. I know i know that s a wide range but stick with me here. The operational cost will differ on each of these modes. What does that mean.

A good average for cost of electricity is about 12 per kw and a standard electric fireplace will use 1 5 kw hour so 1 5kw x 12 18 hour. Linear modern electric fireplaces have become very popular. However if you use a heating unit as well the costs will go up to around 0 09 per hour for a medium setting and 0 18 per hour for the maximum setting. Most electric fireplace heaters can operate in two modes.

For instance the heat glo 6000 which is one of the most popular gas fireplaces of all time costs a mere 42 cents per hour to operate. On average an electric fireplace uses 1 84 of electricity every eight hours. Also electric fireplaces involve higher operational costs. If you use it just for ambiance then the cost can range anywhere from 0 003 to 0 03 per hour.