How much will it cost to run my Gas fireplace?

[millertime150]

It is a vented fireplace. I can't remember the exact BTU but I think it stated 60,000 or 80,000 BTU which I believe is per hour.

So if we assume it is 80k btu, what would my cost be per hour? I pay a fixed rate of $0.75 a therm.

I think I figured it out but I just want to get an "experts" opinion.

80,000 BTU = 0.799464673 therms per hour

So say I use it 3 times a week for 4 hours at a time. That would be 12 hours a week or about 48 hours a month.

So I would multiply 48 hours times 0.799 = 38.52 multplied by $0.75 a therm = $28.76 a month.

Am I correct?

 

[Protocol]

That depends. Do you live in East Tennessee?

 

[chainfire]

It also depends on if you want to factor in the heat costs it lowers. If you stay in the room w/ the fireplace most of the time, you can reduce the heat going to the rest of the house.

 

[millertime150]

That depends. Do you live in East Tennessee?

Depends on what? I don't live in East Tennessee?

It also depends on if you want to factor in the heat costs it lowers. If you stay in the room w/ the fireplace most of the time, you can reduce the heat going to the rest of the house.

I probably wouldn't factor in this.

 

[Thebigspendur]

80,000 BTU's is what most modern furnaces are and they are way more efficient than any fireplace so expect a big jump in your gas bill.

 

[xriley]

I'm not so sure you can calculate the cost based on the rated BTU's. I believe that the rated BTU's is the actual heat output, not the rating of fuel burned to acheive that heat. Efficiency?? Someone else may have a better understanding.


You will probably get a better idea of how much it cost by comparing your heat (gas and/or electric) bills.

By using the fireplace you should lower the usage of your primary heater a little, depending on how much of the heat from the fireplace makes it into your house.

 

[DogHair]

I run an vent-less gas log in my family room fireplace. The BTUs were around 40,000 but the efficiency was higher than vented I think. If I run it in the evenings the fireplace cuts down on the amount the furnace runs since the heat moves around. If I run the ceiling fans on low it does a great job of warming the whole house. It's been a couple years but I never noticed an increase in my gas bill.

 

[ouch]

I think he's just talking about the math. It would be units per hour times the number of hours operated times the cost per energy unit.

 

[dpmtherrien]

I have a propane fireplace that does a great job of heating the large open area where it is. My house is very open, the fireplace unit is 40,000 BTU's, and I have a free standing unit in the den where we spend the most time. The one in the den is also 40,000 BTU's.

They do a nice job of heating the house. We live in the Northeast so they're used quite a bit. My main heating furnace for the house is also propane. I really don't worry about the cost, when its cold you need the heat so I just use the units. For the entire year I use approx. 2,000 gallons of propane, but thats for heat, hot water, and cooking. I don't think thats all that bad.

 

[Noswad]

If your fireplace has a standing pilot that will add some to the cost per month. I think I heard $20 per month for a standing pilot, but that was quite a few years ago.

 

[mmack66]

About tree fiddy.

 

[razorrookie]

I can't remember the exact BTU but I think it stated 60,000 or 80,000 BTU which I believe is per hour.

From wikipedia (and a mechanical engineering graduate, FWIW):

"When used as a unit of power, BTU 'per hour' (BTU/h) is understood, though this is often abbreviated to just "BTU"."

And your math looks right, that's just using those abstract numbers provided though, I'm assuming you know those are what works for you as far as heating needs because I'm sure that 100% of those BTUs of ENERGY (note the difference between BTU/Hour which is a measurement of POWER) are not going into your home. I'm not up to date on what the normal expected efficiency of a gas fireplace is nowadays (I'm from AL and FL, what do you expect?) but that's quite an important number and can factor very highly into the equations where cost is concerned.

 

[millertime150]

I run an vent-less gas log in my family room fireplace. The BTUs were around 40,000 but the efficiency was higher than vented I think. If I run it in the evenings the fireplace cuts down on the amount the furnace runs since the heat moves around. If I run the ceiling fans on low it does a great job of warming the whole house. It's been a couple years but I never noticed an increase in my gas bill.

I have 2 story ceilings in my living room (I don't know the proper name for 2 story ceilings). Do you think I would notice much of a difference if I reverse the ceiling fan direction? I tried briefly in the past but i didn't think it did much. Also at what speed would you run it?

Stay thirsty my friend!

From wikipedia (and a mechanical engineering graduate, FWIW):

"When used as a unit of power, BTU 'per hour' (BTU/h) is understood, though this is often abbreviated to just "BTU"."

And your math looks right, that's just using those abstract numbers provided though, I'm assuming you know those are what works for you as far as heating needs because I'm sure that 100% of those BTUs of ENERGY (note the difference between BTU/Hour which is a measurement of POWER) are not going into your home. I'm not up to date on what the normal expected efficiency of a gas fireplace is nowadays (I'm from AL and FL, what do you expect?) but that's quite an important number and can factor very highly into the equations where cost is concerned.

Since my is a vented gas log I don't expect to really heat much of the house with it. It is more for looks and if you sit withing 5 ft you will feel the heat. Thanks for your help and go Penn State (we play Bama next year).