Fireplace Calculator

This tool will help you figure out how much it may cost to run either a gas or an electric fireplace. If you are looking for a short answer, here it is:

Gas Fireplace

At a rate of $1.06 per therm, a 5,100 BTU gas fireplace will cost around $.05 per hour. If you run your fireplace for 3 hours per day, that comes out to around $4.87 per month.

Electric Fireplace

At a rate of  $.118 per kWh, a 1,500 Watt electric fireplace will cost around $.18 per hour, outputting 5,100 BTU. If you run your electric fireplace 3 hours per day, that comes out to around $16 per month.

Is it cheaper to heat with a Gas or Electric Fireplace?

If you do an apples-to-apples comparison, outputting 5,100 BTU with Gas at $1.06/therm is around $.05 per hour VS Electric’s $.18 per hour. Gas is clearly cheaper. In addition to comparing the costs you have to keep in mind that electric fireplaces are currently built to output at most 10,000 BTU. That’s a far cry from a 60,000 BTU large gas fireplace.

If you want to get more specifics, use the calculators below.

How much does it cost to run a gas fireplace?

The formula to calculate the cost to run a gas fireplace is: (Fireplace BTUs Output * Cost Per Therm)/100,000. Note that 1 Therm = 100,000 BTUs.

You can use an energy compare website to get an example rate for your area per therm.

Gas Fireplace Usage Cost Calculator

Note: If you are looking for propane (LP) cost per therm, a good point of reference is $2.99 per therm. Check your local rates at this may vary.

How much does it cost to run an electric fireplace?

The formula to calculate the cost to run an electric fireplace is: (Fireplace Watt Usage / 1000) * Cost Per kWh

You can use an energy compare website to get an idea of how much a kWh costs in your area.

Electric Fireplace Usage Cost Calculator