Natural Gas Fireplace vs. Wood Fire

Heat

• When it comes to heat, natural gas fireplaces are the clear winner. A natural gas fireplace provides significant heat into the room it is situated in. Some people get away with using the fireplace as one of their primary methods of heating a specific room. A wood burning fireplace, on the other hand, is an inefficient heat source. Wood burning fireplaces are so inefficient that they actually cause more heat loss than heat gain in the home.

Environmental Impact

• The environmental impact of burning natural gas for a home fire versus burning wood is worth considering. Natural gas is by far the more efficient of the two options. It is difficult to say exactly how much more efficient because different models burn at different levels of efficiency, and more efficient natural gas fireplaces are released frequently. However, the energy efficiency of a gas fireplace is higher than that of a wood burning model.

Appearance

• Part of the pleasure of a fireplace in your living room is the experience of just sitting in front of the roaring fire. With a gas fireplace, some of the magic of this experience is lost. The crackle of real logs, the look of the logs burning down and the act of stoking the fire are all lost in a gas fireplace. Gas unit manufacturers are improving the realism of the units all the time, but it is still impossible to match the aesthetic of a real fireplace.

Safety

• Safety is a concern with both types of fireplaces, but a wood-burning fireplace has more maintenance concerns and potential safety hazards. The chimney needs to be kept clean, you need working carbon monoxide detectors in the house, you need be aware of the physical hazards of fire and always have to monitor the fire closely. A gas fireplace requires much less worry, and regular service from the dealer or repairman should keep it working smoothly.