Gas vs Electric Fireplace: Which Is the Better Buy?
The gas vs electric fireplace question has a short answer. If you want real heat that keeps working when the power goes out, choose gas with a millivolt or battery-backed ignition (an electronic-ignition unit needs power or its battery backup, and the blower always needs power). If you want the look of a fire with the simplest possible installation, choose electric. Gas costs more to install and less to run for the heat you get; electric costs less to buy and install, and more for each unit of heat. The rest of this guide is the detail behind that, written for homes in Downers Grove and the western suburbs.
Gas vs electric fireplace at a glance
| What matters | Gas fireplace | Electric fireplace |
|---|---|---|
| Installed cost | Higher: the unit, the vent run and the gas line all add to it | Lower, often by a wide margin |
| Heat output | Roughly 20,000 to 40,000 BTU, enough to heat the room | About 5,000 BTU, enough to take the chill off |
| Venting | A direct-vent pipe or a chimney liner | None |
| Gas line | Required | Not required |
| Works in a power cut | Yes, on a millivolt or battery-backed ignition | No |
| Yearly upkeep | One service visit | Dusting |
| Flame | Real | An effect, with or without heat |
| Where it can go | Most walls, with a vent run | Any wall with an outlet (plug-in models); recessed models need framing |
| Best for | Heating a room you live in | Looks, condos, basements, bedrooms, quick installs |
Heat: the real difference
A gas fireplace makes real heat. A mid-size unit puts out somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000 BTU an hour, and with a blower it can carry a large family room or an open main floor through most of an Illinois winter, taking some of the load off the furnace.
An electric fireplace heats the way a space heater does. On a standard 120 V outlet it is limited to about 1,500 W, which is roughly 5,000 BTU. That is enough for a bedroom or a small den, not for an open-plan floor. If heat is the point, gas has the clear advantage. If heat is a bonus, electric may be all you need.
Installation: what each one needs
Gas
A gas fireplace needs a gas line and a way to vent. Most modern units are direct-vent: they draw combustion air from outside and exhaust through a sealed pipe that can run out through a side wall, so no chimney is needed. The room has to be measured, the vent route planned and, in most towns, a permit pulled. That is why gas is the more involved of the two to install, and the costlier. We measure it at a free in-home visit and quote the whole job in writing.
Electric
Most electric fireplaces plug into an ordinary outlet. A wall-mount or a recessed unit may need some light carpentry, and a large built-in may need its own circuit, but there is no venting, no gas line and usually no permit. It is the answer for a condo, a basement, a bedroom, or any wall where running gas would mean opening things up.
Running cost on Illinois rates
Running cost depends on your own utility rates, so the honest answer is a method rather than a headline number. Both are one line of arithmetic.
- Gas: take the fireplace’s input BTU per hour — the rating on the plate, not the heat output — and divide by 100,000. That is the therms it uses in an hour; a 30,000 BTU fireplace uses about 0.3 of a therm. Multiply by the rate on your Nicor bill.
- Electric: take the heater’s watts and divide by 1,000. That is the kilowatt-hours it uses in an hour; a 1,500 W unit uses 1.5 kWh with the heat on, and close to nothing with only the flame effect running. Multiply by the rate on your ComEd bill.
Run both lines at your own numbers and you have the real comparison for your house. In most of Illinois, natural gas has historically been the cheaper way to make a given amount of heat, so a gas fireplace running for a few hours on a winter evening usually costs less than an electric unit making the same warmth. Set against that, gas needs a yearly service visit and electric needs almost none.
Upkeep
A gas fireplace is low maintenance, not no maintenance. It wants a yearly service: the burner and pilot cleaned, the gas connections and the vent checked, the glass cleaned. Over the years an igniter or a blower may need replacing. An electric fireplace needs dusting and little else. There is no combustion, so there is no gas connection to check and no carbon monoxide to think about.
How long they last
With its yearly service, a good gas fireplace will generally run for a couple of decades, and parts stay available. An electric unit often runs ten to twenty years, and its heater and fan can be replaced without replacing the whole thing. For daily use through the winter, gas has the edge. For occasional use or a second room, electric holds up well.
The look of the flame
A gas fireplace gives you a real flame over ceramic logs or fire glass, and the better log sets are hard to tell from wood. An electric fireplace gives you an effect. The current ones are far better than they were, with LED flames and, on some models, a fine water mist that flickers like real fire.
The only fair way to judge is to look. The electric fireplaces are lit on our showroom floor, so you can stand in front of one and decide for yourself. The gas fireplaces are on display beside them, so you can see the size and the log set up close.
Gas insert or electric insert for a fireplace you already have
If there is already a masonry fireplace in the room, the choice is really between a gas insert and an electric insert, and the trade-off is a different one.
A gas insert is a sealed firebox that slides into the opening and vents through a new liner up the chimney. It turns an open hearth, which sends most of its heat up the flue, into a controllable heater. It needs a sound chimney, a liner and a gas line, and the firebox has to be measured first.
An electric insert drops into the same opening and plugs in. No liner, no gas line, no chimney work. That is the answer when the chimney is unsound, when running gas would mean opening walls, or in a condo where the flue cannot be altered.
The rule of thumb: if the chimney is sound and you want the room warm, fit a gas insert. If the chimney is a problem, or the fireplace is mostly for looks, fit an electric insert.
So which is the better buy?
- You want the room warm on a January night: gas.
- You want the lowest cost to buy and install: electric.
- You want the least upkeep: electric.
- You want a real flame: gas.
- The wall cannot take a vent, or you are in a condo: electric.
Not sure which describes your room? Answer a couple of questions and we will point you to the right one.
Common questions
How long do electric fireplaces last?
Most run ten to twenty years. The LED flame effect usually outlives the heating element and the blower, and both of those can be replaced rather than the whole unit. A gas fireplace that gets its yearly service will generally go longer.
Do electric fireplaces give off real heat?
Yes, but modest heat. On a standard 120 V outlet an electric fireplace is limited to about 1,500 W, roughly 5,000 BTU. That takes the edge off one room; it does not heat an open-plan floor. A gas fireplace at 20,000 to 40,000 BTU is doing a different job.
Are electric fireplaces expensive to run?
The flame effect on its own costs very little. The heater costs the same to run as any 1,500 W space heater, so it tracks your electricity rate. Gas is generally the cheaper way to make a given amount of heat in this area; electric is cheaper to buy and to install.
Do I need a chimney for a gas fireplace?
No. Most modern gas fireplaces are direct-vent: they draw their air from outside and exhaust through a pipe that can run out a side wall. A gas insert is the exception, because it goes into an existing masonry fireplace and reuses that chimney with a liner.
Can I run an electric fireplace without the heat?
Yes. Nearly every electric fireplace runs the flame effect on its own with the heater off, so you can have the look on a mild evening without warming the room. A gas fireplace cannot do that; when the flame is on, the heat is on.
Does an electric fireplace add value to a home?
A fireplace of any kind tends to help a listing. A built-in gas fireplace generally reads to a buyer as a permanent improvement, while a plug-in electric unit reads as a furnishing. If resale is part of the decision, that difference is worth weighing.
Talk it through in the showroom
A Fireplace Store and More is at 1202-B 75th Street in Downers Grove, open seven days. Bring a photo of the wall or the opening, or just the question. We size it, quote it in writing and install it with our own team. Book a showroom or in-home visit, ask for a written estimate, or call (630) 241-1919.