How much gas does a gas fire consume?

How much gas does a gas fire consume? A frequently asked question with no clear answer. There is no standard gas consumption for every gas fire. The consumption of a gas fire obviously depends on the capacity of the fire, the room to be heated, but also on your heating behaviour. Perhaps you turn your gas fire to a low setting every day, while your neighbour's is on full blast every day. Various factors therefore influence the amount of gas a gas fire consumes. Of course, we can assume an average.

We answer the following questions for you:

What is the average gas consumption of a gas fire?
- How to calculate the gas consumption of a gas fire
How do you determine the power of a gas fire?
What is the yield of a gas fire?
How does gas consumption affect the energy label?

Curious about the gas consumption and output of a specific gas fire? Then take a look at our collection.

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What is the average gas consumption of a gas fire?

The average consumption of a gas fire depends on several factors. To calculate the average gas consumption of a gas fire, we need to take an average power rating. The somewhat smaller fires have a capacity of around 4kW, while the larger gas fires sometimes have a capacity of up to 12kW. For an average-sized living room (92m3), a fire with an output of around 7kW is sufficient. A gas fire with this power at full output consumes about 1 cubic metre of gas per hour.

Gas consumption therefore strongly depends on how many hours you use the fire and how you use it. Heating behaviour is therefore an important factor in determining the gas consumption of a gas fire. And even the insulation of your home affects consumption. To still get an average insight into the gas consumption of a gas fire, we use the following calculation.

How to calculate the gas consumption of a gas fire

You can now calculate for yourself within 1 minute how much a gas fire uses with the gas consumption calculator.

We take the following starting points:

Gas fire: DRU Convexo Eco Wave
Gas price: € 1.45 per m3 (Based on energy ceiling October 2022)
1 kW of heat requires 0.15 m3 of gas.
Average efficiency of 90%

With this, you arrive at the following sum:
Cost per hour = (consumption per kWh * 110%) * (0.15m3 * current gas price per m3)
Cost per evening = cost per hour * 4

	Consumption per hour	Cost per hour	Cost per evening
Low mode	2.1 kW	€ 0,50	€ 2,00
Eco Wave (recommended)	3.4 kW	€ 0,81	€ 3,25
Full mode	4.7 kW	€ 1,12	€ 4,49

The setting naturally affects the flame pattern. At full setting, your consumption is highest but also equals continuous high, full flames and a lot of heat. Because of the good insulation of homes and the local function of a fire, this full setting is often quickly too hot. The Eco Wave function is therefore a perfect alternative to reduce your consumption but continue to enjoy beautiful flames. Want to save completely? In low mode, you consume the least but your flame effect is also limited.

Difference with an electric fire
So stoking your gas fire does not necessarily have to be very expensive. Especially when you compare it with, say, an electric fire. For electricity, you currently pay 0.40 per kW hour. This times a consumption of 2.1 kW, you already come to € 0.84 cents per hour! Note that most electric fires only heat up to max 2 kW per hour, so a gas fire will always be more effective as an efficient local heater because of its capacity.

What is the gas consumption of a propane fire?
Just about all DRU gas fires can also be lit on (BIO) propane from bottles. The most common propane bottle contains 10.5 kg of gas. Based on the same assumptions as in the above example, the consumption of a propane fire is around 300 cc to 500 cc per hour. Again, you save around 30% to 50% on consumption in EcoWave mode.

How do you determine the power of a gas fire?

Now you know that the capacity of a gas fire determines a large part of the gas consumption. But how do you actually determine what capacity you need to heat your living room? It is important to choose a gas fire that meets your heating needs. You can do this in two simple steps.

1. Determine the room's volume
Start by determining the volume (m3) of your living room, or other room you want to heat, of course. The volume is calculated by multiplying the length, width and height. For example: 6*4*3= 72 m3.

2. Determining the degree of insulation
The degree of insulation also plays a big role in determining the capacity of your gas fire. Find out whether your home is well insulated. By 'well' insulated homes, we mean homes that have double glazing as well as roof, floor and wall insulation. If your house lacks one of these components, it is moderately well insulated. If none of these components are present, we call your house poorly insulated. In the graph below, you can see on the left what capacity you need, for what level of insulation and for what volume of space to be heated.

A - Well-insulated house
B - Moderately insulated house
C - Badly insulated house

What is the output of a gas fire?

Unlike a gas stove, for example, a gas fire is not usually the main source of heat in a home. Because gas fires used to serve mainly for atmosphere, the efficiency was a lot lower compared to a gas stove. However, the gas fire as a modern mood creator nowadays certainly also provides cosy warmth. The efficiency or yield of gas fires is therefore very high nowadays. Sometimes up to 85%!

An output or efficiency of 85% means that the gas fire radiates 85% of the generated heat into the room to be heated. The remaining output dissipates through the flue and is called heat loss. The lower this heat loss, the higher the yield of your gas fire.

How does gas consumption affect the energy label?

Modern gas fires, like almost all other appliances, have an energy label. With this energy label, you can see at a glance the capacity, efficiency and consumption of the intended gas fire. The more efficient the gas fire and the lower its gas consumption, the higher the score on the energy label. If gas consumption is an important factor in your choice of gas fire, we recommend that you take a closer look at the energy label of your fire. That way, you can make a conscious choice for your new fire.