What is the consumption and output of a gas fire?

It is difficult to generalise about the consumption and output of a gas fire. The consumption is of course dependent on your heating requirements and the capacity of your gas fire or gas heater. If you always leave the fire on the highest setting, it obviously consumes more than a fire that burns on a low setting. Moreover, the capacity of the fire plays a role, as does the volume of the space that the fire needs to heat.

Determining the capacity of a gas fire

It is important to choose a gas fire that matches your needs in terms of capacity. First, you calculate the volume of the room you want to heat by multiplying the length, width and height of the room. Furthermore, you map how well insulated your home is. A well-insulated house needs less capacity than a house with poor insulation.

Well-insulated houses are fitted with double-glazing and roof, floor and wall insulation. We are describing a house with moderate or poor insulation with partial or no double glazing and minimal or no roof, floor and wall insulation. Is your home well insulated? Then follow line A in the graph below to determine the right capacity for your home. Is your home moderately to poorly insulated? Then follow line B or C in the graph. You can read off the required capacity on the left- hand side of the graph.

Does a gas fire provide sufficient heat?

As a rule, gas fires are not the most essential source of heat in a house, whereas this may be the case with a gas heater. In contrast to the past, contemporary gas fires have a high output and provide comfortable warmth. For an average-sized living room in a well-insulated house, a device with a capacity of only 3 to 4 kW is sufficient to heat the room.

In the DRU range you will find devices with capacities ranging from 3 kW to almost 15 kW. Because of the wide choice of models in terms of size and associated capacity within the range, DRU always has a fire that matches your living space in terms of capacity. A selection of DRU gas fires are also fitted with the unique Eco Wave system. Eco Wave gives you full control over the output of the fire. This means that you can also enjoy a beautiful and dynamic fire view on a low setting.

An indication of the average consumption of a gas fire

A gas fire with a capacity of +/- 7 kW consumes about 1 cubic metre of gas an hour when burning on full power. Gas consumption strongly depends on how many hours you light the fireplace and how you use it. Heating behaviour is therefore an important factor in determining the gas consumption of a gas fire. In addition, even the insulation and of course the size of your home influence consumption. To get an average idea of the gas consumption of a gas fire, here is an example calculation:

An evening with the DRU Convexo Eco Wave:

  Usage per hour Cost per hour* Cost per evening*
(4 hours)
Low flames 2.1  kW £0.21 £0.87
Eco Wave 3.4 kW £0.35 £1.40
High flames 4.7 kW £0.48 £1.94

*Based on current prices of the Energy Price Guarantee Tariff for gas (excluding Gas Standing charges) set to £0,103 per kWh (October 2022). 

Difference with an electric fireplace
So using your gas fireplace does not necessarily have to be very expensive. Especially when you compare it with, say, an electric fireplace. For electricity, you currently pay £0.34 per kWh compared to £0.103 kWh for gas. For the same heat, you pay 3 times as much. So a gas fireplace is always more effective as an efficient local heater because of its capacity.

 

Energy label gas fire or gas cache

Contemporary gas fires, like many other appliances, are classified using the familiar energy label. An energy label allows you to see at a glance the capacity and output of your intended fire or stove. This enables you to make an informed choice.

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