Gas Fire Running Cost Calculator
Nothing says home quite like a high-quality gas fire.
But keeping your property warm on a low budget is something many Britons struggle to achieve. In this economy and cost of living crisis, more people than ever are getting into the nitty gritty of their energy consumption.
Luckily, gas fires are some of the most radiant, cost-effective heating appliances on the market. With the introduction of high-efficiency models and balanced flue fires, you can minimise heat loss and keep costs down (as well as give your room a stunning focal point).
So how can you approximate the running costs of a gas fire? Our gas fire running cost calculator for UK homeowners will give you an estimate based on several factors, mainly how you use your appliance and its technical specifications.
How much does a gas fire cost to run?
Using our gas fire running cost calculator, you can estimate how much your fire costs to run in pence per kW.
What factors affect gas fire running costs?
Heat Input (kW/h)
The heat input of a fireplace (whether gas or electric) refers to the amount of energy your fire requires to operate per hour. It is measured in kilowatts per hour, and the heat input may not always be the same as the input due to differences in efficiency.
Choosing a top-rated high-efficiency gas fire with a 90% heat output (like the Eko Fires 4010 HE High-Efficiency Gas Fire) means only 10% of the usable energy your fire generates will be lost.
The closer the input is to the output, the better: you’ll use gas energy more efficiently and reap greater warmth for a lower cost.
Estimated usage time
Next, you’ll need to determine how much you use your gas fire daily, weekly or monthly (depending on the costs you want to work out). Common sense dictates that the more you use your gas fire, the more you’ll pay. But this may differ on a seasonal basis.
You might find during the summer, you only use your gas fire for a couple of hours every few weeks. Then, you could rework this calculation to account for your reduced usage.
Price of Gas
The most crucial part of our UK gas fire running cost calculator is current gas prices. To know how much you’ll pay, you must know what suppliers are charging.
According to the UK government, the average price of gas in kilowatts per hour currently sits at 10.3 pence. However, these prices may vary according to your chosen supplier and those on fixed-rate or variable tariffs.
It may also change depending on global conflict, energy shortages or the UK’s ever-fluctuating economic state. To keep on top of your energy consumption, keep an eye out for gas price updates from reliable sources.
Gas Fire Running Costs Calculator
Now that you have all the relevant information, it’s time to start!
Our gas fire running costs calculator accounts for all these variables with the following formula.
Heat input in kW x estimated usage time (in hours) = the kWh of your gas fireplace
This multiplication tells us how many kWh your fire will use to generate heat for the desired amount of time. Then, to determine how much this will cost, we need to multiply the kWh by current energy prices.
the kWh of your gas fireplace x price of gas = cost of running your gas fire
Now, you’ll be left with how much your gas fireplace costs to run for this specific amount of time. However, to give you the cost in a '£0.00' format, we must divide the cost of running your gas fire by 100.
cost of running your gas fire ÷ 100 = the cost of running your gas fire in pounds and pence
Simply input this information into our UK gas fire running cost calculator, and it’ll do all the work for you.
Electric vs Gas fire running costs: What’s the difference?
You may be wondering if this calculator works for electric fires too, and the answer is yes!
The calculation would remain largely the same: find the heat input of your appliance in kW and work out an estimated usage in hours. The part of the formula that will change, however, is the cost of electricity.
Current electricity rates sit at 34 pence per kWh (according to the UK government). Again, this may lower or rise depending on your supplier, tariff and changing economic conditions.
Choose Fires2U for high-efficiency gas and electric fires!
One thing you should never have to worry about is warmth.
Tough times and rising prices can put a strain on your bank account, but Fires2U is here to help. We’re offering customers the chance to invest in state-of-the-art heating appliances that will save you money for years to come.
With our high-efficiency gas fires and electric fires, you can finally release yourself from the shackles of central heating costs. Heat all corners of your home with our radiant, cost-effective units from industry-leading retailers like DRU, Flavel and Crystal.
