Living Flame Gas Fires are the desirable heart of most of our homes but are they a waste of Gas?
Well, they can be if you don’t get the right ones. Some open living flame gas fires are only 15% efficient while others are 74% efficient. That’s a huge difference and can seriously affect your warmth and your wallet.
Basically an open coal fireplace, the sort we all used to have is 20 -25% efficient. So what we call a gas tray that just replaces a coal grate is a DGF (Decorative Gas Fire) is the same efficiency 20 -25% efficient. But gas burns at a much lower temperature than coal so is a lousy heater. We say they look good and any heat is a bonus.
If you have a Dog Grate in an inglenook, well that’s your 15% efficient fire. If it’s warm its guzzling gas.
The other end of the scale are the convector fires and these vary from 45-74% efficient. These are what most people would buy today. But be very wary, they are not all the same. Get it right you will have a great looking efficient gas fire which in most weather conditions you could use instead of the central heating boiler to heat your main room. This will save a lot of gas as boilers burn much more than fires and heat parts of the house you are not using.
Don’t forget Glass Fronted Gas Fires and Gas Stoves can be even more efficient. So, make sure you check those out as well.
For more information on buying the right Gas Fire download our free Gas Fire Guide by clicking on this link http://www.traffordfireplaces.co.uk/gas-fires-in-cumbria/.