Obviously compiled by the natural gas indusrtry. Burning 21 pounds of
firewood an hour would require an extremely large (castle-sized) fireplace,
and would probably put out enough BTUs to heat that castle!
Compare the cost per BTU of gas and firewood- firewood is, at worst, half
the price.
Natural Gas vs. Firewood Cost Survey
Summary:
Are you considering a gas
fireplace over a wood burning fireplace? The following survey compares natural
gas and firewood burning for a number of cities in the United States and clearly
shows the benefits of gas fireplaces.
Related Articles: Fireplace, Gas Logs - Vented & Ventless, Gas Fireplaces & Ventless Gas Fireplaces, Gas Fireplace Log Manufacturers
Related Articles: Fireplace, Gas Logs - Vented & Ventless, Gas Fireplaces & Ventless Gas Fireplaces, Gas Fireplace Log Manufacturers
Natural Gas vs. Firewood Cost Survey
The following 1996 survey was compiled by comparing the cost to operate a vented set of fire logs that burned an average of 75,000 BTU's per hour vs. the cost of burning seasoned firewood at the rate of approximately 21 pounds per hour. The firewood cost was based on purchasing a full cord at one time. The gas prices are winter rates. The firewood prices were obtained from leading firewood distributors.
The first set of numbers listed under each city is for natural gas. The second set of numbers is the firewood cost.
|
City
|
Gas Log Cost
|
Firewood Cost
|
| Albuquerque | $0.17 - 0.22 | $0.95 - 1.22 |
| Atlanta | $0.42 - 0.55 | $0.95 - 1.20 |
| Baltimore | $0.32 - 0.42 | $0.99 - 1.27 |
| Birmingham | $0.39 - 0.51 | $0.67 - 0.86 |
| Boston | $0.48 - 0.63 | $1.06 - 1.36 |
| Charlotte | $0.37 - 0.48 | $0.65 - 0.83 |
| Chicago | $0.29 - 0.38 | $0.47 - 0.58 |
| Cleveland | $0.31 - 0.41 | $1.04 - 1.33 |
| Columbus | $0.35 - 0.45 | $0.90 - 1.15 |
| Dallas | $0.39 - 0.51 | $0.78 - 0.99 |
| Denver | $0.43 - 0.69 | $1.19 - 1.52 |
| El Paso | $0.13 - 0.17 | $1.12 - 1.43 |
| Houston | $0.26 - 0.34 | $1.08 - 1.38 |
| Indianapolis | $0.28 - 0.37 | $0.76 - 0.97 |
| Kansas City | $0.22 - 0.29 | $0.67 - 0.85 |
| Las Vegas | $0.35 - 0.46 | $1.58 - 2.02 |
| Lexington | $0.37 - 0.49 | $0.73 - 0.96 |
| Los Angeles | $0.66 - 0.89 | $1.02 - 1.61 |
| Miami | $0.37 - 0.45 | $1.12 - 1.46 |
| Minneapolis | $0.28 - 0.37 | $1.04 - 1.33 |
| Nashville | $0.42 - 0.55 | $0.79 - 0.98 |
| New Orleans | $0.27 - 0.35 | $1.08 - 1.38 |
| New York City | $0.46 - 0.60 | $1.03 - 1.31 |
| Philadelphia | $0.32 - 0.42 | $0.86 - 1.10 |
| Phoenix | $0.32 - 0.42 | $1.82 - 2.32 |
| Pittsburgh | $0.29 - 0.38 | $1.15 - 1.47 |
| Raleigh | $0.39 - 0.51 | $0.79 - 1.00 |
| St. Louis | $0.27 - 0.36 | $0.68 - 0.87 |
| Salt Lake City | $0.63 - 0.71 | $1.12 - 1.43 |
| San Antonio | $0.28 - 0.37 | $1.08 - 1.38 |
| San Francisco | $0.36 - 0.47 | $1.62 - 2.07 |
| Seattle | $0.35 - 0.50 | $0.71 - 0.92 |
| Tulsa | $0.32 - 0.42 | $0.47 - 0.60 |
| Washington, D.C. | $0.57 - 0.74 | $1.08 - 1.38 |
|
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Comments:Welcome! I, Tim
Carter, don't answer questions
here. If you post a question here in the Comments Area,
perhaps another visitor will help you. You need to go to the Ask
Tim page if you want a question answered. Once there, look
closely at how many weeks behind we are. Please be patient as you use
this free service. If you have an emergency and need to talk to me,
there is an option there for you.
eric johnson 29 Jan 2008, 17:46
AsktheBuilder 29 Jan 2008, 18:09
Eric,
Those numbers in that table are, Gulp, over ten-years old....... I have been trying to get updated data from an independent source but had no luck. So the numbers of both fuels in the table could be way off.
Robert 23 Dec 2010, 08:27
Let me say this.
With the new wood burners out there, you can load once befor bed 4or5 logs and my morning you still have embers. To take this further, fire places are a waste, but a insert with outside source for combustion will give youmore BTU's and even burn the smoke left over. This study is not geared to the up-north or wood consuming person. It's all about making you think gas is the way to go. Please use your own intution on whats right for your situation. View all comments |
