Ask the Builder
Natural Gas vs. Firewood Cost Survey
By Tim Carter
©1993-2008 Tim Carter
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.
Natural Gas vs. Firewood Cost Survey
The following 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 |
