Gas insert worth the costs?

[newguy09]

We recently purchased a new home. 2 stories, 2300 sf. We have an electric heat pump with back up resistance coil heating as the primary heat source. It was installed 3 years ago. The house was built in 1993 with a prefab wood burning fireplace in living room. Previous owners installed gas log set in the fireplace and they barely put out any heat. We are considering installing a direct vent insert but I want to know if it will save me any money. All I've ever used in the past was wood.

We would like to be able to keep the living room warm and maybe the master bedroom that is right off of it. The living room is 16x25 with 10 foot ceiling. Don't use the rest of the house much this time of year so not as worried about keeping them warm.

Already have a 100 gallon propane tank (owned) and gas line ran to the logs.

We live in indiana and have 3 cold months per year. Temps can be high around 30 and lows in the teens on average.

So in this scenario would we be able to save much money on heating costs using an gas (propane) insert? How much should we expect to pay for an inset and installation? How much propane would it burn per hour? Any specific model recommendations?

 

[webbie]

If you had nat gas I'd say it would save you a lot - but with LP the price can change quickly and it's much more expensive.

I think you have to consider it in a few ways. First, as ambiance and a place to get as warm as you like...and secondly for some heat. Also, it may provide a backup when your power goes out.

Use our fuel comparison calculator to work some variables as to the cost of electric and LP....
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/fuel_cost_comparison_calculator/

 

[newguy09]

Thanks. Would a insert be able to keep the room warm? If so we would turn down the thermostat and just use it.

How many btu unit should we look for?

Can you give me an idea of brands to look for or avoid?

What about a ball park of cost plus installation?

Thanks again

 

[DAKSY]

Get the model number of your Zero Clearance woodburning fireplace & go to a hearth shop. The folks there should be able to tell you if a gas insert is acceptable in that unit... If they can't, you will have to find a manual to determine if you can do this. If you can't, you're going to have to tear the old one out & install a gas FIREPLACE.
If you are allowed to safely install a gas insert, you've already saved some of the potential cost, with the gas line in place, but I bet you're gonna be in the $4K range.
A tear-out/install may be double that. Either one will heat you, in that room & maybe some of the adjoining rooms, depending on the lay out of the rooms & the insulation of the home...

 

[newguy09]

We pay around 8 cents per kWh for electric and $1.60 per gallon for propane

Size of opening:

16 h 35 w 20 d

There is a thin lip hanging down at the front of the current fireplace making the opening 3-4 inches shorter then the space inside.

A tag behind door says heat-n-glo but no model number is listed.

Can I get an insert in this? It looks like most of them are taller that I saw on websites?

 

[DAKSY]

View attachment 122850 View attachment 122851 We pay around 8 cents per kWh for electric and $1.60 per gallon for propane

Size of opening:

16 h 35 w 20 d

There is a thin lip hanging down at the front of the current fireplace making the opening 3-4 inches shorter then the space inside.

A tag behind door says heat-n-glo but no model number is listed.

Can I get an insert in this? It looks like most of them are taller that I saw on websites?

Take a look on the upper left or right of the doors, by the front edge of the refractories. That's where the rating plate is usually located...

There may be parts you can remove to increase the opening height, but you may need to talk to a Heat & Glo rep to confirm...

 

[newguy09]

Found an owners manual from original wonders. Looks like it is heat-n-glo number em42

 

[newguy09]

Ok so if my logo here is correct it would actually cost more to heat with the fireplace even though that doesn't make much sense.

Our average kWh usage for December was 69 kWh/day or less than 29 cents per hour.

For a propane insert running at 20k btu per hour it would use 1/4 gallon of fuel per hour. We pay $1.60/gallon which would be 40 cents per hour to run the propane insert. Does that math sound right? I think I'm doing it correctly but seems weird it costs more to run that per hour than heat the whole house? At a minimum even if if only ran the propane half that rate in the evenings to maintain a decent temp it would still take forever to recoup the costs to purchase and install?

 

[DAKSY]

The math is correct WHEN THE UNIT IS RUNNING. Inserts can be thermostatically controlled, & just like a central heating system, will shut down when the temperature setting is satisfied. Inserts are SPACE HEATERS. They heat the room you're in when you need it. How long it takes to justify the investment differs with each home. If you plan on selling in the near future, you will increase the value of your home if it doesn't have a big ole hole to let the heat out.

 

[Ironhorse74]

1.60 a gallon is fairly cheap propane. Most high efficiency gas inserts run a 1200 btu per hour pilot. So running a standing pilot runs 14.40 per month. When looking at IPI versus standing pilot models consider that.

I always steer propane customers towards IPI. I heat with all four fuels. Propane, electric, wood and pellet. Since I heat the room we live in with propane my electric costs are down.

YMMV

Brad