Gas fireplaces are no where near as efficient as wood burning. The heat is not near the same level, wood in mass is far cheaper then gas. However, gas is much 'cleaner' and all you do is flick a switch.

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I grew up with wood burning fire places. That's what everyone had in New York where I lived. In Los Angeles, where I live now, it's very common that people have Gas Igniting, wood burning, fire places.
- So people use the gas to get the fire going and then burn wood or use them in conjuction.. Until they come to my place

I however took my Gas Igniting, wood burning, fireplace and converted it to be entirely gas burning and I have never been happier. Not only do I love it, so does everyone else who uses it, my brother, the wife, my parents when they come in.. We unanimously all agree, gas is better.

Here is why.

Yes, wood burning does get HOT and it does have a smell that we all love BUT it also gets very smokey.
Wood burning fire places are a pain in the ass to clean up.
Wood burning fire places, you have to buy, store and maintain wood. If it gets wet or isn't good wood, good luck getting a beautiful fire going.
If you start a wood fire, I would consider it to be dangerous to leave running if you're not home. So once you light it, it's a commitment. You have to stick around until it burns down.

Gas burning, we went out, bought some faux wood (it's high quality and kind of expensive) that was called drift wood, there's lots of different types, but ours looks great. You have to pick it up and examine it to tell it's not real wood.
It comes with some flaky material that you line the bottom of your fireplace with to give the fire a nice variation of colors, reds and blues like a duraflame.
It creates PLENTY of heat and it looks equally as beautiful to any wood fire i've ever seen. I've never had a guest say, "that doesn't look like a wood fire." quite the opposite, everyone raves over it.

If you leave or go to a different room, you just turn it off. That simple.
If the room gets too hot (which it often does) you can turn it down or turn it off.
There is NOTHING to clean up.
You don't have to store any wood or keep wood dry.
All you need to do is turn a key and get a long lighter. Poof, you're in business.

I can't recommend a gas fireplace enough. It's one of the best things in our house and we love it. I don't miss burning wood at all.

The price to run it depends on the price of natural gas in your area. In LA it's very reasonable.

If I remember, the entire setup (logs, flake, installation, etc.) was a few hundred dollars ($300-$500) I forget.. It was five years ago and I think that price was for both of my fireplaces.. But I want to state, in the last five years, I have had absolutely NO maintenance. Haven't replaced a thing, haven't cleaned a thing. It all still works at 100%.. There is no cost or cleanup besides the cost of gas.

But I say it again.. EVERYONE loves it, it's easy to use, no cleaning, has a beautiful fire that looks NO different than a wood fire and creates plenty of heat. We find ourselves turning it off and down a lot because it makes the huge room we have it in too hot.

We also have the second one in our bedroom..... It's amazing there also.

During the winter, we use the fireplace EVERY day.. Come home from work, turn on the tv, turn the key for the gas, use the lighter, poof, fireplace is on.
Go out for dinner, turn the key, fireplace is off. Come home, turn it back on.... It's almost as simple as a light switch.

B

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"When two people agree on everything, one of them is not necessary" - Arliss

You didn't get one with a remote, B? Mine doesn't have one either but, I agree, they are much easier than using real wood.

If you want to use the fire place as a heat source you might consider a pellet stove/fireplace.

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Nah, I don't think I even considered one with a remote... Come to think of it, I don't think most gas burning fireplaces have a remote as you want to shut the gas line on and off. I'm sure I'm wrong about this and some do exist, but I think the remote fireplaces are more of the "electric" persuasion.

and by electric, i do mean an electric fireplace, which is my least favorite of the 3 types, but can also be useful in the right situation (like a loft with no chimney) - I could totally understand why someone would install an electric fireplace in an apt. or such.

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"When two people agree on everything, one of them is not necessary" - Arliss

Wood burning is not allowed on occasion here due to air quality advisories. Gas burning fireplaces can still be used.

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btw, my fireplace also has a heat exhaust. You flip a switch and a fan turns on inside the fireplace that blows the hot air into the room. Though I don't use it. It's a bit noisy.

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"When two people agree on everything, one of them is not necessary" - Arliss

There are a lot of them for gas fireplaces:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...as%20fireplace

Give me convenience or give me death

If all you want is to heat up the room that the fireplace is in, the wood-burning fireplace with gas logs is the way to go as B-line stated - we have done the same in our house.

However, if you are looking for whole-house heating, a wood-burning stove is a great choice. My parents have heated their entire house for years with wood-burning stoves. Load it up, close the door, and you're set.

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