Replacing electric fire with gas fire

KSS1991

Hi all, does anyone know how much it might cost to get electric fire removed and replaced with gas one? And is it even possible to do?

Robin9

Do you have a conventional chimney flue with/without a liner thats not been capped off or blocked and has been swept recently ?

Is there a live gas point next to the fire ?

grumbler

KSS1991 said:

Hi all, does anyone know how much it might cost to get electric fire removed and replaced with gas one? And is it even possible to do?

Is this a serious question?  Anything is possible.

Electric fires don't need a flue/chimney. Gas fires do - unless it's a flueless gas fire filling your house with C02 and H20.

If you have a chimney, then yes, you can install a gas fire. Some require a proper (traditional) chimney, some can work with a modern 'pre-cast' (built into a wall) one. Also there are 'balanced' gas fires with a fan and a flue gooing out through an external wall.

So, how long is a piece of string? - And this is ignoring the fact that for a gas fire you need a gas pipe, not an electric socket.

outtatune

grumbler said:

KSS1991 said:

Hi all, does anyone know how much it might cost to get electric fire removed and replaced with gas one? And is it even possible to do?

Electric fires don't need a flue/chimney. Gas fired do - unless it's a flueless gas fire filling your house with C02 and H20.

And you'll also need a 100mm hole in the wall for ventilation. Which kind of defeats the point of having a heater in the room. And few competent gas engineers will agree to fit one; indeed if you can get anyone to agree to fit a flueless gas fire you should assume that they're an incompetent cowboy.

housebuyer143

Don't do it. My 'balanced ' gas fire has a flue through the wall and it lets in cold air, wind and lots and lots of house spiders. I have sealed it and will be bricking up the hole and putting electric in next month. 

tacpot12

The relative cost of gas vs. electricity make heating using a gas fire much less economical that it used to be. Once you add the cost of installation, I doubt it would make econmic sense. 

will-he-payitoff

Most people are doing the opposite including us, we are going for one of these

https://www.dimplex.co.uk/optimyst

KSS1991

Thank you all , interesting points re. Price. I was always assuming gas fires are more economical than electric ones

grumbler

KSS1991 said:

 I was always assuming gas fires are more economical than electric ones

I think they still are. The only question is how much more.

mi-key

KSS1991 said:

Thank you all , interesting points re. Price. I was always assuming gas fires are more economical than electric ones

They probably are right at the moment, but if this will be the case in a years time then who knows? 

Real flame fires look nice, but with central heating they aren't really needed these days.

TELLIT01

It's not as simple as just comparing running costs. Purchase and installation costs could take many years to recoup.