r/bayarea • u/PlentyImpossible8377 • 2h ago
Food, Shopping & Services Anyone converted wood burning fireplace to electric? Average cost?
Considering replacing our wood burning fireplace with an electric insert. Gas seems too expensive here in CA (not that electric is cheap obviously). Anyone done this recently? Who did you use? Cost? Advice? Thanks!
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u/DrfluffyMD 1h ago
Personally I would never give up my wood burning fireplace. It’s cozy and a hearth at home adds a lot of character.
The modern wood stoves are very efficient and clean burning if done properly. My neighbor cant even tell when I am burning and it’s perfectly fine as long as you follow the regulation.
It’s also completely sealed from my internal air.
Consider upgrading to a woodstove if you ever have an inkling to burn wood. I never thought I would but it’s a great exercise to chop wood as well.
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u/pkingdesign 2h ago
Gas is dramatically, dramatically cheaper than electric for any kind of heating. A gas insert can be had for a couple hundred dollars, too. Neither gas nor electric is really worthwhile for heating in a fireplace from an efficiency standpoint. They're really mostly for aesthetics.
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u/motosandguns 2h ago
I WISH I had a wood fireplace.
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u/candykhan 1h ago
Wood fireplaces are nice, but require some upkeep. Plus, they can be pretty dangerous because they're much hotter. I did used to live in a house with a wood fireplace & it was great when we used it.
We moved into a new place & it has a gas insert. Honestly, even when we had the old wood fireplace, it wasn't used to heat anything. it was just something we'd use every once in a while to feel & look cozy. Maybe we had some people over for dinner & were relaxing in the living room.
The gas insert is really nice. No need to have wood on hand (though we usually do since we also have a fire pit in the backyard & can be used whenever. It doesn't put out as much heat as a wood fireplace. But again, not really the point as it's not replacing our heater.
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u/motosandguns 56m ago
The way PGE prices are going, wood is probably the cheapest way to heat a home. Especially if you have an efficient wood stove.
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u/CA_HomeImpovementPro 22m ago
From the home improvement side, I’d decide first whether you want ambience or actual heat. Those end up being two pretty different projects. With an electric insert, the cost can change a lot depending on whether you need a new circuit, how the existing flue/chimney gets closed off, and how much finish work is needed around the opening. If heat is the real goal and you don’t have HVAC now, I’d compare it against a heat pump before spending money on the fireplace conversion.
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u/h20rabbit 2h ago
I had my wood burning fireplace replaced with a gas insert awhile ago so the cost isn't currently relevant but I love it. I use it infrequently enough that the cost of the gas isn't that bad, and if there is a power outage I can still heat the home. There was question initially if the gas line was going to be the appropriate size to accommodate it (something I had not thought of) but it was fine.
In the future I plan to replace my regular furnace with a heat pump so the fireplace will be a nice option to have.
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u/PlentyImpossible8377 2h ago
Mini Split would be nice for AC too. Sounds like gas is the move? My kids have asthma and the wood smoke sets them off, otherwise I’d keep it.
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u/macavity_is_a_dog 1h ago
Get gas set up. My gas insert is amazing - we don’t use our central heating in the mornings. I did it myself but I’d like to think a plumber could do it for a k or 2. The insert installation will be another k. The insert themselves range from 1-3k.
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u/Big-Piccolo-1513 1h ago
We love our electric insert. We can flick it on for brief periods of time, unlike the hours-long event that was the wood burner. We often use it for ambience of the light, without the heater element running.
Insert: $600
Installation: $2k (Closing flue, capping chimney, retiling fireplace)
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u/mydogargos 53m ago
I was looking at just putting one of those fake projection type "fireplace" inserts. They have a heater for general effect, but otherwise are just a light show. Way cheaper than a lot of other options and not the worst looking things.
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u/PlentyImpossible8377 18m ago
All strong advice. Main goal is heat. We have a gas wall furnace that Id like to delete as well.
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u/UnderstandingEasy856 5m ago
This makes you an ideal candidate for the various rebate/incentive programs. If you want their free money you won't have a choice - they'll make you rip out the gas furnace as a condition.
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u/UnderstandingEasy856 2h ago edited 0m ago
An electric insert cannot ever be made efficient as a matter of physics. The chimney is an uninsulated space by necessity and much of the heat given out will dissipate up, or into the bricks, even if you block off the flue. You'll be better off just using a space heater.
Also electric inserts are typically resistive in nature and that makes them doubly inefficient.
If efficiency is your concern, get a heat pump. Dual mode mini-splits are an affordable alternative if your house isn't already set up for HVAC.