11 Reasons to Add a Gas Fireplace to Your Home

June 2, 2020

Gas Fireplaces Offer Beauty & Flexibility That is Unmatched

Gas fireplaces are one of the most versatile heating appliances in your home. Not only do they produce unmatched warmth, comfort, and ambiance, but they can also be a stunning feature in your home, helping to tie the whole space together, and add actual value to your home long-term. The following is a list of the top 11 reasons why you should consider upgrading your home and adding a gas fireplace.

1. Ambiance/Romanticism

The warmth, comfort, and ambiance of fires is unmatched. Our attraction to fire is inherent to one of our most basic needs, warmth. Fire is soothing, mesmerizing, and calming. Fireplaces bring all of those elements into a room, creating a warm, calming environment. Having the ability to have that in your home daily can lead to tremendous comfort.

2. Instant, Controllable Heat

Gas fireplaces provide that warm, soothing heat at the push of a button. Unlike other fireplaces that require time to create the fire – a gas fireplace can bet turned on easily and quickly set to the desired temperature. With today’s advanced thermostatic remote controls, you can even walk across the room with the remote and have the fireplace automatically adjust itself to ensure you stay warm wherever you are!

3. Add Value to Home

Gas fireplaces are highly sought after in real estate listing. A fireplace renovation will provide the highest return on investment of any home renovation, with customers recouping as much as 91% of their investment in the final sale of the home. Also, according to the National Association of Realtors, adding a second fireplace can increase the total asking price for the home by as much as 12%! When adding fireplaces, as with all appliances, to your home, it is essential to choose quality appliances that will add value long-term.

4. Save Money on Heating

Whether you are adding a gas fireplace, insert into an old drafty masonry chimney, or adding a gas fireplace where there was no fireplace before you can save money by effectively zone-heating your home. Zone heating is the idea that you can turn down your central heating system and only heat the areas you spend most of your time. By effectively zone heating, you can keep your entire house at a lower average temperature, while remaining comfortable in the areas where you socialize, watch tv, make dinner, or just relax after a long day. Depending on where you live and the cost of natural gas/propane in your area, the cost to operate a gas fireplace year-round will vary – see our gas fireplace operation cost estimation guide.

5. Focal Point for Room/Home

Gas fireplaces are fantastic at framing a room and drawing the eye towards them – even when they are off. Create a dramatic focal point for large rooms with a modern linear one, two, or three-sided fireplace. For smaller spaces, traditional gas fireplaces with updated façade, mantle, and other finishings can create a stunning feature focal point in the room, tying the entire space together.

6. Safety

The safety of modern gas fireplaces is unmatched. Direct vent gas fireplaces use outside air for combustion and release all emissions outside the home. As part of a sealed system, direct vent fireplaces maintain indoor air quality and work safely in all weather conditions as well as today’s modern airtight homes. The addition of mesh safety screens on traditional and contemporary gas fireplace models ensures the safety of children and pets. Our City Series of modern glass fireplaces utilizes a patented seamless glass safety barrier that protects homeowners from burns while removing the need for safety mesh.

7. No Power, No Problem – Radiant Heat

Regency’s lineup of gas fireplaces and gas inserts work safely without electricity. Natural Venting and Direct Venting both operate by utilizing the natural properties of hot air rising to draw in new air for combustion, meaning they will continue to work safely and effectively without any fans. The standard fireplace blower will not work; however, Regency fireplaces have been designed to maximize radiant heat emission – helping to push warm radiant heat into your home naturally. Radiant heat works much the same way as the sun’s rays operate. The fireplace warms up the physical elements of a room, which in turn radiate that heat back into the home, allowing the fireplace to warm the entire space.

8. No Effort – No Chopping, Hauling & Tending to Fire

Unlike a wood fireplace, gas fireplaces require zero effort to operate. Simply press a button to turn on and press it again to turn it off. There is no sourcing, splitting, seasoning, chopping, or hauling wood. Also, with a gas fireplace, there is no need to tend to the fire to ensure it stays lit or to maintain temperature, the system will keep your room at the desired temperature without the need to stoke the fire.

9. Keep Your Home Clean – No Mess

You have no ash to clean, no wood flakes to vacuum up, and no mess. Gas fireplaces are a completely self-sufficient system that requires no intervention or cleaning from the homeowner to operate effectively and efficiently. Keep your home cleaner with a gas fireplace or gas fireplace insert.

10. Simple Maintenance

Gas fireplaces, as with all home appliances, require some annual maintenance to ensure they continue to work safely and efficiently. Gas fireplaces only require straightforward maintenance that you can do yourself, including cleaning the fireplace glass and a quick wipe of the air channels. Gas fireplaces will require annual maintenance from a trained professional to ensure the safety of your appliance; however, the other basic maintenance tasks are straightforward to complete yourself. Overall, gas fireplaces are very low maintenance appliances and require only one professional servicing per year.

11. High Efficiency

Gas fireplaces are a great way to add high-efficiency heat to your home. If you are replacing an old fireplace or adding a fireplace insert to your existing masonry fireplace, you will notice a significant difference. Gas fireplaces are high-efficiency heating appliances well suited to zone heating, and when used as designed, you should notice savings on your utility bills.