Turn Off Gas Fireplace Pilot

We’re all looking for ways to save money this winter. One sure fire way to save some money this winter is to turn off the gas fireplace pilot. The pilot flame can burn as much as $10 per month when it is left on and burning.

Here’s the thing, if you’re like us we use our gas fireplace once or twice each month during the winter. Our gas fireplace is located in a formal sitting room so the only time we use it is when family and friends come to visit.

So after doing some research I found that the typical gas fireplace burns $10 to $15 dollars worth of gas each month while the pilot is lit. So I’ve decided that we’ll keep our pilot off this winter and light the fireplace on a case by case basis. To me it’s certainly worth saving $50 or $60 over the length of the winter.

Todd Fratzel

I'm full time builder for a large construction company in New Hampshire. I run their design-build division that specializes in custom homes, commercial design-build projects and sub-divisions. I'm also a licensed civil and structural engineer with extensive experience in civil and structural design and home construction. My hope is that I can share my experience in the home construction, home improvement and home renovation profession with other builders and home owners. I'm also the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Tool Box Buzz. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or you'd like to inquire about advertising on this site.

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  • I live in an apartment and I thought the same thing as you.. I didn't want to have the pilot light on for cost reasons so I just blew it out......should I have it turned off perfessionaly or is it already off by the pilit light not being lite.......
    Lisa

    • You need to turn the gas valve off as well!! It's very important that you shut off the gas supply immediately!

  • I am not going to do the research or volume calculations on the amount of gas used in a fireplace pilot light but I find it hard to believe the cost. Maybe propane costs significantly more and therefore New England should be connected to the natural gas lines that criss cross our country. Natural gas may provide significant savings for NE as well as using our natural resource in our homes and manufacturing plants, hopefully giving us a manufacturing advantage. I for one disagree with LNG exports when some parts of the country have significant heating costs.
    Lastly If I remember correctly it was during President Carter's time that we eliminated the pilot light on water heaters, stoves and clothes dryers. Part of the reason was conservation since natural gas costs were part of supply and demand. Pilot lights were going to give significant savings. I will just say that I kept an old stove with three pilot lights until the early 2000's. During the winter I balanced my tea kettle on two burners so that hot water for coffee or cooking was quickly available. I miss my pilot light and found it much cheaper than the replacement costs of the igniter systems and heating elements than now inhabit my appliances. Yes during the winter the pilot may have given me a partial degree of heat and during hot summers added to some of the household heat.
    Just a different point of view.

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Todd Fratzel

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