How much does it cost per hour to run a gas fire pit?
Less than most people expect — a gas fire pit is inexpensive to run. A 60,000-BTU pit burns roughly two-thirds of a gallon of propane, or about 60 cubic feet of natural gas, per hour on high, and much less turned down. Your actual hourly cost comes straight off your propane or natural-gas rate, so natural gas is almost always the cheaper burn.
Where the number comes from
A fire pit's fuel appetite is just its BTU rating turned into gallons or cubic feet. At 60,000 BTU on high, a pit pulls around two-thirds of a gallon of propane an hour, or roughly 60 cubic feet of natural gas — and the flame rarely lives on high all evening. Dial it to a low, relaxed flame and consumption drops with it.
Because natural gas is billed by the therm off a utility main and propane is delivered and priced by the gallon, natural gas is typically the cheaper fuel to run hour for hour. Either way, a fire pit is a modest line item, not a heating bill.
Keeping the cost down
The single biggest lever is the flame height. A gas pit with a modulating valve or a simple key valve lets you run a warm, comfortable flame at a fraction of full output, which is usually all you want once you're settled into the chairs anyway.
It's worth remembering what you're not spending, too. There's no cordwood to buy, split, season, and haul — no small thing up our mountain roads — and no ash to deal with afterward. For most families the running cost of a gas fire pit is an afterthought compared to how often they actually use it.
Related questions
- How long will a 20 lb propane tank run a fire pit?
- Should I get a natural gas or propane fire pit?
- Are gas fire pits worth it compared to wood-burning fire pits?
- Can I adjust the flame height on a gas fire pit?
- How many BTUs do I need for an outdoor fire pit?
- How much does it cost to install a gas fire pit?
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