How much gas does a standing pilot light use?
In Black Mountain, where the Swannanoa Valley's inversions can leave mornings 10 to 15 degrees colder than Asheville, a standing pilot buys you something valuable cheaply: instant heat the second you flip the switch. On the natural-gas main here its cost is minor — a small, steady draw that's a fair price for a fireplace that's always ready.
Cold mornings are where the pilot pays off
Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley sit under regular temperature inversions — cold air pools overnight and mornings run well below what Asheville sees, with frost dates lingering later into spring. A standing pilot keeps the burner primed so you get flame and warmth immediately on those raw mornings, with no wait and no electronics to fuss with. On the natural-gas main that serves most of town, the pilot's around-the-clock cost is genuinely small, so you're paying very little for that always-ready convenience when you want it most.
Damp Montreat lots and the dry-firebox bonus
Up in Montreat and the heavily wooded lots around it, houses stay cool, shaded, and moisture-prone, and there the standing pilot does double duty — its small continuous warmth helps keep the firebox and burner dry against that damp. So the same little gas draw that keeps the unit ready also fights the moisture that would otherwise sit in a cold firebox. For most Black Mountain homes we'd leave it lit through the heating season for exactly those reasons; the cost simply isn't worth chasing, and the dry firebox is worth keeping.
If you'd rather skip the pilot
Prefer no continuous flame at all? Many units can run electronic or battery-backup ignition, which lights only on demand and — with battery backup — still fires when the power's out, no small thing in a valley that loses lines in a storm. Converting is licensed gas work we permit through Buncombe County. We're 15 minutes east of our Asheville showroom. Call (828) 545-0525 and we'll match the ignition to how you use the room.
Fireplace help in Black Mountain
We install and service fireplaces throughout Black Mountain and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Should I leave my gas fireplace pilot light on all summer or turn it off?
- Does the pilot light give off enough heat to warm up the room in summer?
- Are there benefits to leaving the pilot lit year-round, like keeping moisture and spiders out?
- How do I shut the pilot light off for the summer?
- Does turning the flame down make my gas fireplace use less gas?