How much gas does a standing pilot light use?
In Mars Hill, the standing-pilot cost tracks the academic calendar. University-area rentals want easy-use gas, but they empty over summer and winter breaks — and a pilot on propane keeps drawing down the tank through every empty week. The flame is small; on propane, in a house nobody's in for a semester break, that continuous trickle is what to weigh.
The academic year sets the idle clock
Mars Hill's rhythm is the university's — full in the fall and spring, quiet over the long breaks. A standing pilot doesn't take a break, though; it burns around the clock whether the rental is full or empty. That idle time over the summer and winter closures is where the pilot's cost concentrates, and where many landlords decide it isn't worth feeding. Because so many area homes and rentals run on propane — the pricier fuel per unit — that unattended trickle out of the tank is a bit more noticeable than it would be on a gas main.
Easy-use gas, often without a pilot
The demand here leans toward fireplaces that are simple for tenants and seasonal residents to run, and electronic-ignition gas units fit that well — the burner lights instantly on demand with no standing pilot burning through the empty months. Out in the rural Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys, where propane and wood do the heating, a wood-burner has no pilot at all, and a propane unit with electronic ignition skips the continuous draw entirely. It's a good match for how these houses actually get used through the year.
Set it up for how the house lives
Whether it's a rental that empties on a schedule or a year-round home in one of the colder spots we serve, we'll match the ignition to the pattern — and if you keep a standing pilot for its no-electricity simplicity, its cost stays small. Converting is licensed gas work, permitted with your county and pressure-tested. We're 30 minutes north. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Mars Hill
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mars Hill and the rest of Madison County — just 30 minutes north 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?