How much gas does a standing pilot light use?
In Swannanoa, a lot of these decisions are being made fresh — homes are being rebuilt and renovated after the storm, and new fireplace and stove installs are going in. On a new unit you choose the ignition, so whether you ever pay for a standing pilot is up to you. On the natural-gas main here, if you keep one, its cost is minor.
Rebuilding means choosing your ignition
With Swannanoa recovering from recent storm damage, we're installing new fireplaces and stoves in rebuilt and renovated homes — Grovemont's 1940s-to-60s houses among them. That's a clean slate for the pilot question. Pick electronic or battery-backup ignition and there's no standing pilot at all, so no round-the-clock draw. Pick a millivolt unit and you get a standing pilot — a small, steady flame — with a real payoff: it needs no electricity, so it keeps heating when the grid goes down. After days without power, plenty of neighbors are weighing exactly that.
On the main, the cost is small either way
Swannanoa sits on the natural-gas main, so a standing pilot's continuous cost here is genuinely minor — the flame is tiny; what puts it on the bill is that it never stops. Against that small cost, the river-valley fog and cold-air pooling that make this a damp spot give a lit pilot a job: its warmth helps keep the firebox dry, which matters where moisture is hard on masonry and metal. For most homes we'd leave it lit through the season and not think twice about the gas it uses.
Backup heat and no pilot, if you want both
If you want outage-ready heat without a 24/7 flame, battery-backup electronic ignition gives you both — no standing pilot, but it still lights when the power's out. As your licensed gas contractor we handle the install and the Buncombe County permit, one accountable company for the appliance, venting, and gas line. We're 15 minutes east. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Swannanoa
We install and service fireplaces throughout Swannanoa 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?