Should I turn my pilot light off in the summer to save money?
Generally yes — a standing pilot burns gas around the clock, so shutting it off from late spring to early fall saves a few therms a month and keeps a small heat source out of your living room in July. Just know the tradeoffs first: spiders love a cold firebox, and the fall relight becomes one more chore before heating season.
What you actually save
On the Asheville and Hendersonville natural-gas mains, a summer pilot is a small line item — real money, not big money. On propane out in Fairview, Candler, Brevard, and the cabins, the same flame costs more per BTU, and shutting it down for four or five months is an easier call. There's a comfort dividend too: a standing pilot puts off a little heat and keeps the firebox warm, which is pleasant in January and pointless in a mountain August. One caveat before you go hunting for a switch — many newer fireplaces have electronic ignition and no standing pilot at all. If yours sparks to life when you hit the switch, this question is already answered for you.
The spider problem is real
The classic WNC service call every October: fireplace won't light after sitting all summer, and the culprit is spiders and dust clogging the pilot assembly and burner orifices over the off-season. It happens whether the pilot ran all summer or not, though a cold, dark firebox is even more inviting. Our answer is to make the relight part of the routine: annual service runs from $189, and the right window is late summer or early fall, before you're depending on the fireplace. We clean the pilot and orifices, relight, and check the whole system — so you walk into heating season proven-out instead of hopeful.
One thing to know before you touch it
If your fireplace is millivolt — the kind that works during power outages, like the Valor H5 — the pilot generates the electricity that runs the valve and remote. With it off, nothing on the unit responds until it's relit; that's normal, not broken, so don't panic in October. Your owner's manual covers the summer shutdown for your specific model, and if you'd rather not fool with it at all, we'll handle the relight as part of the fall tune-up. What we never want is anyone improvising on gas controls — when in doubt, call (828) 545-0525.
How we can help
Related questions
- How much does a standing pilot light cost per month?
- How much money does electronic (intermittent pilot) ignition save compared to a standing pilot?
- How much does annual gas fireplace service cost, and what should it include?
- What's the total annual cost of owning a gas fireplace — fuel, pilot, and service?
- How much will a gas fireplace add to my monthly gas bill?
- How much does a gas fireplace cost installed?
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