Gas Fires

Verine Orbis HE Gas Fire

A gas fire is the perfect way to bring warmth and ambience to you home. Creating a central focal point in any room, fireplaces are an excellent way to also add value to your property. The choices available to  you can be confusing especially considering that not all gas fires are suitable for every home type. This blog aims to offer help in choosing the right product for you.

Deciding what you require a gas fire for is the first stage. If you're looking for a feature only that you can enjoy the ambience in the evening whilst you have your central heating on, perhaps the latest high efficiency gas fires may not be the right option for you. Several appliances, due to the fireplaces they are combined with offer a decorative effect only. Whilst they produce large, mesmerising flames, they may have a cast-iron back which absorbs a lot of the heat or some of the hole-in-the-wall fireplaces available have nothing that helps reflecting the heat back in to the room. The same applies to basket gas fires - they look great but the majority of heat produced is lost up the chimney.

With rising energy bills, most homeowners are now looking at gas fires that as well as looking fab, also provide adequate heat output and aren't too costly to run. It is common for people to just use the gas fire to heat the room they spend most of the time in rather than heating all rooms in the house with their central heating. The addition of high efficiency gas fires and the various designs available gives you the best of both worlds. You can now enjoy beautiful, real flames which also give you an efficient way to heat your home.

Verine Eden HE Gas Fireplace

Regardless of whether you are looking to replace an old gas fire that is combined within an existing fireplace or you fancy a complete change and want the ultra-cool, contemporary look of the the latest 'hole-in-the-wall' gas fireplaces, there is a high efficiency option that will suit. @HotPrice.co.uk can even supply gas stoves that re-create the look of a wood burner without any of the associated mess or hassle of storing logs.

The majority of high efficiency gas fires are glass fronted. The best way to explain why these appliances give out more heat whilst using less gas is to do with the glass-front. On a open-fronted fire, the toxic fumes produced by the combustion process have to be expelled to prevent them entering the room. As well as the fumes going up the chimney, a considerable amount of heat is also lost (normally around 50%). With glass-fronted gas fires, the fumes are unable to enter the room so the flue outlet can be smaller allowing the gases (which are the hottest part of the combustion process) generate heat into the room.

There is also a new breed of gas fires now available which don't have a glass-front but boast improved efficiency. Often known as 'Plus' gas fires, they feature a deeper canopy that helps prevent the fire from spilling and therefore efficiency rating is normally classed at around the 70% figure with heat output up to around 4.5kW. Manufacturers who are producing this type of fire are Flavel Fires, Verine Fires and Legend.

An important part of purchasing a new gas fire is to ensure it is fitted correctly. In the UK, this must be carried out by a registered gas installer. The Gas Safe registered lists registered engineers and their website allows you to search for installers in your area. Gas fires need to be serviced annually to ensure they continue to run safely and efficiently and manufacturers who offer extended warranties require proof that you fire has been maintained correctly.