Gas Log Fire vs Real Wood Heater

Of all the fireplace decisions, this is the most common one we get in our showrooms. You have ruled out electric because you want real heat and ambience. If you're still weighing up every option, read the three-way wood, gas, and electric comparison before deciding between wood and gas. Now you have to choose between gas log fire convenience and the genuine performance of wood. Both have passionate defenders. Neither is universally better. 

Which Heats Better: Wood or Gas? 

Short answer: wood, by a clear margin, if you choose a properly sized unit. Wood heaters in Victoria typically range from 6 to 25 kW. Gas log fires top out around 9 to 10 kW. A 15 kW wood heater puts out roughly twice the heat of a top-spec gas log fire. 

What that means in practice 

If you want to heat a single living room or open-plan zone up to about 80 square metres, a gas log fire is plenty. If you want one fireplace to warm a three-bedroom home, you almost certainly need wood. Gas can do it across multiple zones with multiple units, but that gets expensive. Choosing the correct heat output is just as important as choosing the fuel type. Learn how to size each unit type before making your decision.

The radiant heat difference 

Wood fires produce predominantly radiant heat, which warms people and objects directly, the way the sun does. Gas log fires produce a mix of radiant and convection heat, where the air around the unit gets warm and circulates. Both work. Wood feels stronger up close. Gas distributes more evenly. 

Heat in cold conditions 

This is where wood pulls further ahead. In a Ballarat or Traralgon winter when overnight temperatures are below 5 degrees, a wood heater run hard at 15 to 20 kW can warm a poorly insulated weatherboard home that a 9 kW gas log fire would struggle to keep at room temperature. 

Running Cost: The Real Numbers for Victoria 

Wood running cost 

A tonne of seasoned hardwood in Victoria costs $300 to $450 delivered in 2026. A typical Victorian household uses two to three tonnes across a winter, depending on home size and weather. That works out to roughly $600 to $1,400 for fuel per winter. 

On top of that, budget $150 to $250 for an annual flue clean. So total winter running cost is usually $750 to $1,650. 

Gas log fire running cost 

Victorian gas rates sit at roughly 3.5 to 4 cents per megajoule. A medium gas log fire rated at 30 MJ per hour costs around $1.05 to $1.20 per hour at full output. Running it four hours a night through a 90 day winter at average half-output (thermostat-controlled) costs roughly $200 to $300. 

Annual service runs $150 to $300. Total winter running cost is usually $350 to $600. 

Reality check: gas is cheaper if you buy firewood 

If you are buying firewood at full retail price, gas is typically the cheaper fuel for similar heat output. But if you have access to free or cheap firewood (a property with trees, a friend with land, a relative who works in arboriculture), wood swings dramatically into the cheaper running cost category. 

LPG changes the math 

If you are on bottled LPG instead of mains natural gas, gas log fire running cost roughly doubles. In that case wood becomes clearly cheaper for almost everyone outside the natural gas network. 

Because energy prices change regularly, we recommend checking current local fuel costs when comparing long-term running expenses.

Convenience: The Honest Comparison 

Daily operation 

Gas wins this comfortably. Press a button or flip a switch. The fire is on. Adjust with a remote. Wood requires kindling, paper, and time. Once it is going, a wood fire only needs a log thrown on every hour or two, but it is never as fast as gas to start. 

Maintenance 

Gas needs an annual service. Wood needs an annual flue clean plus regular ash removal during use. Both need ongoing attention. Gas is lower effort week to week. Wood is higher effort week to week but lower over a 20 year ownership horizon (gas log fires need component replacement more often). 

Independent product reviews from CHOICE can also help you compare fireplace features, efficiency and ownership considerations before purchasing.

Storage and logistics 

Wood needs storage space. A tonne of split hardwood takes about three cubic metres of stacked space, ideally undercover. Gas has no storage at all if you are on mains, just a connection. If you are on LPG, you need bottle deliveries through winter. 

Reliability in a power outage 

Wood wins decisively. A power outage does not stop a wood heater. Many modern gas log fires need 240V power for the ignition, fan, or controls, so they stop working in an outage. If you live somewhere prone to power cuts, this is a real factor. 

Children and elderly 

Both require some care. Gas fronts get extremely hot to touch, just like wood heater glass. Both need supervision and respect. Neither is meaningfully safer than the other for the surface burn risk. 

Ambience: Real Flame Versus Realistic Flame 

Wood: the real experience 

There is no substitute for the smell of a hardwood fire, the crackle as a log catches, the way real embers glow when you damp it down for the night. If ambience is a primary reason you want a fireplace, wood is hard to beat. 

Gas: the convincing imitation 

Modern gas log fires use ceramic logs and carefully designed burner patterns to produce a flame that looks remarkably like wood. The very best units are convincing from across the room. Up close, they lack the random behaviour and sound of real flame. The trade-off is no smoke smell on your clothes, no soot on the ceiling. 

Honest opinion 

If you ask us which fire we would rather sit in front of with a glass of wine on a Sunday evening, most of us would say wood. If you ask us which one we would actually choose to install in our own busy weeknight home, more than half would say gas. Both are valid answers. 

Installation: Cost and Complexity 

Wood install 

Wood heaters need a licensed Victorian plumber, a flue penetration through your ceiling and roof, a hearth, and AS/NZS 4013 compliance. Total install cost ranges from $4,000 to $18,000 fully installed depending on the home and the unit. For a typical regional Victorian home with a freestanding install, expect $6,000 to $10,000. 

Installation costs vary depending on the fireplace selected, flue configuration, ceiling height, roof construction, site access, and any structural work required. Wood heater installations generally involve a licensed installer, a compliant flue system, and a suitable hearth, while gas fireplaces also require an appropriately licensed gas fitter and gas connection where applicable.

For an accurate estimate, we recommend arranging an in-home assessment, as every installation is different.

Gas install 

Gas log fires need a licensed gas fitter, a gas line, and a flue (most modern units use sealed direct vent). Total install cost ranges from $4,500 to $16,000 fully installed. For a typical install with existing gas connection, expect $5,500 to $10,500.

Installation costs vary depending on the fireplace model, flue configuration, existing gas infrastructure, and the complexity of the installation. If your home doesn't already have a natural gas connection, additional work may be required before the fireplace can be installed. For a more detailed breakdown of labour, flues, compliance and overall project costs, see our installation cost guide for both fireplace types.