Gas vs Electric Fireplace: Which Is Right for Your Toronto Home? (2026 Comparison)

The honest short answer: gas wins on heat and realism, electric wins on price, simplicity and condo-friendliness, and the right choice depends on what job the fireplace is doing in your home. Below is the full comparison for Toronto homeowners, including what each actually costs to run at current Ontario energy rates, which is the part most comparisons skip.

Gas vs electric at a glance

Heat: not a close contest

A gas fireplace is a genuine heating appliance. The gas models in our own catalog run from 18,000 BTU for a compact unit like the Marquis Solara up to 42,500 BTU for large fireplaces, and gas inserts land in between. That is enough to be the primary heat source for a main living space, and because the heat comes from real combustion, it radiates the way people expect a fire to feel.

An electric fireplace heater tops out around 1,500 watts, which works out to roughly 5,000 BTU, comparable to a good space heater. That is genuinely useful for one room, which is why the electric strategy is called zone heating: warm the room you are in and leave the furnace set lower. But it will not carry an open-concept main floor in January, and no honest comparison should suggest otherwise.

What they cost to buy and install

Electric is the budget path and it is not close. Units run from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand for large premium linears, and installation is often no more than mounting and a standard outlet; a recessed built-in look adds framing but no venting or gas work. A gas fireplace is a construction project: the unit, venting, gas line and finishing typically land between $4,500 and $10,000 all in for Toronto homes. We break the whole quote down in our gas fireplace installation cost guide.

What they cost to run, at real Ontario rates

Here is the math most comparisons skip, using the actual regulated rates in effect this summer. Ontario electricity costs 9.8 cents per kilowatt hour off-peak and 20.3 cents on-peak under the OEB's time-of-use plan. Enbridge's residential gas rates work out to roughly 27 cents per cubic metre all in once supply, transportation and delivery charges are added together.

• Electric on full heat: a 1,500 watt heater draws 1.5 kWh per hour, so about 15 cents an hour off-peak and about 30 cents an hour on-peak.
• Electric flame-only: the LED flame effect draws a few watts. Running it all evening costs pennies, which is why electric is unbeatable as a year-round ambience machine.
• Gas on full: a typical 30,000 BTU fireplace burns about 0.85 cubic metres per hour, which is roughly 23 to 25 cents an hour. Smaller units run closer to 15 cents, large ones closer to 35.

Per hour, they look similar. Per unit of heat, they are not: that gas fireplace is delivering five to six times more warmth for its 25 cents than the electric heater delivers for its 15 to 30. At current Ontario rates, gas heat costs roughly three to six times less per BTU. If the fireplace will actually heat your home, gas wins the operating-cost argument comfortably; if it will mostly glow in the background, electric costs almost nothing to enjoy.

Look and feel

A gas flame is a real flame: it moves unpredictably, glows through real embers and radiates heat you can feel across the room. Modern electric flame effects have improved dramatically, with full-colour LED presentations and options like Dimplex's IgniteXL line that look excellent in a modern setting, but they are a projection, not combustion. Our advice is simple and it is why our showroom keeps both burning: stand in front of each for two minutes and you will know which one you want.

Condos, venting and where each can go

This is where electric quietly wins whole categories of Toronto homes. An electric fireplace needs no venting, no gas line and no combustion air, so it can go in a condo, an apartment, a basement bedroom or an office with nothing more than an outlet. A gas fireplace needs a vent route to the outdoors and a gas line, which is straightforward in most houses but involves building approvals and venting logistics in condos. Possible, and we do it, but it is a project rather than a purchase.

Maintenance and reliability

A gas fireplace should be professionally serviced once a year, which is a real cost and a real appointment; our gas fireplace maintenance guide covers exactly what that involves and why the manufacturers require it. Electric maintenance is dusting and, eventually, replacing a part that is usually cheap. The flip side: most gas fireplaces keep working during a power outage, depending on the ignition type, which in an ice-storm city is a genuine feature. An electric fireplace goes dark with everything else.

Which should you choose?

• Choose gas if the fireplace will actually heat your home, if you want the real-flame presence, or if backup heat during outages matters to you. The higher install cost buys a working heating appliance.
• Choose electric if you are in a condo, on a tighter budget, want fire ambience in a bedroom or office, or want flames year-round without heat. The realism gap is smaller than it used to be and the cost gap is enormous.
• Torn between them? The deciding questions are usually: does the room need real heat, and can your building take a vent? Answer those two and the choice usually makes itself.

See both burning, side by side

The fastest way to settle this is in person. Our Toronto showroom keeps live gas and electric displays running so you can compare flame and heat directly, and a specialist can tell you what is feasible in your space. Call (416) 482-8585 or drop by at 18 Lola Rd.

Sources

Running-cost calculations use the Ontario Energy Board's residential time-of-use electricity rates (effective November 1, 2025) and Enbridge Gas's Rate 1 residential rates (effective July 1, 2026), assuming a 1,500 W electric heater and a 30,000 BTU gas fireplace at about 0.85 cubic metres of gas per hour. Heat output figures are from the manufacturer specifications of the fireplaces in our catalog. Your usage and rate plan will vary.