Gas fireplaces have been increasing in popularity of late, especially up here in the Pacific Northwest, where it's often cool and gray. It's hard to beat the ease of flipping on a switch and having an instant fire.

Gas fireplaces are popular in other climates as well. For example, in Arizona, you might want the ambience of flickering flames for a romantic evening at home, but you don't need the heat. That works fine, since gas fireplaces give you the option of operating them with the fan on or off (the fan is what's responsible for blowing heat into the room).

If you're reading this article you probably haven't decided, however, if a gas fireplace is right for you. They cost anywhere from $1500 and up, and in most cases, installing one means you won't be able to use your wood-burning fireplace any more. (Most gas fireplaces come as inserts that fit into your old firebox.) To help you decide, let's look at the pros and cons of each:

Pros of Wood-burning Fireplaces

--You get the crackling realism of a true fire.

--You can practice your fire-building skills every time you want some extra heat.

--They can bring the family together during a power outage.

Cons of Wood-burning Fireplaces

--You have to haul the wood inside, often up stairs.

--You have to clean ashes out of the hearth regularly.

--It takes time to build a regular fire, and then it's a bad idea to leave the house or go to bed as long as it's still burning, so you're committed to a fire for hours.

--Much of the heat goes up the chimney, because wood-burning fireplaces are not energy efficient.

Pros of Gas Fireplaces

--You can have warmth and a fire at the flick of a switch.

--They are energy efficient and warm up a room quickly.

--You don't need to worry about chimney sweeps, creosote, and chimney fires.

Cons of Gas Fireplaces

--Though the flames on many gas fireplaces today are quite realistic, you don't have the sound of crackling wood and the genuine feel of a fire.

--Potential homebuyers who haven't been turned on to the comfort and ease a gas fireplace provides, may prefer a traditional wood-burning hearth.

As you can see, there are arguments for both sides. Is a gas fireplace better than a wood-burning unit? This is something that depends on the tastes of the fireplace-user. It's really up to you and your preferences as to whether you want one over the other.

As someone with two gas fireplaces in the house, I will say that many people don't realize just how wonderful they are until they've owned one themselves. We started with one upstairs, and soon after installed the second in our downstairs fireplace. You just can't beat the convenience of getting out of bed on a cold morning and snapping on the gas fireplace, so you can warm your buns while you dress. And many of today's models have remote controls and automatic timers, so you can program the fireplace to turn on ten or fifteen minutes before your alarm goes off, or you can have the unit turn off after you've gone to sleep. You just don't get that kind of immediate satisfaction with a wood-burning unit.

And, if you're still drawn to the idea of a wood fire, there's always the backyard. Outdoor fire pits are increasingly popular these days.