N
Nigel and Gina Easterbrook
20 February 2025
★★★★★
Thanks so much for your fantastic service. Highly highly recommend to all. Nigel and Gina Easterbrook.
Guide
Wood, gas or electric fire?
All three look great. They’re very different to live with. Here’s how they compare on heat, cost, effort and installation, using figures from the fires we sell.
The short answer
- Wood if you want the most heat, a real crackling fire, heat in a power cut, cooking on top or hot water from a wetback, and you don’t mind handling firewood.
- Gas if you want instant heat at a switch, a timer or your phone, with no wood to stack and no ash.
- Electric if you want the look of a fire where a flue isn’t possible: an apartment, a bedroom or a media wall. It gives gentle top-up heat, not whole-home heat.
Side by side
| Wood | Gas | Electric | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat output (our range) | 5–39 kW | 4.9–15 kW | 1.6–3 kW |
| Fire price (our range) | $349–$16,920 | $3,399–$16,995 | $599–$9,495 |
| Running cost | Cheaper than gas (EECA), less again with your own wood | Dearer than wood | Highest per unit of heat |
| In a power cut | Keeps going | Depends on the model: ask us | No |
| Flue | Yes, through the roof | Yes, through the wall or roof | None |
| Paperwork | Building consent | Gas certificates | Usually none |
| Effort | Firewood, ash, a yearly sweep | A yearly service | None |
| Rules | Clean air model on sections under 2 ha | Not under the wood burner standard | None |
Prices are for the fire itself, from the fires on our website (November 2026). Installation is extra. See what a fireplace costs to install.
Wood
A wood fire gives strong radiant heat that warms large, open-plan living areas, and it keeps working when the power goes out. Many models have a cooktop, and some take a wetback to help heat your hot water.
On a section under 2 hectares it must be a clean air model on the Ministry for the Environment’s authorised list, and every install needs a building consent. See wood burner rules in the Bay of Plenty. Burn dry wood and have the chimney swept every year. See firewood & chimney care.
Gas
Gas fires are about convenience: instant heat, a thermostat and often an app or timer. They run on natural gas where there’s a connection, or on LPG bottles. A licensed gasfitter installs it and signs it off with a Gas Safety Certificate, and the flue can usually go out through a wall as well as the roof. See flues explained.
Electric
Electric fires need no flue, so they can go almost anywhere: a bedroom, an apartment or a TV wall. The ones we sell put out 1.6–3 kW, which is top-up heat for a room. They’re about the look of a fire. For a rental, an electric fire won’t meet the Healthy Homes heating standard on its own in most living rooms. See Healthy Homes heating.
Sources
Official guidance we checked when writing this page (November 2026). Rules and fees change, so check the source or ask us before you rely on a figure.
Good to Know
Common questions
Which is cheapest to run: wood, gas or electric?
EECA says wood and pellet burners are typically cheaper to run than gas, and plug-in electric heaters cost the most per unit of heat. Your own firewood makes wood cheaper again.
Does a gas fire work in a power cut?
It depends on the model. Ask us about the one you like.
Can an electric fire heat my whole house?
No. The electric fires we sell put out 1.6–3 kW, which is top-up heat for one room.
Questions?
Talk to a local expert
Free advice and an accurate installation quote from our team in Tauriko, Tauranga.
What happens next
- 1Tell us about your homeWe reply within 2 working hours to messages, or call us now.
- 2Free site checkWe look at where it’ll go, the flue route and the rules for your section.
- 3One clear quoteA written price for the fire, flue and installation.
- 4InstalledUsually 4–6 weeks after you say yes. Most of that is council consent, which we handle. The install is usually one day.