Heating your home with a gas cabinet heater can seem like a good option for some:

- They produce a lot of heat, on average up to twice as much as an electric heater.
- You pay for gas up front so there is no nasty shock when the power bill comes.
- You get a nice source of radiant heat and it looks right - like a real fire.
- Gas heaters work when there is no power.
- Gas heaters use no trailing power cords (trip hazard)

That having been said, there are downsides:

- You have to find the cost of the bottle of gas all at once, or do without.
- Gas is MUCH more expensive than electricity (Yes it is - see below)
- Gas produces a lot of moisture which leads to condensation and makes it harder to heat the air
- Gas heaters can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Gas is a fossil fuel and increases Carbon Dioxide emissions.
- Gas heaters are far more expensive to buy than electric heaters.
- Electric heaters are a much lower fire risk.

Because the positive sides of gas heaters are pretty self-evident, there is no need to discuss them at length and there is no doubt they are the best source of heat for places that are well ventilated, poorly insulated and need to be warmed quickly, such as workshops. We are going to discuss the negative points above as not all of them make sense at first look:

- Gas is more expensive than electricity.

Based on today's prices (20th April 2014) a 9Kg bottle of gas can be had for $35, or $3.89 per Kg (price varies but is between $32 and $40)
There are 13.6 KWh of energy per Kg of LPG (A KWh is the same amount of energy as you get in one unit of electricity) so each unit of gas power costs 28.6 cents.
Electricity costs vary but the cheapest all day rate is 27.5 cents per KWh. As most people who are bothered by cost go to bed early to save money, the price of night rate power is not relevant.
Already we can see that you are paying at least 4% more for power bout as gas than electricity. Even the very best, most modern cabinet heaters convert only 91% of the energy in gas into heat so in fact, the equivalent price of the gas, converted to electricity equivalent is 31.4 cents per kWh, some 14% more expensive than electricity - for every $100 spent on electric heating you'd need to spend $114 on gas to get the same heating power out.

Note that this comparison is using resistive heating (say, a bar fire, ceramic, oil column or fan heater) as the source of electric heating - heat pumps are up to 4 times more efficient than resistive heating, but few who own a heat pump use gas to heat their homes.

- Gas produces a lot of moisture

Every Kg of LPG burned will release 1.5 Litres of water into the air. Not only does this water need to be heated (which further reduces the benefit of the heater) it also leads to condensation and to mould growth.
Most LPG users also need a dehumidifier.

- Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

Unflued gas heaters expel their fumes into your room air, increasing carbon dioxide levels. When there is insufficient oxygen in the room, usually because fumes have displaced some of it, the heater will burn less efficiently, producing carbon monoxide instead of carbon dioxide. Carbon Monoxide binds very strongly to your blood, preventing it form carrying oxygen. This can lead to shortness of breath, headaches, dizziness and blurred vision, even to death. NEVER use a gas heater in a small room and NEVER sleep with one turned on. ALWAYS ensure you have adequate ventilation.
Note that the need for ventilation increases draughts which further reduce the heating benefits of gas.

- Carbon Dioxide

Every Kg of LPG burned releases 3Kg of carbon dioxide. (the extra weight comes from the oxygen added in the burning process). Carbon Dioxide probably contributed to global climate change so it is a good idea to use electricity instead, 90% of which is produced from renewable sources, in New Zealand.

- Gas Heaters Cost More

A reasonable fan heater can be had for as little as $20 today whilst a gas cabinet heater will set you back over $120.

- Fire risk

As gas heaters have open flames they are a much higher ignition risk for clothing. Also, the lower temperatures of fan heaters mean that they are safer with children around.

So, overall it is quite clear that not only does gas cost a lot more than electricity, it is dangerous indoors, bad for your environment (water production and Carbon Monoxide) and probably bad for the planet. We strongly recommend that you DO NOT use your old gas heater. Buy a $20 fan heater and use that instead. By the time you've used the equivalent of 4 LPG refills, the heater will have paid for itself.