Instant Warmth for DuPage County's Coldest Nights.

Costs vary with the unit and the venting path, but most Downers Grove homeowners land somewhere between $4,000 and $10,000 for a full installation. A direct-vent gas insert dropped into an existing masonry fireplace—common in the village's older homes near downtown—tends to fall on the lower end, especially if a gas line already runs near the firebox. A new built-in gas fireplace for a remodel or addition, with fresh framing, venting through an exterior wall, and a new gas line from Nicor Gas service, runs higher. Local dealers will give you a firm number after seeing your specific chimney or wall condition.

Yes, and it's one of the most common projects in Downers Grove's older housing stock, where original brick fireplaces built in the 1920s through 1950s were often more decorative than functional. A direct-vent gas insert fits into that existing firebox, uses a stainless liner run through the flue, and turns a fireplace that rarely got used into a real heat source. Most conversions run $4,000 to $8,500 depending on the insert and whether the flue needs relining. Since Nicor Gas already serves nearly every block in the village, running a new gas line to the firebox is usually straightforward.

Nearly every home in Downers Grove has access to natural gas through Nicor Gas, so propane is rarely necessary here—it's really only a consideration for a handful of unincorporated pockets at the edges of DuPage County that fall outside the utility's service area. If you're already on natural gas for your furnace or water heater, adding a fireplace is typically a simple tap into existing service. Your installer will confirm line capacity and pressure before finalizing the unit.

Most will, provided you pick the right ignition system. Units with intermittent pilot ignition (IPI) run on a small battery backup that kicks in automatically when the power drops, so the fireplace still lights on command. Downers Grove sees its share of winter storms that knock out ComEd service for a few hours at a time, and a gas fireplace with battery backup is one of the more dependable ways to keep a room warm until power returns. Valor's lineup goes a step further—their pilot assembly generates its own electricity through a thermocouple, so there's no battery to remember or replace. Ask your local dealer which ignition system is on the model you're considering.

A gas fireplace is a fully built-in unit framed into a wall—the right fit for new construction or a remodel without an existing chimney. A gas insert slides into an existing masonry firebox, which is the more common path in Downers Grove's older homes near the historic district. A gas stove is a freestanding cast-iron or steel unit that sits out from the wall on its own hearth pad, venting through a rear or top connection—a good option if you want gas heat in a room that never had a fireplace at all, like a finished basement or a sunroom addition.

Yes. The Village of Downers Grove Building Division requires a permit for gas fireplace installations, and the gas line work itself needs to be done by a licensed gas-fitter under a separate permit. If your home falls within the village's historic district near downtown, exterior venting placement may also need to respect the district's design guidelines, so it's worth flagging your address to your installer up front. Most local hearth dealers coordinate the permitting and inspections as part of the installation, so you're not managing multiple trades yourself.

Vented (direct-vent) units draw combustion air from outside and exhaust it back outside through a sealed pipe—they're the standard choice and deliver real, sustained heat output. Vent-free units burn fuel directly into the room and are legal in Illinois within specific room-size and ventilation limits, but they release some combustion byproducts indoors and are best suited to occasional-use spaces rather than a room you're trying to keep warm through a DuPage County winter. For most Downers Grove installations—especially anything intended as supplemental heat during a cold snap—a direct-vent unit is the better long-term choice.

Plan on an annual inspection, ideally in the fall before heating season ramps up. A technician checks the burner, pilot assembly, venting, and gas connections, and cleans the glass and interior components. It's a much smaller job than chimney sweeping for a wood-burning unit, but skipping it is still the most common reason gas fireplaces develop sooting or ignition problems. Local service providers in the Downers Grove area typically charge $150 to $250 for a standard annual visit.

A gas fireplace, fed by Nicor Gas service, produces real radiant heat—enough to take the edge off a cold room during a January cold snap without running the furnace harder. An electric fireplace, running on ComEd power at around 13.4 cents per kWh, is easier to install (often just a standard outlet, no venting or gas line required) and works well for ambiance or supplemental heat in a room where running new gas or venting isn't practical, like an upstairs bedroom or a condo unit. If real heat output matters and you have gas service already, gas wins. If ease of installation and flexibility matter more than heat output, electric is worth a look.

If it was installed more than 15 years ago, probably. Older gas fireplaces keep a standing pilot light burning all the time, and that little flame can cost a couple hundred dollars a year. Newer models use pilot-on-demand ignition—the pilot lights only when you use the fireplace and goes out when you turn it off.

Open fireplaces suck—literally. As the fire burns, it consumes air your furnace already paid to heat and pulls it out through the chimney, so the house is actually colder after the fire goes out than before you lit it. An insert fixes this: it seals the chimney, puts fixed glass across the front, and turns that hole in your house into a real heat source.

For an average home—covering the fireplace, the vent pipe, and basic installation—a budget between $3,900 and $5,500 gives you a lot of options across wood, gas, and pellet. By the time you add finish work, gas line, and electrical, the average complete installation lands between $5,000 and $12,000 all-in. In a remodel or new build, a good rule is to put about 2.5% of the total project cost toward the fireplace.

Yes—by creating a comfort zone. A furnace heats every square foot of the house just to warm the one room you're in; a gas fireplace on low burns roughly a sixth of the gas a typical furnace does. Set the furnace around 55–60 degrees as a baseline, then heat the rooms your family actually uses. Families who heat this way commonly save $20–$60 a month.