Balanced flue gas stove or multifuel burner

[PE]

Dilemna is whether to get a balanced flue gas stove (haven't looked too much into makes as yet) fitted.

Have a gas supply as previously had old fire ripped out and capped off which was also a balanced flue type. Appreciate may need new balanced flue and fittings as the main expense aside from the fire itself

Alternatively have been looking at getting an external twin skinned steel flue fitted so we could have the "real thing"

Costs would be fire, flue and fitting which i undestand is pretty expensive as we are in a two storey house so a long flue run outside is needed
Don;t have a free supply of wood either so fuel savings presumably aren't going to be massive over its life if we have to buy and find somewhere to store wood

It seems that the gas option actually probably works out cheaper over lifetime despite the cost of gas?? Obviously downside of ecological impact

Opinions please?

 

[chadfieldpropertyservices]

Running costs wise, the multifuel stove could be a little cheaper to run than the gas option depending upon where you get your coal / logs from but there's a lot of labour involved fetching the fuel and cleaning up afterwards not to mention the dust. we have both types fitted in our property and whilst the gas version does not satisy man's natural fascination with fire, it's a lot less hassle.
Don't confuse the efficiency of the open live flame gas fires with that of a balanced flue, room sealed stove, if you take into account the time when an open fire of any fuel type is not burning and the flue is still vacuuming the heat out of your home their efficiency is diabolical, in some cases negative.