Putting in Gas Lanterns
I am trying to learn more about restoring the gas lantern that used to be in front of our brownstone. The gas line is still there but I would need to install an entirely new lamp. I have two questions: 1. Does anyone know what the monthly cost (in gas) is to run one of…
I am trying to learn more about restoring the gas lantern that used to be in front of our brownstone. The gas line is still there but I would need to install an entirely new lamp. I have two questions:
1. Does anyone know what the monthly cost (in gas) is to run one of these and
2. Can anyone recommend a company that makes/installs these?
Thank you for the feedback Jim and all.
Historical photos of the brownstone show the house with a gas lantern which is why I am interested in replacing it.
I also appreciated the concern for the environment and have taken this into serious consideration. I agree we all need to unite in this effort — indeed most all my lights are florescent, I do not own a car, I do not even own a TV and my lights are on sensor detectors — and for all of us there are compromises we make from owning a car to warming/cooling a house to having a certain number of children (or none at all), etc. The reality is that we can all do better and should try which is why I appreciate the comments. Of course if we were all really serious about this we would completely tear down these old drafty mono-zoned 100 year houses and re-build using 21st century materials and systems (LOL) but I hope it has not come to that. Thank you all.
Anon 9:00 pm is thinking of open flame gas lanterns which use about $120 of gas per year per flame. These are very inefficient and are also not period for 99.99% of the houses in NYC. I wouldn’t mind this on the Merchant House for example, because it is a pre-civil war building of considerable historic interest.
The traditional lamps with the two mesh balls use an insignificant amount of gas. They put out about as much light as a 25 watt edison bulb and use about as much energy when grid delivery is taken into account. They are probably better than the edison bulb in terms of polution in the northeast grid because so much of our energy is from coal which is much dirtier than gas and emits much more CO2 per BTU. However, I’m assuming that this light is decorative and you will be using CFL or LED lighting to light your porch; over their lifetimes these are more energy efficient than the gas lighting.
I’m not in favor of ordering people around wrt to their private lives, but I do think the true cost of fossil fuels should be reflected in the price via a significant tax on carbon fuels (about 500% on natural gas, 1000% on gasoline, 2000% on coal). In that scenario the open flame lantern would cost about $720 per anum, the closed flame lantern would cost about $100, and the CFL/LED about $50. At those prices which would you pick?
I tried to post a more detailed answer before with references etc but brownstoner technology lost it. Summary – costs $300-400 a year to run but also dumps extraordinary 1.5tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year (google can give you all the #s to back this up). From this perspective, it is a rather despicable form of conspicuous consumption. Gas lights don’t serve any real practical purpose and an electric bulb that throws the same light would result in 1/10th the pollution or less.
The cost is very minimal. Any good electrician who works with gas can install the lamp. You can find different styles on the internet. Just do a google search for gas lamps. You’ll get a million hits. Good luck!