EcoSmart Manhattan 50 bioethanol fire table glowing on a tropical Queenslander deck at dusk

July 17, 2026

How Much Does a Bioethanol Fireplace Cost to Run?

Thinking about a bioethanol fire and wondering what it will actually cost once the flames are dancing? The short answer: a bioethanol fireplace costs about $2 to $7.60 an hour to run in Australia, and fuel is the only cost. There is no gas connection, no flue servicing and no standing charge. Keep reading for the per-hour figures, how long a litre lasts, how to budget for a year, and whether it works out expensive next to gas.

e-NRG bioethanol fuel carton, the only running cost of a bioethanol fireplace

The Real Numbers: How Much Does a Bioethanol Fireplace Cost Per Hour?

An EcoSmart bioethanol fire costs about $2 to $7.60 an hour, worked out simply as the burner's fuel use multiplied by the fuel price. Because fuel is the only thing you pay for, that hourly figure is the whole running cost, with nothing metered in the background.

How much depends entirely on the burner inside your fire:

Small AB3 burner (Mix 600, Stix): about 0.31 litres an hour, roughly $2.10
Large AB8 burner with the Efficiency Ring fitted: less than at full flame
Large AB8 burner at full flame (Base 40, Manhattan 50, Mix 850): 1.1 litres an hour, roughly $7.60

Why the Efficiency Ring Changes the Maths

Every AB8 burner comes with an Efficiency Ring, and fitting it trims fuel use while stretching each fill by two to three hours. It is the simplest way to bring a large fire's running cost down without changing the flame you sit around.

Fuel Basics: How Long Does 1 Litre of Bioethanol Last?

One litre of e-NRG bioethanol lasts about one to two hours, depending on the burner and flame height. A full 8-litre AB8 tank burns 7 to 9 hours at full flame, and 9 to 11 hours with the Efficiency Ring; a 2.5-litre AB3 tank gives 8 to 11 hours because its flame is smaller. The tank burns continuously once lit, so a single fill is either one long evening or several shorter ones.

EcoSmart Mix 850 bioethanol fire pit with a live flame over black glass media

What e-NRG Bioethanol Fuel Actually Costs, and Why the Cheap Stuff Is a Trap

e-NRG bioethanol costs $275 for 40 litres delivered through My Acre, about $6.88 a litre, sold by the 20-litre carton with larger bundles for heavier users. It is the fuel EcoSmart tests and warrants its burners for, a denatured near-pure ethanol formulated to burn cleanly, with a flame arrester built into the bottle for safe pouring.

You will see cheaper denatured alcohol and generic bioethanol on servo and hardware shelves, including at Bunnings. For a fire you paid thousands for, it is a false economy: lower-purity fuels can burn shorter and smell, and using anything other than e-NRG voids the EcoSmart warranty and its safety compliance. Browse e-NRG fuel.

The Yearly Picture: Is a Bioethanol Fireplace Expensive to Run?

Across a year, how often you light the fire matters far more than the hourly rate. The honest way to plan is by how you actually use it. At full flame a large AB8 burner uses 1.1 litres an hour, about $7.60 an hour at $275 for 40 litres, so multiply that by the hours you expect for each pattern:

Occasional (a handful of evenings a year)
Weekend seasonal (Friday and Saturday nights through the cooler months)
Frequent (most evenings in season)

Most owners sit in the occasional-to-weekend range, which is why the running cost rarely bites the way the hourly figure suggests.

Bioethanol vs Gas on Running Cost

Per hour of flame, a bioethanol fire is a little dearer than mains gas, which is cheaper to burn once it is installed. Where bioethanol wins is total cost of ownership: no $2,000 to $7,500 installation, no gasfitter, no flue and no annual service, so you pay only for the evenings you use. Our bioethanol vs gas fireplace guide sets the two side by side with a calculator you can run on your own numbers.