gas or electric fire?

[ditavonteesed]

need some opinions, we have no fire in the dining room, victorisan house so very cold in winter and would like a fire so can make it nice and warm for kids to have breakfast etc.
originally I had my heart set on a wood burner but thinking about it more I dont have anywhere to store wood.
so the fireplace people came out this morning to look at the existing fore and the chimney, the chimney leaks so would need to be lined before they could fit a gas fire, they could fit an eltric fire with no problems (which is what we ended up doing in the lounge as didnt have the spare money to get the chimney lined).the guy said that it doesnt cost any more money to run an elctric fire than a gas one, and it looks just as nice, I am not convinced on the running costs tbh although I have no actual fact to base that on.
so what would you do in the situation.
get the fireplace we want and an electric fire, spend the extra (at least £350) to get the chimney lined, or just leave it and do without?
I have been given the money to do some work on the house by my mum and gran but really hate spending money.

I love my gas fire- it heats the room up very quickly and is much better than the electric fire my sister has It will give better heat in your large room so if you are going to usethat room alot get gas but if you use it seldom get electric i save money with my gas fire as i often use it instead of the central heating -all cosy in my living room -especially in those chilly but not very cold times say October/November March/April But a gas fire needs servicing and a CDM in the room -so that is an additional expense -

although the retail price for energy from gas is about half the cost of electricity, that does depend on efficiency. Modern gas CH systems are very efficient. But a gas fire will send a lot of hot air up the chimney, and will even create a draught that sucks the warm air out of your room and sucks in cold air. "gas coals" and "gas logs" are incredibly inefficient are are really just for the look of it.

If warmth and running costs are important to you, get a chimney balloon to stop draughts (though a chimney must have a little ventilation top and bottom to prevent draughts) and upgrade your CH. TRVs and a programmable thermostat are a good move, though TRVs are labour intensive to fit, so a much better bet if you can do DIY plumbing than if you have to pay someone. I am a DIYer and drained my system, fitted 8 TRVs and refilled with fresh inhibitor in a weekend. If the house is very old though, you may find some valves are weird sizes or rusted into place. If the pipes come up through a concrete floor and will not move at all, it is very distressing if your new valves are a different length to the old ones.

What are TRVs?

TRV = thermostatic radiator valve.

Can't say why really, but I think the quality of the heat (!) you get from a gas fire is much nicer than from an electric one. Not so dry or something. So I guess I would spend the extra and go for a gas fire particularly if it were for a room the kids and I would spend a lot of time in.

Thank you!

thanks, still not decided, actually havent seen dh long enough to actually have a conversation so that would be a good starting point, going to go to the shop and have another chat with the owner. I do think a gas fire is probably better. althought eh eltric one in the lounge is good we shut ourselves in the room, we dont do that in here so it is more open.