Gas fireplace yes - watch for spiders
I had a full-size gas fireplace insert installed in my parents' 2-story year-round home in upstate NY years ago when my dad got too old to haul logs inside. Primarily it was for emergency backup heat when the electricity went out, they had some long outages. It works well and produces a lot of heat even with the electricity/blower not working, enough to keep the core of the house around 60 in winter with power out. So good to enjoy and a good backup for outages.
I've looked at a lot of freestanding gas fireplaces also. If there is space and you don't mind the higher price, these probably produce even more usable heat. Noisy blowers are the most annoying part, they use cheap fans that end up rattling after awhile. Getting one with variable blower speed.
Re gas starting issues, the service guy said that if you turn off the gas in summer, spiders like to build nests in the pilot light hole so the pilot light won't ignite in fall. He recommended either leaving the pilot on all summer, or making sure you get it serviced in fall before starting. They should also be serviced at least every other year, not maintenance-free.
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