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Pilot lights are kind of an "eternal flame" inside many gas appliances. They consist of a very small hole or orifice that allows a small amount of gas and air through. When ignited, this gas/air mixture creates a little flame that is used to light the larger gas burners on gas water heaters, furnaces, dryers, logs and cooking appliances. A device called a thermocouple senses the heat of the pilot light. If the flame goes out, the thermocouple cools and switches the flow of gas off. When everything is working right, the pilot light burns constantly.

Years ago, gas cooking equipment had to be lit with a match, and eventually range tops had individual pilot lights on each burner. Modern gas cooking appliances have electronic ignition devices that use electricity to produce a spark to ignite each burner. Many of these ignition "sparkers" are automatic, so even if the burner flame blows out, the ignition will re-ignite.

In 1994, federal appliance standards outlawed the sale of new clothes dryers with pilot lights. According to local gas supplier Northwest Natural's website, a new gas dryer uses about half the gas of an older model. There might be more savings to be gained with new dryers than by updating the old ones with electronic ignitions. Typical dryers use about 5 therms per month for pilot light use - about $5 per month per dryer. A therm is 100 cubic feet of natural gas, equal to 100,000 British Thermal Units. A gas dryer pilot light uses about 700 btus per hour.

Older gas furnaces have pilot lights that consume four to 12 therms per month, or about $4 to $12. If your furnace is in good repair, consider retrofitting it with an electronic ignition. The savings of $8 to $144 per year could pay for the upgrade in a reasonable time. Again, have the service technician look over the equipment carefully - maybe it would be a better long-term plan to upgrade the entire furnace.

Typical gas water heaters usually have pilot lights. Part of the reason for this is cost - many customers are concerned with low purchase price when replacing a water heater, not long-term energy consumption.

Another reason gas water heaters still have pilot lights is that the water heater operates several times a day, every day, unlike a furnace, which doesn't run at all for several months of the year. Pilot light energy use in a typical water heater is about the same as a dryer -- $4 to $12 per month. When it's time to replace your water heater, you can weigh the options of more efficient models against the additional purchase price.

Gas fireplaces frequently have a pilot light. Consuming about $6 per month in fuel, a fireplace can be an energy waster in the summertime. Many gas log sets have fairly easy-to-operate controls, and some technicians recommend turning off the pilot light and the gas when the fireplace is not being used.

It's a good idea to have your gas equipment and pilot light inspected and serviced every year. If you have a pilot light, the technician will clean the burner orifice, adjust the flame and check the thermocouple. It's always better to have the pilot light serviced than to have it malfunction during the heating season. If you install an electronic ignition, it should also be cleaned and checked annually.