Some people just burn a fire in their traditional fireplace for ambiance, but others think it's a good way to keep the house warm in the case of a power outage or as an alternative to turning on the heat. According to "Energy-Efficient Fireplaces," an article from the latest issue of Smart Homeowner, "A fireplace is only 10% efficient at converting wood to energy and delivering it to a room--and when it's operating, it's actually increasing the infiltration of cold air by creating a partial vacuum within the house." Another reason they're poor energy converters is because most fireplaces are located on exterior house walls, and they're made of brick or stone, both of which are bad thermal insulators, so the inside heat gets conducted outdoors. As far as operating as a backup during a power outage, a conventional fireplace "can actually make your home colder than if you never built a fire in the first place."
All this doesn't necessarily mean you have to give away the piles of wood stacked in your backyard. But it may mean it's time to look for a more efficient type of fireplace. For people who like building fires and burning wood, the best option is to install a fireplace insert--a metal wood stove that fits in a traditional open fireplace. Fireplace inserts increase heating efficiency from a measley 10% up to 80% or more, depending on the model you get. They can also be used to burn pellets or gas fuel.
Source: Nov/Dec 2005 issue of Smart HomeOwner
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