Make Your Fireplace More Energy Efficient
Indoor fires (built in a fireplace) are a lot of fun. I’ve always enjoyed building them, sitting back and enjoying the warmth. What I didn’t realize was how inefficient fireplaces can be.
The Problems
There are two major problems. The first is where all that heat is going. A typical fire will generate thousands of BTUs of heat, but most of it will go right up the chimney. In fact, just about all of it is lost to the outside world. The second problem is what happens to the rest of your house. As fires burn, they draw air for combustion from inside the house. This leaves other rooms freezing cold. Also, for some reason fireplaces are usually located near the house thermostat. In our case, it’s only about 10 feet away from the fireplace. As our living room warms up (and the rest of the house cools down) the thermostat doesn’t even activate the furnace.
What Can You Do?
Here are a few options to keep the heat in your house:
1. Install a wood stove. It’s not as exciting as an open flame, but wood stoves are much more energy efficient. Newer models produce almost no smoke, little ash, and need less firewood to produce a lot of heat. The EPA has a list of certified wood stoves that provide excellent energy efficiency. Wood stoves come in different sizes and generate various heat levels. Make sure you install the right stove for your space.
2. Provide an alternate source of air. Some fireplaces have a vent in the back to allow outside air to reach the fire. Using outside air for combustion will help reduce the amount of air drawn from inside. This won’t eliminate the problem and isn’t an easy option to install for existing fireplaces, but can be achieved by simply tunneling through the back of the fireplace and adding a vent.
3. Circulate the hot air with a ventilator insert. Often referred to as a heatilator (for the most popular brand), fireplace ventilators pump the hot air back into your house. A ventilator uses the fire to warm the air and send it back into the house using a blower. These inserts tend to be expensive ($500+) but will definitely make your fireplace more efficient.
What do you think? What are you doing to keep the heat in your house?
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6 Responses to Make Your Fireplace More Energy Efficient
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March 18th, 2008 8:44 pm
Ahoy! Down here in the balmy depths of Southern MS, we barely turn on our heater, let alone use a fireplace. I think I know maybe two people that even have a fireplace, and I’m betting they’ve only used them once in the past decade. Heck, I was wearing shorts on xmas eve this year.
Though it would be nice to hear the crackle of a fireplace on a cold winter night.
-Jon
March 19th, 2008 5:17 am
Jon,
I do love fires. But recently I’ve really been hoping for warmer weather. Right now, shorts on xmas doesn’t sound too bad.
March 19th, 2008 2:27 pm
Just in time! I read your post on the very verge our installation of our new gas fireplace. The old brick one was too disastrous to retain. The good news is that we won’t have a thermostat as the fireplace will be our only heat source for the front half. I’ll have to check with hubby if he knows about the heatilator thing. The other good news is that we live in Los Angeles, so even if it’s not the best heat . . . oh well, no biggie.
But thanks, this is good info!
March 19th, 2008 6:39 pm
why s,
Glad you found it useful. I’d love to hear how the new fireplace works out.
April 7th, 2008 10:45 pm
Hi there,
the best thing is a full insulation. In Australia not many houses are insulated (not in Queensland) so our fireplace was really not very efficient. But after the house insulation the fireplace is sooo much more heat efficient than before. It’s unreal…
April 8th, 2008 8:39 am
Thomas,
You mean insulating the house or the fireplace? Either will definitely help make a difference. Thanks for stopping by.