How To Heat Your House Using Your Fireplace or Stove
It takes four times more energy to heat homes than to cool them, according to recent research analysis. This may explain why so many people in Wisconsin look for strategies to cut heating costs. A good question to ask is whether your fireplace or stove can heat your home. Yes, modern solid fuel appliances can work well as supplemental sources of heat, especially when you distribute the heated air through the home.
Heating with a Fireplace or Stove
Need a Fireplace Upgrade?
It’s important to recognize that traditional fireplaces are inefficient and cannot help lower heating costs. That’s because 90% or more of the heat goes up the chimney. Fortunately, there are a few ways to improve the effectiveness of your open-hearth fireplace.
Glass Doors
Adding glass doors to your fireplace provides several benefits, one of which is helping to lower utility costs. Glass doors help to prevent an exchange of air between indoors and outdoors when the fireplace isn’t being used. Without the glass doors, even with the damper closed, it’s like leaving a window open year-round.
Glass doors significantly improve the efficiency of a fireplace. The heat from fires radiates into the room through the glass.
Fireback
Installation of a stainless steel fireback inside the firebox can reflect more heat from your fireplace into the home. These decorative iron plates have long been used to improve fireplace efficiency.
Fireplace Insert
An excellent upgrade you can give a fireplace is to have a fireplace insert installed. Inserts operate in a unique way that produces much more heat while using far less firewood. Inserts are custom made to fit inside a specific fireplace. Fireplace inserts essentially transform a fireplace so that it provides heat at a level more like an efficient heating stove. Inserts must be professionally installed to ensure proper operation and the best possible efficiency.
Pellet Stoves
Another efficient way to heat your home is with a pellet fireplace or pellet stove. These appliances have efficiency ratings of up to 90% or more. Instead of burning firewood, highly compressed pellets made of wood waste are burned. Pellets are stored in convenient 40-pound bags, and they are poured in hoppers to automatically feed fires. Hands-free operation is one of the many pluses of using pellet-fueled appliances.
Distributing Heat from Stoves and Fireplaces
One of the challenges of heating with fireplaces and stoves is moving the air throughout the home. Different strategies can help. For instance, transoms can be added over doors in the home so that the heated air can flow through the home better. A couple more ways to circulate air follow:
- Reverse ceiling fans so that air is pulled up and heat can circulate more effectively in the home.
- Turn a box fan on low facing into the area with the fireplace or stove. The resulting convection reaction will cause hot air to move through doors into other areas of the home.
Contact Experts at Chimney Specialists, Inc.
The NFI-certified chimney sweeps at Chimney Specialists Inc. have the training and experience to correctly install and maintain your heating system. Contact our experts if you are interested in cutting heating costs this winter. We will discuss options so that you can make the right choice that meets your goals and expectations. Call or visit us today. We also offer comprehensive chimney services, including chimney inspections, chimney cleaning, and masonry repair. See contact information below for Chimney Specialists and our sister store in Dubuque, Iowa.
Chimney Specialists Inc.
869 Main Street, Highland, WI
Phone – (608) 929-4887 / Toll Free (800) 395-6660
Dubuque Fireplace & Patio
925 Century Drive, Dubuque, Iowa
Phone – (563) 582-5156
