Chapter 6: The Fireplace Advantage
When most of us think about a fireplace, we think about a warm fire blazing on a very cold winter night. If that is the case, then you should take into consideration how the fireplace can affect your home’s energy benefits and your home’s cost effectiveness.
A fireplace can be a blessing. If you use it correctly, it can generate a good deal of heat for you to use throughout your home during those cold winter months. Since wood is a renewable energy source, it is not hard to find, overly costly and does not need to be something that hurts the environment either.
Yet, there are some problems with fireplaces that you should take into consideration too. If you have one, insure that you are not wasting your hard earned money right through that smoke stack.
It’s drawing away Your Heat
One of the largest problems with a fireplace in a home is that it can actually draw the heat inside a home up, onto the roof and out the house.
This is not what you want to see happen with your fireplace. In fact, this will cause you to lose quite a bit of energy quickly. But, unless you give up your fireplace altogether for a lower fuel bill, you will need to take some steps to help you to save money with it in your home.
For example, determine if you actually use the fireplace. Many people like the idea of having it there but never actually use it. If it is there for decoration, then seal it. You should have your fireplace sealed off at the top. You should, though, provide some ventilation into this area. If you do not do this, you will find condensation forming in your chimney and causing mold and other problems to form.
Once the fireplace is sealed, have the chimney insulated as well. Adding a layer of insulation there is an important factor in keeping the home warm.
Now, the key here is to remember to remove that insulation and inform others that use your home that it is there. Otherwise, you can catch fire to your home easily.
Other Fireplace Tips
In addition to this, there are other things that you can do to insure that your fireplace is not costing you too much money in energy costs.
For one thing, make sure that you have a damper on the fireplace. This will help to keep the heat in while still allowing the necessary ventilation. Make sure that you use it as well. To do so, it needs to be working in its proper way.
Of course, you should have your fireplace checked out each year as well. If you use your fireplace, this is a necessary task to have completed. It will allow you to make sure that the fireplace is working correctly and that there is no build up of soot or carbon in the actual chimney. Removing and having this cleaned also can help to insure that the fireplace is keeping you safe and warm too.
If you do not have any, add glass doors to the front of your fireplace. As the fire dies down after you have used it, the glass doors will help to keep the heat from being lost altogether.
Keep ash and debris out of the fireplace as much as possible too. The build up of these in your fireplace can cause problems with the ability to generate heat.
For your insert, consider one that is both tube and glass. The glass doors of your fireplace will actually keep you from losing too much heat, as we mentioned. In addition, though, when you add on a tube and blower to your fireplace, you can keep the glass doors closed and force the heat out into the home, allowing for better and more energy efficient usage of it. You get more from the fire, in other words.
Yet another option to consider is the heater insert. This is the ideal choice for those that are looking for a way to get the most benefit from their fireplace. In this case, you will need a well designed, efficient model. It should come with blowers as well as thermostats.
Simply place them into your fireplace and they will allow you to increase your heating efficiency because it will help to maintain the heat there. You do not lose the effect of the fireplace that we all love so much either.
Don’t give up your fireplace; just make sure that you get the most from it without losing from it.