Using Your Fireplace This Winter? Keep These 5 Energy-Saving Tips in Mind.
Marble or wooden fireplaces not only add to the beauty of a living room, they also create a comforting ambience. However, in most cases, the heat produced by fireplaces is more show than substance.
This is due to the fact that warm air moves up the chimney and is replaced by cold air. As a result, you may feel warm only when you’re sitting right in front of a fireplace and not when you’re curled up on that giant pillow chair placed in a distant corner of the room.
So, if you want to increase the efficiency of your fireplace, use the following 5 tips that are sure to keep you warm and cozy this winter!
1. Install a Fireplace Insert
Most traditional fireplaces convert only 15 percent of the energy generated by burning wood into useful heat. The rest escapes through the chimney and is replaced by cold air. Fireplace inserts increase efficiency by capturing more heat and preventing its escape. These are typically made of steel or cast iron with an insulated glass front that offers you the view of a crackling fire while keeping the warmth inside. Visit Fireplace Xtrordinaire, and Harman Stoves,
2. Close the Damper
Closing the damper when the fireplace is not in use can save you a lot of energy and money. However, make sure that you don’t close the damper when wood is still smoldering. This is important to keep smoke and toxic gases from accumulating inside the room.
3. Clean the Chimney
This is perhaps the easiest, and in many cases, the most effective way to maximize the efficiency of a fireplace. Over time, creosote builds up inside the chimney, which not only reduces energy efficiency, but also increases the risk of fire. Cleaning the chimney allows you to minimize the risk, as well as provides you an opportunity to examine the chimney for the presence of any cracks or crevices that may serve as an inlet for cold air.
4. Replace the Fireplace Screen
Replacing the fireplace screen with insulated glass doors can also increase the amount of heat produced by the fireplace. These doors, only closed when not burning fire, increase the temperature of the chimney, thereby limiting the escape of warm air. Visit Design Specialties, and IronHaus.
5. Invest in an Energy-Efficient Fireplace
If you’re considering installing a fireplace or want to replace your old fireplace with a new one, choose one that is certified by the EPA and has heat circulation ducts. These ducts pull warm air from the room, circulate it around a metal box to increase its temperature, and send it back into the room. Visit Heat&Glo, and Heatilator.
Use these tips to improve the heat output of your fireplace. Need more help? Get in touch with our experts who will not only help you select the right fireplace for your home, but also provide you tips and tricks on how to curb the heat drain.