Heating Your Home Economically

As the population ages, there are more rooms in a home not being used. This has turned people to thoughts of doing zone heating rather than whole house heating. This is particularly useful for homes that are two stories or with extremely tall ceilings with heat vents close to the eight foot level rather than closer to the floor. With zone heating, the heat is projected to only the area you specify. Warm air will naturally rise, so even the second story will benefit from the heat.

There are three types of fuel used for heating in the hearth industry - wood, gas, and pellets. Each of these fuels has zero clearance fireplaces and free-standing stoves to assist your heating needs. A fireplace in every room brings thoughts of comfort and reposition.

If you have a fireplace, you can add an efficient fireplace insert to heat your home, or do zone heating. Inserts are available in one of the three types of fuel. A typical fireplace has an efficiency from -10% to + 30%. Inserts have an efficiency from 65 to 80% when added to your fireplace. They come in a variety of sizes to fit the area you need heated or to fit the size of your fireplace. To make sure an insert will fit in your fireplace, it would be best to contact your local fireplace shop for assistance. Most of these shops have professional installers who can assist you.

Efficient wood-burning stoves, fireplaces and inserts use half the wood of an open fireplace. Their efficiency rating is between 65 and 75%. Depending upon the size, woodburners heat an area of from 500 to 3,00 square feet.

Efficient wood burners need to be sized to the space you want to heat. If a unit is oversized, it will create too much creosote and chimney fires will occur easily. Because of the heat these units put out, oversizing a woodburner can quickly overheat an area.

Gas units should also be sized according to the area you want to heat. If you oversize the gas unit, it will shut itself off quickly. Gas stoves, inserts or fireplaces hook up to a thermostat or a remote with a thermostat to control the temperature of the room. These units heat like your furnace. The biggest difference is that they heat where you are rather than losing 25% of the heat throughout the duct work connected to your furnace. The efficiency of the direct vent gas units are in the 80% efficiency range.

Gas fireplaces are very versatile. Their zero-clearance box can be on the floor or raised to a height that can easily be seen from your bed, bathtub, or dining room table. Small units are easily incorporated into your media center. Both direct vent gas fireplaces and pellet units can be vented directly out a wall.

Pellet stoves, inserts, and fireplaces are extremely efficient in the 80% range. Pellet fuel can be made from wood, corn, or other waste products. The materials used to create pellet fuel is growing. Pellet appliances, like the gas ones, are operated from a thermostat or remote. There is a wide range of square footage the pellet unit will heat because their feed rate can be easily controlled by you.

There is something comforting and cozy about watching a fire when you have installed an efficient stove, insert or fireplace. You’ve got it all: an efficient heater working exactly where you need the most heat plus the added benefit of enjoying a fire.