Photo by Vermontcastings.com
Transform a traditional fireplace with a more efficient natural gas fireplace insert.
By FrontDoor.com
Energy-conscious consumers are fueling the trend of using gas fireplaces, inserts and pellet stoves to provide zone heating for the spaces used most often. Natural gas fireplace inserts and free-standing stoves create less indoor and outdoor air pollution than their woodburning counterparts.
If you're ready to invest in a fireplace, a direct-vent model is the most efficient. On average, 70 percent of the heat it generates remains in the house. Direct-vent units are also easier and cheaper to install than wood-burning or gas masonry units.
"These have to be close to an outside wall. Fireplace doors are permanently sealed to allow for proper ventilation so air is blown out of the home," says Don Johnson, director of market research for the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association in Arlington, Va.
Air to feed the flame enters from the outside and relatively cool combustion gases are exhausted through a wall-mounted vent or can be vented through a roof.
So turn down the central furnace and snuggle up by the fire to celebrate lower energy costs.
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Provided by FrontDoor - http://www.frontdoor.com/
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