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How to choose a fireplace that’s right for you

Any energy efficiency wonk will tell you that the best way to save money on home heating is to add more and better insulation—and to turn the thermostat down as much as you can without putting a chill on domestic relations.

Unfortunately, neither of these measures will enhance your enjoyment of the time you spend cocooning at home on a chilly fall evening. For many of us, one of the great pleasures that comes with the cool weather is to relax by a warming fire. So, what we really want is a way to combine the comfort and romance of the home hearth with the feeling of nobility that accompanies energy savings.

Controlled combustion

The cavernous open fireplace still represents an aesthetic ideal, but for home heating, it’s only slightly more effective than building a bonfire out in the yard. To achieve any degree of efficiency, you need controlled combustion. This means containing the flames in an airtight stove, or in a fireplace insert that achieves the same effect by closing off the hearth.

A free-standing stove provides a somewhat informal look, although styles vary widely, from the sleekly contemporary to the rustic colonial—with finishes ranging from brushed steel, to traditional matte black, to glossy enamel in the colour of your choice. Stoves made from cast iron have a special appeal because of the way they radiate heat, throwing waves of warmth even after the fire has gone out. But on a cold day, a plate steel model will be just as effective in drawing guests to that part of the room when they see flames through the glass door, and, without fail, they will hold up their palms appreciatively, to absorb some of that heat.

An insert, on the other hand, makes use of an existing hearth to create a slightly more refined effect; it is a subtler presence in the room. And because it does not project as far into your living space, it is less restrictive in terms of furniture layout, although it will likely still serve well as a visual focal point.

In either case, the homeowner is faced with the choice of what fuel to burn. Manufacturers produce a number of heating appliances that are nearly identical in appearance, but with different inner workings, depending on whether they operate on solid wood, pellets, or gas. There are also electric heaters made to resemble a wood stove or fireplace, and these too can serve the purpose of providing extra warmth and atmosphere for a room.

The warmth of wood

For certain purists, who make up a relatively large constituency in the Atlantic provinces, there will never be any substitute for wood heat. “They want to save money, and maybe they want to not burn fossil fuels,” says Norma Bourque, Atlantic region administrator for the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association of Canada. “Wood is a renewable resource, so maybe they want to promote that. But it’s also the heat and the ambiance; with wood heat, you’re drawn to it.”

A free-standing stove tends to look less formal than a fireplace hearth—but this modern appliance provides both warmth and style.

In urban areas, the price of good quality firewood has gone up over the past decade, but it’s still the cheapest fuel available, and the one least subject to market fluctuations. Rural dwellers may be able to save even more money by cutting it themselves or by buying from a neighbour. This is also the best way to be sure that what you’re getting is the product of sustainable forest management practices.

In addition to being a renewable energy source, wood is vastly superior to fossil fuels in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants, but its environmental impact is partly a function of how it is harvested. (Of course, extraction technology should also be factored into any consideration of fossil fuels, but we’re not going to get into messy tar sands and gas fracking debates here.)

Using wood as a primary heat source is a huge commitment, however, involving fuel preparation and storage (see “Stacking Up,” page 83), lighting and stoking responsibilities, ash removal and chimney cleaning. It’s a lifestyle choice that only makes sense for someone who is at home most of the time.

Using wood for supplemental heat still entails doing all of those chores, but the workload is roughly proportional to the amount you burn, and today’s EPA-certified stoves are extremely efficient. For occasional use, to provide extra warmth in the room where you spend the most time, a couple of cords of wood will probably see you through the winter—and you might find you actually enjoy the rituals of fire making.

With this approach, which is known as “zone heating,” you can turn down the thermostat and allow the temperature to drop a bit in other parts of the house. If you’re disciplined about it, you can save money, even if your supplemental heat comes from a more expensive fuel.

The convenience of pellets

If lighting a fire with kindling and crumpled newspaper is just a bit too much like camping for your tastes, you may consider pellets a good alternative to solid wood.

Many wood pellet appliances are highly automated, which means you can fill the fuel hopper, choose the desired heat setting, and leave the fire unattended for a day or more. In the past 30 years or so, pellet stoves have become much more sophisticated, operating more reliably than in the past.

They are also extremely efficient and clean-burning, because combustion is highly controlled and the fuel is perfectly consistent. (Anything you’ve heard about nasty binders or glues in pellets is an urban myth; they’re held together by the natural lignin—an organic substance that binds cells together—in the wood, which is softened by heat in the manufacturing process.)

Pellets are more expensive than firewood, but many stores sell individual bags, and some retailers can arrange bulk deliveries. (If we were to adopt the European trend of using pellet-fired boilers for central heating, it would be possible to have a truck with a hose come and blow a supply of fuel into a storage bin in your basement.)

As with a solid wood appliance, a pellet appliance should be installed by a WETT (Wood Energy Technology Transfer) certified technician, though the job tends to be simpler and cheaper with pellet burners than with wood stoves, because they can be vented through a wall. This is possible because many employ a mechanical “forced draft” system to supply air to the fire, while a wood stove requires a chimney extending above the home’s roofline to achieve natural draft.

One of the reasons wood heat remains popular is the fact that it works without electricity, which makes it a great asset in the event of a power blackout. A pellet burner, however, needs juice to run its electric motors, so a battery backup is an option to consider.

Off the grid with gas

If independence from the grid is one of your priorities, another possibility is a gas stove or insert. Though they may be outfitted with a blower to help distribute the heat, most gas appliances will work without electricity.

There are a few geographical pockets in Atlantic Canada privileged with natural gas distribution, but for most of us, gas means propane. This does not limit your choice of appliances, because most models are easily adapted for one fuel or the other, but bear in mind that propane is relatively expensive.

Check both the minimum and maximum BTU rating on gas appliances to make sure the capacity matches the space you’re trying to heat. It’s also important to compare the efficiency ratings (based on the CSA P.4.1 standard), which vary widely. Some models are meant to be primarily decorative, and if this is what you’re looking for, perhaps fuel consumption is not a major concern. Then again, if you only want the appearance of a fire, an electric hearth appliance might do the trick.

What people like most about gas and electric heat is the convenience. There’s little maintenance involved, and many models come with a remote control, so you can ignite and extinguish the flames at the touch of a button, without getting off the couch. If you find that immensely appealing, renewable fuel might not be your cup of tea. Maybe you should just reach for the remote-controlled thermostat and set the furnace back a few notches.

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