You love your traditional masonry fireplace for the sensory experiences it gives your home. However, you may not be as thrilled with the small amount of heat it provides. Have you noticed that your utility bills have increased each winter? If so, your old fireplace could be the reason why you are having to spend more money on heating costs. Most of the heat produced by the fire in a traditional wood-burning fireplace escapes out of the chimney. This causes you to have to turn up the thermostat to compensate for the loss of heat.
Ace Chimney Sweeps can help you transform your existing fireplace into a more efficient heating appliance. How? By installing a new fireplace insert in its place! In both our showrooms in Elkton, MD and our online stove store, you will find a wide variety of inserts of varying fuel types (wood, gas, and pellet.) In addition, we offer professional installation services from our National Fireplace Institute (NFI)-certified technicians. We would like to tell you a bit more about these economical inserts and the pros and cons of each fuel type.
Wood
Are the sights, sounds, and smells of burning wood are important to you and your family? Ace Chimney Sweeps can show you the options we have for wood-burning stove inserts. New technology and design allow these inserts to burn wood much more efficiently than the traditional masonry fireplace. While your existing fireplace most likely has an energy efficiency rating of around 15 percent, these stove inserts have been certified by the EPA with ratings from 60 to 80 percent, according to HouseLogic . One of the biggest drawbacks to a wood-burning insert? Not being compatible with a prefabricated chimney. This is because this type of chimney cannot withstand the high temperatures produced by these inserts.
Gas
For those who are tired of the chores involved with using a wood-burning fireplace, consider installing a gas stove insert. You will be able to light a fire by pushing a button on the remote control, instead of lugging in firewood from outside. You also will not have to do as many maintenance tasks, like sweeping up ashes after fires. With energy efficiency ratings from 55 to 85 percent, you will get more heat for less money. However, if the sensory experience of burning wood is important to you, you could be disappointed with a gas insert.
Pellet
The favorite choice of the environmentally conscious customers? Stove inserts burn pellets, which are small bits of compressed recycled wood waste and other renewable materials. Easy to operate, you just load the hopper with pellets and turn a switch to enjoy energy-efficient warmth in areas from 1,000 to 2,500 square feet. Unfortunately, pellet stove inserts need electricity to function, so if a winter storm knocks out your power, you could be without heat.
Now is the best time to update your traditional masonry fireplace into an energy-efficient stove insert. Contact us at Ace Chimney Sweeps to learn more about these economical hearth heating appliances!