SHOULD I USE A FIREPLACE AND CENTRAL HEAT?
As winter sets in and temperatures plummet below freezing, your home will require some help to stay warm. Most homeowners use central heat to keep things cool, but this comes at a considerable cost, particularly for larger homes. If you want to be warm and toasty without the hefty prices, consider heating your home with a fireplace.
The Difference
Many homes already have a fireplace. Unlike central heat, however, no fireplace will be able to heat the entire house simultaneously. Therefore, expect the other end of your home to be cooler than around your fireplace.
A fireplace, on the other hand, can be used for zone heating with ease.
What is Zone Heating?
Heating certain regions of your home are zone heating. By heating the space with your Fireplace rather than central heat, you’re reducing your energy bills to only particular heating rooms that need heat.
What Type of Fireplace Is Best for Heating a House?
There are several different fireplaces, each of which provides an additional amount of heat for your home.
Fireplaces that Burn Wood
A wood-burning fireplace is the least efficient of all fireplaces when it comes to providing heat. It merely generates a small quantity of heat in most circumstances; however, because of the amount of heat pulled out by the chimney, it may surprisingly lessen the heat in your home.
As a result, if you wish to heat your home with a fireplace, you should opt for a different way.
Fireplaces with Gas
While conventional wood-burning fireplaces are famous for their classic look and feel, gas fireplaces are becoming increasingly popular even if it replaces an existing wood-burning firebox.
You have the option of choosing between:
- Vented gas fireplaces, Like traditional wood-burning fireplaces, employ gas logs and appear natural at first appearance.
- Unvented Gas Fireplaces, the heat it produces returns to your home rather than exiting through a flue.
Tips for Using a Fireplace to Heat Your Home
Select the Right Fireplace
Invest in an efficient fireplace for heating if you plan to make zone heating a big part of your home life. Gas options provide significantly more heat and can be pretty economical to run.
Burn Seasoned Wood
Fresh wood burns inefficiently and produces copious amounts of smoke. Therefore should burn seasoned wood in a wood-burning fireplace. However, always be cautious when using your Fireplace to burn non-wood goods. While some of them may generate a lot of heat, they can also release harmful substances.
Chimney Cleaning
As creosote builds up in your chimney, airflow to your fire is restricted. Thus, affecting your Fireplace’s heat output and efficiency. Unfortunately, it also raises your chances of deadly chimney fires, which can fill your room with dirty soot.
Make Use of a Fireback
A fireback for your Fireplace can assist with trapping and reflecting heat that may vent out of your home. These massive metal reflectors, made of cast iron, sit against the back wall of your Fireplace and help boost its heat production efficiency.
A fireplace can be a great source of heat for a short period, but it’s not a good idea to leave it burning overnight.
Absolute Air offers a wide array of services, including, but not limited to, AC installation, AC repair, heating installation, heating repair, metal fabrication (for all types of ductwork), refrigeration, and gas line installation. Our trained team of technicians can also service and work on equipment brands such as American Standard, Train, Carrier, York, Goodman, Rudd, and Mitsubishi, to name a few.
If you have a service request not mentioned here, give us a call.
