High Energy Efficient Fireplaces

Inefficient masonry style fireplaces are out; a high energy efficient fireplace is what you really want in your home. Talk about burning money, literally, that is what you are doing with a standard fireplace. Masonry or standard wood burning fireplaces produce very little heat. In fact most are under 30% efficient and a lot of them are actually a negative heat source. How is that you ask? When you have an open burn area the fireplace draws warm air from in your room, uses it for combustion, and then exhausts it through the chimney. Yes, you do get some radiant heat off the fireplace but it is normally not even close to the amount you should.

So, what is the solution? You guessed it, a High Energy Efficient Fireplace. These units are EPA Certified to burn clean and efficient. With gas prices on the rise manufacturers are doing a lot of research so that these fireplaces burn cleaner and more efficient than ever before. In fact you can get units that burn so clean that they produce almost no smoke, minimal ash and require less wood.

So what does EPA Certified mean? It means that the unit has been independently tested by an accredited laboratory to meet a particulate emissions limit of 7.5 grams of smoke per hour. Although because the state of Washington has lower emission standards, 4.5 grams per hour, you will find most manufacturers are within the lower standard. Standard wood burning fireplaces produce 40 to 60 grams of smoke per hour. Just looking at the difference in the amount of smoke produced you can see the air quality difference between a standard fireplace and a high energy efficient EPA Certified unit.

So how does it work? Basically there are 3 internal chambers in a high energy efficient fireplace. This construction creates a good environment to get a clean, complete burn of the wood. The three areas are the firebox insulation, a baffle and pre-heated combustion area. They are designed to force the unit to burn slower, creating a hotter gas flow path, a longer burn time and a more complete burn. In turn you save more wood, time and money compared to standard units.

When looking to produce heat there is no better option than going with an EPA Certified unit. You can find a high energy efficient fireplace for almost any heating need. If you are just looking to add additional heat to a single room, have a plan for zone heating your home, want a single unit to heat an entire home, there is probably a unit for you.