Could you be getting more from your fireplace? If your thoughts have wandered to this question as the seasonal shift has you dreaming of cozy fireside evenings, you might not be alone. After all, who doesn’t want to increase comfort and efficiency where it’s possible – and maybe provide an aesthetic upgrade too?
While traditional, open fireplaces have their charms, they have their drawbacks too…and the way forward may not be as complicated as you’d expect.
Fireplace inserts boast a host of benefits – and the hype is warranted. If you’ve ever considered ways to elevate your fireplace’s performance or appeal, this might be an update that makes sense for you
Benefits of Upgrading to a Fireplace Insert
- Improved Efficiency. Open fireplaces often waste substantial amounts of heat, drawing warm air out of your home. Inserts are insulated and designed to use fuel more efficiently, reflecting more usable heat generously into your living space. In short: less heat lost up the chimney, more warmth for your living room!
- Cost- Effective Heating. Because of their high efficiency, fireplace inserts just might reduce your heating bills. The impact can vary… For example, local utility prices will impact the savings from a gas-fueled unit. If you have a wood insert and access to your own firewood, the savings can be quite substantial.
- Fuel Conversion Opportunity. Having an insert installed provides a prime opportunity to switch your fuel source if desired. Want the convenience of gas? The absolute ease of electric? Now might be a good time to make that change.
- Aesthetics & Ambiance. Imagine boosting efficiency and giving your fireplace a facelift at the same time. Fireplace inserts come in a variety of styles, sizes, and designs… With so many great options on the market, you’re sure to find the perfect fit for your home, both in terms of features and appearance.
- Environmental Impact. Inserts are designed to meet EPA standards and operate more cleanly than traditional fireplaces. Modern engineering helps them burn fuel more completely, producing fewer emissions and less particulate matter.
- Safety. Fireplace inserts have sealed combustion systems. This minimizes the risk of sparks and embers escaping to basically nil, making them a safer option – especially nice for families with younger children or pets.
What Types of Fireplace Inserts are There?
Let’s talk about fuel options. At Big Ash Fireplaces, we carry top-of-the-line gas, wood, electric, and pellet fireplace inserts. Which of these is best really comes down to the particular needs and desires of the homeowner.
- Pros: Gas inserts are extremely easy to use. You can forgo the hassle of chopping wood or cleaning ashes, and have a pleasant fire at the flip of a switch. Heat will be steady and controllable. And when it’s time for lights out? No waiting for the fire to dwindle down
- Cons: Some homeowners are reluctant to say sayonara to the traditional crackle and aroma of a wood fire.
- Pros: Wood inserts bring the classic ambiance of a full multi-sensory fireside experience – while still being more efficient than an open wood fireplace. If harvested sustainably, wood is a renewable resource, and a wood fire is still going to serve you even in the middle of a power outage.
- Cons: There’s more work involved with owning a wood-fueled appliance, from sourcing, chopping, and hauling firewood…to building and tending fires…to scooping wood ash.
- Pros: Pellets are a sweet spot between the atmosphere of wood fire and the convenience associated with other types. An automated hopper allows for longer burn times with less tending and less ash produced – but pellets still produce that sweet-smelling wood burn.
- Cons: You will still need to source and restock with pellets, so it’s not quite as low maintenance as gas or electric, and these don’t provide quite as much energy grid independence as wood.
- Pros: Electric inserts offer adjustable heat and lighting effects that require absolutely no venting and just an outlet as a fuel source. This makes them ultra versatile, safe, and easy to keep up with.
- Cons: You may not get as much heat as with other models, so they’re better suited for smaller spaces, and enthusiasts may not feel the ambiance is as authentic as a wood fire.
How Can I Make the Upgrade?
Fireplace inserts are retrofitted into an existing fireplace, generally making them less invasive or costly than a more substantial fireplace makeover. Because of safety factors involved, the need to comply with local codes, and manufacturer’s warranty requirements. However, this is definitely a job for a professional installer.
Making the upgrade begins with choosing the right model to fit the space and meet your needs. And we’ll be putting our deep industry knowledge to work for you right from the beginning, starting with assessing your current set-up and introducing you to a range of quality options that tick all the boxes.
Work With Us
Whatever you crave from your fireside experience, we’ll set you for chilly fall nights with a system that will deliver beautifully. And with our seasoned technicians on the job, safety and attention to detail will be at the fore.
What do you think? With all they bring to the table, this just might be the year to greet the season with a new fireplace insert. Call or reach out online today.
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