Chimney Care Company's Blog
Better Heating Efficiency with a Fireplace Insert
Not all fireplaces are created equal. Depending on the age of your home and/or the overall condition of your fireplace and all of its parts, you could be sending some serious money right up the chimney during the heating season; it’s estimated that a typical homeowner can send up to 8% of valuable heated air flying straight out the chimney. If reading this statistic has you even the slightest bit scared about using your fireplace as a heating source when the weather turns cold, don’t write it off just yet. The good news is you can transform your fireplace into an efficient room heater simply by adding a fireplace insert.
WHAT CAN A FIREPLACE INSERT DO FOR ME?
An insert is the answer to making your old fireplace more efficient without having to replace it, and, most of the time, they can be retrofitted to your existing wood-burning fireplace seamlessly. Adding an insert will only slightly (in most cases) change the overall look of your fireplace; however, it can take it from a net energy loser to a helpful tool in keeping those skyrocketing heating costs at bay during the winter months.
CAN I AFFORD A FIREPLACE INSERT?
You’re probably sitting there wondering how much an insert is going to set you back. To be completely honest, they are far from cheap. Nevertheless, they are affordable. Inserts can run anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000 depending on the time of year and your geographic location. This is an all-inclusive price, which includes installation and a new specialized chimney liner.
ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FIREPLACE INSERTS?
If you’re considering a fireplace insert, there are a few options available to you. Choosing the type of heater that best meets the needs of your particular application is as simple as deciding what’s most important to you—burning real wood and having heat even if the power goes out (choose a wood-burning insert), burning a bio-fuel without the hassle of wood in an attempt to minimize your carbon footprint (choose a pellet insert), or flipping on fast heat in a particular portion of the home (choose a gas insert).
Because fuel prices are in a constant state of flux, any savings measurements are really just a moving target. Generally speaking, a homeowner who opts to have an insert installed is looking at an annual savings of anywhere from $75-$250 dollars. While this may not sound like a tremendous amount of savings considering the upfront costs of the insert itself, the savings over the long haul can and will really add up over the lifespan of the insert. Your home is an investment, and, as such, any decision you make needs to include at least a small measure of foresight. We carry a wide variety of quality appliances, and in our 20+ years in business, we’ve kept a focus on finding and recommending only the industry’s most reliable and beautiful products. Whether you prefer the convenience of researching products online or getting up close and personal to compare products, the professionals at The Chimney Care Company have you covered. Give us a call today at (513) 248-9600 or stop in and visit our showroom to see all we have to offer.
EPA Increasing Fireplace and Stove Efficiency Standards
Wood smoke from home heating is the primary source of wintertime air pollution in our country. It contains fine particulates, gases, and even toxic compounds. These pollutants can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, as well as respiratory disease. Wintertime wood burning for residential home heating can be a significant source of pollution both inside your home and out. Wood smoke impacts occur during the winter months when cold temperatures contribute to increased burning. Frequent winter inversions cause air stagnation, which causes pollutant levels to exceed healthy air quality standards.
PROGRAMS TO ASSIST WITH CHANGING OUT WOODSTOVES
As a result of the increased attention now being given to air quality, many states have begun to offer tax credits and incentives (in the form of woodstove change-out programs) that offer rebates to replace old uncertified stoves with new cleaner stoves. Most programs allow consumers to trade in an old woodstove for a new one, at a discounted price, but some only allow trade outs to lower emitting appliances such as pellet and gas stoves, or give much higher rebates for pellet or gas stoves. The Alliance for Green Heat believes that “many wood stove change out programs haven’t taken a holistic approach and, as a result, air quality improvements have been somewhat undermined.” The Alliance has urged the EPA to use their leverage in directing funds to areas that have demonstrated a level of commitment, such as banning the installation of new exempt woodstoves, old, second hand uncertified woodstoves and/or unregulated outdoor wood boilers.
MAKING STRIDES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Unlike cars, refrigerators and virtually every other appliance, woodstoves can last so long that they remain in use for upwards of 50 years. As a result, most woodstoves are still not EPA certified, a program that wasn’t started until 1990. Pollution from older stoves, or from incorrectly used new stoves, is a serious health concern, and one of the best ways to get them out of circulation is a changeout program.
CONSIDERING WHAT THE EPA HAS TO SAY
Back in the late 1980’s, the EPA established a mandatory smoke emission limit for catalytic woodstoves (4.1g/h) and for non-catalytic woodstoves (7.5g/h). Today, all woodstoves sold in the U.S. must meet these limits, and many are certified for emissions down in the 1 to 4g/h range. The EPA certified emission rate is a reliable number that can be compared from one model to the next.
When shopping for a new woodstove, you’ll have two main sources of information to help you in making your decision: manufacturer’s literature and the advice you receive from the woodstove dealer. This is where knowing who to trust is of the utmost importance. The professionals at The Chimney Care Company would like to be your trusted resource for this information. We can help you find the perfect heating appliance, one of which might just be perfect for your needs, and install it for you, too. Our technicians can help you weigh your choices and their benefits and land on the perfect new appliance. Stop by our showroom and talk to our home heating experts about what you’re envisioning for your home, and we’ll do the rest.