Friendly Hearth Options
by Jim Plucker
The warm, ambient appeal of a flickering fireplace resonates well with many homeowners, and it can prove to be a huge selling point. According to the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB), fireplaces are one of the top three features new homeowners request.
Various energy-efficient fireplace options are available today that feature energy-conserving technology, alternative fuels and strategies for minimizing heat loss. The most energy efficient of these options include direct vent gas, wood-burning, electric and alternative fuels.
Direct Vent Gas
Direct vent gas fireplaces are fueled either by natural gas or by propane, and they burn cleanly and efficiently. The prominent feature is a sealed combustion firebox, which draws all the combustion air needed to produce a flame from outside the home through the outer channel of a coaxial direct vent pipe. The inner pipe exhausts 100 percent of all combustion byproducts to the outside, maintaining indoor air quality in the home.
Sealed combustion eliminates heat loss commonly associated with wood-burning units such as masonry fireplaces. Without sealed combustion, warm room air will draft into the firebox where it is ultimately exhausted through the chimney. With direct vent, the two sealed air streams intake and exhaust air traveling through the coaxial pipe at the same pressure, never mixing and always in balance.
The direct vent pipe can be routed horizontally or vertically and can run fairly long distances, making it easier to vent a fireplace located on an interior wall. Direct vent gas fireplaces fit well into new construction and they eliminate the need to construct a chimney.
Depending on the model, direct vent gas insert fireplaces can be up to 85 percent efficient. For homeowners who want high efficiency, an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE)-rated direct vent gas insert fireplace is best; the higher the AFUE rating, the higher the fireplace's efficiency.
Wood-burning
Before fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas came into wide use in the early 1900s,most people in the western U.S. heated their homes with wood. The inefficient masonry fireplaces they used exhausted more heat than they produced as they pulled room air into the firebox and exhausted it through the chimney. Today, wood-burning stoves, fireplaces and inserts are available that are considerably more resourceful.
In general terms, the more efficient the hearth, the cleaner it burns. The EPA has set stringent standards for the testing of wood-burning appliances manufactured since 1988. These emission standards require wood-burning fireplaces to burn much cleaner and use less wood to produce more heat than dated models. These EPA certified stoves and fireplaces give homeowners the ability to burn firewood at up to 78 percent efficiency, while releasing fewer particulates into the outside air while allowing the homeowner to enjoy the crackling sounds and flickering flames of burning wood.
The most important feature of EPA-certified wood-burning fireplaces is more complete combustion. Non-certified fireplaces starve the fire of oxygen, which makes the wood burn unevenly and creates excessive smoke. The design of a certified fireplace creates the proper conditions for complete combustion, including burning at high temperatures, ample oxygen and sufficient time for the combustion gases to burn before they are exhausted. EPA-certified units have another important advantage over uncertified models: complete combustion helps prevent accumulation of creosote, a flammable chimney residue.
Electric
Electric fireplaces and stoves are convenient, flexible and efficient. Since there is no combustion with electricity, they do not require any ventilation. They can also be placed virtually anywhere in the home where there is an electrical outlet. Today's electric fireplaces are best judged by how attractive they are when operating and when turned off. They can be built in and positioned permanently or placed against any wall and moved around easily when the room's furniture is rearranged.
Older electric fireplace models were often said to look "fake," and in general terms, were not very attractive focal points. Modern electric fireplaces, however, are far more aesthetically pleasing with fiber optic displays and LED lights designed to simulate the look of dancing flames.
Alternative Fuels
With increasing concerns over minimizing our carbon footprints while controlling our rising energy costs, many homeowners are turning to renewable fuels for their hearth systems. There are many types of renewable fuels.
Pellets
Measuring no more than 1-inch long and resembling rabbit feed, pellets are made from compacted sawdust, wood chips, bark, agricultural crop waste, waste paper and other organic materials. Since pellets are made of organic waste from existing industries, they provide an inexpensive way to reuse material that would otherwise go to a landfill.
Pellet stoves and fireplaces are more convenient to operate and have much higher combustion and heating efficiencies than traditional wood-burning systems. As a result, they burn cleaner than virtually any other biomass fuel and help reduce air pollution.
Pellet fuel appliances have been available for some time as freestanding stoves and fireplace inserts, and in 2009, the first zero clearance fireplace was introduced by Quadra-Fire. Pellets are stored in a fuel hopper and are moved to the combustion chamber in small groups by a feeding device. Wood pellets are typically purchased in 40-pound bags that usually cost between $3 and $5 and can provide up to 24 hours of steady heat. Many models offer a wall-mounted thermostat that minimizes fuel consumption when a room is vacant.
On average, a winter's supply of wood pellets consists of 100 to 150 bags, depending on climate and lifestyle variations. Compared with the volatile prices of electricity, gas and oil, the price of a bag of wood pellets has remained steady for most of the past decade. Wood pellets also produce no chimney creosote and leave very little ash to clean up afterward.
Wood Wax Fire Logs
Made from a mixture of sawdust and wax, wood wax fire logs are available from a variety of retailers, including supermarkets and convenience stores. Designed for use in wood-burning fireplaces, they are easy to light, burn cleanly, leave little ash and offer a longer, more consistent burn than regular firewood. However, they offer little in the way of energy efficiency and possess no real energy benefits to the user.
Energy-Saving Strategies
There are ways for homeowners to minimize heat loss and maximize energy efficiency when utilizing fireplaces and stoves in their homes.
Zone Heating
Gas, wood-burning, electric and alternative fuel hearth systems all give homeowners the option of zone heating. With zone heating, they can reduce their total home energy consumption by turning down the thermostats for the central furnace and using fireplaces or stoves to heat the main living areas. Depending on the model, fireplaces can heat a large area, some as much as 3,500 square feet, but ideally, homeowners simply heat the rooms they use the most and reduce the wasted heat in the rest of the home.
Glass Doors
Some wood-burning fireplaces pull warm air from the room and exhaust it up the chimney. Glass doors provide a barrier against warm room air being pulled up the chimney. Small vents along the bottom or sides of the firebox allow a controlled amount of combustion airflow into the fireplace. The glass also allows heat from the fire to radiate throughout the room.
These hearth options not only provide cost and energy efficiency, they also add a beautiful touch to a home. Exploring these choices and strategies is essential to ensure that the homeowner will be completely satisfied. The warm glow coming from an efficient fireplace will bring more comfort to the homeowner and to the environment.
Jim Plucker is Channel Marketing Manager for Hearth & Home Technologies.
