Renovating your fireplace isn’t the only method to modernize its appearance and increase its energy efficiency. A fireplace insert is a less expensive option. This heating appliance will spruce up your fireplace while lowering your heating and cooling expenditures without the expensive cost and hassle of a fireplace rebuild.
What exactly is a fireplace insert?
A fireplace insert is a custom-made firebox that fits within an existing fireplace aperture. Fireplace inserts come in a number of styles, ranging from sleek modern ones that may make your existing fireplace appear more modern to rustic designs. Self-cleaning glass doors, which offer a lovely viewing window for the fire and boost the efficiency of the firebox, are a feature shared by all fireplace inserts.
What are the advantages of using a fireplace insert?
Fireplace inserts are popular for five reasons: cost, energy efficiency, minimal environmental effect, alternative fuel alternatives, and handy features.
Affordability
Renovating or replacing an existing fireplace is both costly and inconvenient. A brick fireplace may cost up to $10,000 to rebuild. It entails days of masons working at your home, causing dust and disrupting your normal routine. Most fireplace inserts, on the other hand, cost less than $1,000 and can be installed in a single day.
Energy conservation
The average brick fireplace has an efficiency of less than 10%. This implies that more than 90% of the heat produced by your fireplace escapes up the chimney rather than being used to heat your home. The loss of heat from your fireplace isn’t the only issue. Even when your fireplace is not in use in the spring and summer, it may make your house less energy efficient by allowing hot air to escape down the chimney and cooled air to enter. As a result, installing a conventional fireplace in your house might raise your energy bills all year. Both issues may be solved with a fireplace insert.
The enhanced venting system attached to the fireplace insert and its glass doors keeps outside breezes at bay. They help keep hot and cooled air from escaping up the chimney. Fireplace inserts are also made to be significantly more energy-efficient. Some have up to a 70% efficiency rating, which implies that the majority of the heat they generate is reflected into your home rather than left outside.
Environmentally friendly
Because of their great efficiency, best fireplace electric inserts are also more ecologically beneficial. Emissions from EPA-certified wood-burning fireplace inserts are negligible. They are intended to meet, if not surpass, clean air regulations. Whether you go with a gas, wood, or pellet insert, you can be assured that your fireplace will not have a detrimental effect on the air quality outdoors.
Alternative fuel option
Installing a fireplace insert is also a simple method to adapt your fireplace to burn a different type of fuel. When choosing a fireplace insert, you have the following options:
Natural Gas/Propane
- Wood
- Pellet
- Electric
Features that are useful
Fireplace inserts, in addition to being available in a variety of shapes and fuel kinds, provide convenience functions that conventional fireplaces do not. Two of the most popular features offered with gas, pellet, and electric fireplace inserts are the thermostat control and remote operation. You will be able to modify the fire display with a gas fireplace insert. Everything from altering the backlighting to choosing the artificial log set or fire glass in the display is possible.
How do you pick the best fireplace insert?
The most critical consideration when selecting a fireplace insert is that it fits the size of your existing fireplace’s firebox. We recommend that you engage with a competent chimney specialist who has installed fireplace inserts in your region. They will measure the firebox of your fireplace and provide you with the exact specs you need to search for. They can also tell you whether certain types of fireplace inserts are incompatible with your chimney.
How does one go about installing a fireplace insert?
Unless you are a chimney specialist, you should not attempt to install a fireplace insert yourself. We aren’t the only ones that urge hiring a professional. All fireplace inserts should also be installed by a qualified expert, according to the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association (HPBA).
An experienced, CSIA-certified chimney specialist will guarantee that you obtain all necessary building permits and that your insert complies with all state and municipal laws. The most crucial reason to choose a professional to install your fireplace insert is that they will ensure that the venting system is properly installed. If your fireplace insert is placed poorly, it can pose a major risk to you and your property, especially if it is not properly vented.
