Homeowners have many options for heating their homes. Many homes have wood-burning fireplaces that, for many years, homeowners have relied upon for either their main or complementary heating sources. Wood-burning fireplaces can come with their own set of maintenance, operation and energy challenges.
Gas fireplace inserts have become increasingly popular as a major heating source for homeowners all over. These safe, efficient units have a number of benefits. In this blog series, we’ll be outlining their benefits to help you decide if a gas fireplace insert is right for you and your home. We kick off the benefits below:
- Gas fireplace inserts are sealed for efficiency. One major issue with wood-burning fireplaces is the loss of efficiency when warm air from the home escapes through the flue. This can occur either through faulty sealing or, most commonly, when someone forgets to close the flue when the fireplace is not in use. This can also allow cold air drafts to enter the home. Both problems obviously contribute to lower efficiency and poor comfort levels for your home during cold months. When installed correctly, gas fireplace inserts all but eliminate air leaks and heat loss—even when installed in existing fireplaces!
- Fireplace inserts are extremely convenient. Let’s face it—hauling wood for traditional fireplaces is a pain. Even if someone else is doing the chopping, you still have to get that wood to the fireplace log by log. Starting fires can be a challenge depending on the type and quality of wood you’re burning, as well. This can be frustrating when all you want is a quick, hot fire to warm your home. Gas fireplace inserts light with the flip of a switch—literally! You can have fast heat and fast comfort with no work at all.
- Temperature management is easy. With gas fireplace inserts, you have control over the temperature, much like other non-fireplace heating systems. With wood-burning fireplaces, the fire is either burning or not, so temperature management is often difficult. Many gas fireplace inserts come with thermostat management so you can set your desired temperature and be done.
- Gas fireplace inserts pump out heat. Many remember the early days of gas fireplace inserts, which were typically more for decoration than for actual home heating. Those days have passed and fireplace inserts are now powerful heat sources that can efficiently heat a large portion of your home.
- They provide heat when the power goes out. Unlike many other sources of heat, gas fireplace inserts can be used when the power is out, which is especially useful during times like these when we’re experiencing high wind storms.
BelRed offers installation of many different types and models of gas fireplace inserts. If you’re looking to benefits from one of the advantages listed above (or in the next post), contact us today!
