Choose a Fireplace for Beauty and Warmth
(Page 5 of 6)
October/November 2003
By John Gulland
Energy King
(715) 720-1794
www.energyking.com
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Selkirk
(800) 992-8368
www.selkirkcanada.com
England's Stove Works
(800) 2456489
www.englanderstoves.com
EOM EMISSION EPA EXEMPT
American Energy Systems (Magnum)
(800) 495-3196
www.hearthdirect.com
RADIANT OPEN FIREPLACES
Buckley Rumford Company
(360) 385-9974
www.rumford.com
FireSpaces
(503) 227-0547
MASONRY HEATERS
Masonry Heater Association of North America
(802)7285896
www.mha-net.org
J ust as with woodstoves (see "Woodstove Buyer's guide," December/January 2002), two options exist: A catalytic combustor can be built into the fireplace to burn off the smoke before it exits the firebox. Or, alternatively, the fireplace must have an insulated firebox, a baffle to extend the flame path and secondary air tubes to support flaming combustion at the top of the firebox. Either a catalytic combustor or an insulated firebox, baffle and air tubes must be in place if the fireplace is to perform to an acceptable level for home heating.
Although fireplaces are exempt from the EPA emission limits that all woodstoves must meet, some are engineered to achieve low emissions so they appeal to those of us who have an environmental conscience, and a desire for renewable, wood heat and the beauty of a fire. A by-product of these low-emission technologies is much higher efficiency than conventional fireplaces can achieve. Some of these advanced fireplaces have optional central heating packages with fans and ducts to send the heat throughout the house. Companies that offer these EPA-certified fireplaces are listed on Pages 96 and 97.
OTHER OPTIONS
A cheap, inefficient factory-built fireplace, including the chimney, will cost a few thousand dollars to include in a new home, plus some hidden costs from the heated air that goes up the chimney every time you use it.
An efficient, EPA-certified model that also can help heat your home may cost twice as much up front, but you will get much of that cost back in fuel-savings over the life of the house. Every time you use a high-efficiency fireplace, your regular heating bill will be reduced. If you use the fireplace often and cut your own firewood, your savings will be even greater. Plus, whenever you heat with wood instead of fossil fuel, you are reducing your household's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and protecting yourself from the skyrocketing costs of non-renewable energy.
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