Howa Fireplace Insert Can Turn Your Wood Fireplace into an Eco-Friendly Heating System

Although wood-burning fireplaces have a very natural and uninhibited feel, they actually aren't considered all that eco-friendly in the heating industry. Not only do they create a lot of smoke that can contribute to air pollution (especially in and around cities), but they're often very inefficient. In fact, some are leaky enough to actually increase your heating bills instead of decreasing them. Putting in a fireplace insert can be a great way to transform a leaky fireplace into an efficient and eco-friendly source of heat. Here are three ways that an insert can increase the performance and eco-friendliness of your fireplace.

1. Using cleaner energy

Although wood burning is an ancient tradition, wood isn't necessarily the most efficient or eco-friendly fuel. Other options for fireplace fuel include natural gas, propane, and electricity. (It's true that electricity usually comes from burning fossil fuels, but, if you have a greener source of electricity, such as a local wind farm or a solar panel installation on your roof, it can be a very green way to heat your home.) These burn more efficiently, especially with modern efficiency-optimized fireplace models.

2. Transmitting heat more efficiently to the room

Instead of allowing air to escape out the chimney after it's heated, efficient fireplace inserts function by redistributing this heated air back into your home. In fact, if you have a system for transmitting this heated air through ducts to each room of your home, you can use a fireplace insert as the main heat source for your house (especially if you live in a temperate climate).

3. Reducing air pollution

Clean-burning fuels such as propane and natural gas are not only better for the environment in general; they're also much less likely to reduce the quality of life in your area by making the air all smoky. Some cities create burn bans when the air quality is especially poor that make it against regulations to use the wood-burning fireplace in your home. Clean-burning fuels are less likely to contribute to such smog problems and less likely to be phased out by city regulations or EPA regulations.

These three points show how a fireplace insert that burns clean fuel can produce eco-friendly and energy-efficient heat for your home, reducing smog and pollution in the area compared to a wood-burning fireplace and allowing you to actually make use of the heat that's produced instead of losing it up the chimney.