Fireplaces

This section discusses:

• The three most common reasons for installing a fireplace in a new home
• Why you need to be concerned over the equipment chosen

The three most common reasons for installing a fireplace in a new home

Supplemental heating

The heat generated by the fireplace is used to supplement a conventional heating system to reduce the cost of purchased energy.

Wood burning fireplaces or stoves can provide a significant proportion of the heating requirement for a well-insulated, energy efficient house and save on purchased energy. To do so, requires considerable user commitment and access to a low cost source of wood. Wood fuel is heavy, messy, and requires considerable storage space. Brought indoors to dry, wood will increase humidity levels and may provide a source of insects.

The economic benefit analysis depends on whether the wood is purchased or not, at what price the wood is purchased, the type of wood used and the value the homeowner places on their time and effort.

In Manitoba, if a homeowner has to purchase the wood at about $150 a cord, considering the heat content of various wood species, it is almost as costly burning wood as heating with electricity or gas and therefor makes little economic sense. If wood can be purchased at a lower cost or obtained for free and the homeowner enjoys the daily work entailed, then this system is worth considering for your new house.

Supplemental heating with a natural gas fire place is generally not cost effective as the combustion efficiency of the fire place is far less than most mid or high efficiency furnaces.

Back up heating

A gas or wood burning fireplace can be an excellent source of emergency back up heat should the main heating system ever malfunction or fail to operate.

It is worth noting that utility service is extremely reliable within Manitoba and rarely becomes interrupted for longer than an hour or two. Depending on exterior temperatures, a well-insulated energy efficient house should be able to easily retain a comfortable internal temperature for 6 to 8 hours without the addition of heat.

Recreational purposes

By far, the most popular reason consumers choose to install a fireplace in their new homes is for the visual pleasure and comfort provided by watching a fire. In this case, either a wood burning or natural gas fireplace can be chosen.