It used to be that having a fireplace in your home was a necessity for heating it in the colder winter months. They weren’t considered a luxury option, and almost all used to be wood burning. The problem with the original fireplace designs was that they were not energy efficient. Most of the heat that they produced was sucked up through the chimney and wasted.With today’s options as far as design, efficiencies, materials, and fuels that are burned, your choices now number in the hundreds…and maybe even the thousands. You can choose from a classic wood burning fireplace, a natural gas, gel fuels, and even an electric version. Many of the newly designed fireplaces now come with such options as a fireplace blower. The blower allows for room air to enter, get heated, and then it is blown back into the room, giving you maximum efficiency.The most popular fireplace designs are meat to not only be practical but also highly efficient. By adding an electric fireplace, or an electric fireplace insert, you can now have all the great looks, as well as reduced heating costs. Using an electric fireplace will not serve as a primary source of heat for your home, they just do not produce that much warmth. What they are widely used for is a zone type heater. You can find them in a freestanding model, as well as the popular freestanding variety.If you have an existing wood burning fireplace already, you can convert it to an electric simply by buying an electric fireplace insert. These electric inserts are a two piece units made of metal, steel or anodized aluminum. They are highly efficient and they do not need any sort of venting. You place them in your old fireplace, plug them in, and turn them on for instant heat.Another model becoming increasingly popular and readily available is the ventless gas fireplace. With this fairly new ventless technology, they can be placed almost anywhere you need an added heat source, provided they have a fuel source of gas or propane. With the traditional fireplaces that most have come to know, whether it’s a wood burning fireplace or a pellet or wood stove, they must have a vent or chimney. While some newer models can be vented out the side of a building, others must have a traditional looking flue or chimney venting straight up. Be sure to check in your local area because some of these ventless fireplaces have been banned due to potential health and safety issues.Outdoor fireplaces are becoming ever so popular these days because they not only have the ability to provide that cozy atmosphere when the sun goes down, but they are very functional too. They can give you some extra, much needed outdoor cooking space when it’s just to hot to turn on your stove. Outdoor fireplace designs can come in brick, stone, metal, steel, masonry, and clay. You can also find outdoor fireplaces that burn wood or gas, and also a combination of both. So finding one that will meet you performance and decorative needs will be easy. Another option that is attracting a lot of attention is the fireplace insert. You can find wood burning inserts, gas inserts and electric inserts. These are designed to be placed directly inside your existing fireplace. They’re made of steel or metal with stylish glass doors, so they provide you with all the good looks to match any décor, as well, being very energy efficient to save on your heating bill.No matter what type of fireplace design you go with, be sure to follow all of your areas local fire safety building codes. By doing this you’ll get many years of use and enjoyment out of your fireplace.

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