If your home has an existing fireplace, using it is probably one of the worst choices for space heating since they are so inefficient and tend to cause every room outside of the room with the fireplace to become cold. However, you can make use of your fireplace and boost its efficiency by installing one of the variety of pellet fireplace inserts available.
Basically an enhanced, self-contained firebox, pellet fireplace inserts are designed to fit into the original fireplace and permit air to flow around them, heating the air in the process. Pellet fireplace inserts are connected to the original fireplace chimney to discharge smoke. They can range in price from around $800 and up, plus you will need to pay a certified expert to install it properly, a charge that can run $250 or more.
Your Heating Needs
Most likely you are familiar with the formula Btu/h, which translates to the universal British thermal units per hour, or Btu/h. To heat a 200-square-foot space, you will need 25 to 30 Btu/h per square foot, or a minimum of 5,000 Btu/h. Heat loss (as well as the amount of heat needed) depends on the outdoor temperature of the area in which you live, the volume of ceiling and exterior wall insulation, the size and number of windows installed in the space, and any existing heated space above and below the room. To select the most useful of the pellet fireplace inserts available, calculate the number of Btu/h needed to heat your particular space and you will be able to use that calculation to choose between appropriately-sized pellet fireplace insert options.
Costs of Fuel
The U.S. Department of Energy states that the general price of one cord of firewood or one ton of wood pellets is $190, or $9.09 per ton. Compare these figures with the cost of coal ($9.06), natural gas ($12.61), oil ($18.53), propane ($24.66), and electric space heaters, baseboards and furnaces ($33.25).
Accessibility of Fuel
Wood pellets for use in pellet fireplace inserts aren’t yet as widely available as cord wood, although they are produced all over the country so availability is not a problem for most. With a growing industry in wood pellet appliances, availability should continue to get easier over time.
Wood Pellet Grade
Two types of wood pellets are manufactured for use in pellet fireplace inserts. First there is a standard grade with a higher ash content, and a premium wood pellet grade, which will burn cleaner but is also costlier. It’s best to buy pellets made from the hardwoods that are abundant in your area and keep it stored properly. Certain models can use either grade of pellets and some of the newer models are adapted to burn wheat, corn and other natural compound pellets.
Emissions
The emissions from pellet fireplace inserts are deemed so minimal, they have no EPA regulations to abide by. Even in areas where solid wood burning is restricted, wood pellet burning is not.
Design considerations
Pellet fireplace inserts are usually situated in a part of the home that is most used, and therefore most visible. Luckily, they come in a variety of designs and finishes to match any décor. To find a wide variety of options available, search the Internet and discover the many options available for this energy-efficient home heating solution.
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