Fireplaces, updated for 21st century, a green choice for warming home

From the earliest times, nothing has evoked a feeling of home and family like a warm, inviting fire. While fire was initially outside and essential for survival, it eventually moved indoors. Hearths were still essential elements of homes until central heating took over in the 20th century.

Fireplaces have remained popular elements in houses, but for many years instead of serving a heating function, their use has been more decorative. After all, what's Christmas without a mantle on which to hang stockings and a chimney for Santa to descend? Thanks to improvements over the last 20 years in construction and design, fireplaces have come full circle and have now become valuable elements in home heating.

"An efficient fireplace not only adds warmth and ambience to any room, but it can be an efficient way of adding zone heating and even value to a home," said Pat O'Donnell, co-owner of Hearth & Home in Mount Prospect.

The biggest trend in fireplaces today is direct vent designs with gas logs.

"People are looking for ways to add heat and they're looking for ways to be green," said Larry Thomas of Fireplace & Chimney Authority in Lisle. "Direct vent fireplaces are 85 percent efficient - it's like putting another furnace in your home."

Surprisingly enough, even the fireplace of 25 to 30 years ago, many of which can accommodate either wood or gas logs, are outmoded. In fact, use one of those fireplaces, and you most likely will actually be robbing your home of heat. Thomas noted that it's typical for many homeowners not to use their fireplaces for a number of years specifically because of the heat loss factor.

Not to worry, however, as your fireplace can be converted to an efficient heat-producing appliance through an insert, which are available for whatever type of fuel you use, whether it be natural gas, propane, wood or pellets. Fireplace inserts are made from cast iron or steel an have self-cleaning glass doors that allow the dancing flames of the fire to be viewed.

Older fireplaces are not efficient because of their open combustion design which allows heated room air to be drawn into the fire, causing it to burn too fast, and thus wasting energy. An insert slows the fires down and increases its temperature to facilitate more complete combustion. Many fireplace inserts as well as direct vent fireplaces also come with a thermostatic control with modulating burners to further increase efficiency.

"As the temperature in the room is going up, the burner is going down and still giving a continuous flame in the fireplace," O'Donnell said.

New fireplaces range in price from $5,000 to $15,000, with the average being about $8,000, depending on options chosen. Typical installations include the firebox with logs and burner, venting, finishing around the installation, framing and drywall, and a wood surround.

O'Donnell noted that because demographics are so varied in the Chicago, Hearth & Homes sees all types of faces for fireplaces, but said that the most popular are traditional cherry wood or granite surrounds, followed by contemporary stone applications.

"The younger crowd is going for a more contemporary look of tile with ribbon burners or glass accents instead of a log burner with flames," he said.

Another popular option, noted Fireplace and Chimney Authority's Thomas are contemporary alcohol-burning fireplaces. Because of the variety of venting options, fireplaces are also popping up all over the house, from master bathrooms to bedrooms to kitchens. They're not just for the living room or family room anymore.

"When you are putting a fireplace in consider if you need heat in that room, and if the answer is no, then don't consider it because a fireplace will really heat a room," Thomas said.

Old, tired, inefficient fireplaces can easily benefit from a conversion. An opportune time to do one is when your chimney inspection indicates you have cracked tiles or need a new liner.

"The necessity of an insert requires a liner and the liner will be specifically devised for the insert," Thomas said.

Expect to spend about $3,000 for the new liner and insert system. Any refacing of the inside brick or modifications to the mantle will be extra.

If you have an older home and install a new fireplace or update your old one, make sure that the installation is properly vented so your hearth does not smoke excessively. The reason this occurs is due to how airtight and energy-efficient homes have become in the last 20 years with better insulation, new windows and the like. Energy efficiency in indoor climate control creates a tightly sealed envelope and a phenomenon called negative pressure occurs when air is consumed by appliances such as the furnace, hot water heater, oven, dryer, kitchen and bath exhausts, etc.

"When you go to open the damper of the fireplace, your house wants to breathe, thereby pulling air down the chimney, but at the same time, you want the gases to go outside," O'Donnell said. "Until a fireplace chimney is completely warmed up you will get smoke and gases coming back into the house, predominantly during the warmup and cool down phases of the cycle.

"Direct venting draws air from the outside, allowing for clean, consistent, efficient use of your fireplace."

When considering a new fireplace or modifications, it's a good idea to consult fireplace specialists. Ask if the company has consultants with National Fireplace Institute certifications as these specialists will help you with appropriate size, type, and configuration of your hearth products and venting system, compliance with codes and guidelines for operation and maintenance.

Don't forget that your fireplace also needs periodic maintenance.

"It's typically recommended that the fireplace should be serviced once every season just like a gas furnace although that's not required - that's preventive maintenance," O'Donnell said.

Fireplace inspections check to see if burners and other components are working optimally.

Another area you don't want to ignore is inspection of your chimney flue. Not only should it be periodically cleaned to avoid build up of creosote, which can lead to a fire hazard, special care should be taken for chimneys in homes with high-efficiency furnaces.

"High-efficiency furnaces exhaust a lot of moisture and it ends up as condensation up there (inside the chimney flue) and tears the chimney apart from the inside," Thomas said. "A telltale sign of this is if the chimney needs to be tuckpointed. If you let it go too long, the chimney will have to be rebuilt."

Another area to maintain is the crown, which if it has cracks, could cause leaks in your fireplace. Don't forget to install a chimney cap, which helps keep out raccoons and rodents as well as preventing rain from entering the chimney and rusting the damper.

If you're used to old-fashioned fireplaces where you light a few logs and watch the flames crackle, don't worry as new hearth appliances are easy for everyone to operate.

"Having a fire is like having a friend," Thomas noted. "It's a silent companion."

<p class=factboxtext12col>An unexpected boon to installing a new fireplace in your home is that the installation may qualify for a federal tax credit of 30 percent, up to $1,500 on your federal income taxes. The biomass tax incentive runs from now through the end of 2010 and is designed to reduce our reliance on foreign oil and increase clean-burning, energy efficient homes.</p> <p class=factboxtext12col>Even if you are considering a different type of hearth product, such as a wood stove or electric stand-alone fireplace, ask your consultant whether the product will allow you to get the tax credit. Some of these may qualify.</p> <p class=factboxtext12col>In addition to the fireplace itself, don't forget the accessories. Dressing up your fireplace is a big part of its appeal.</p> <p class=factboxtext12col>"People are putting more into their homes right now and for fireplaces that means a lot of decorative screens and and irons," said Neal Kaplan, owner of Fireplaces Plus in Vernon Hills. "We're getting a lot of people going more toward traditional looks, including antique reproductions."</p> <p class=factboxtext12col>Fireplaces Plus sells a complete line of customized accessories, including customized vent-free or direct vent gas log for new or existing fireplace installations. Customized gas logs are particularly useful for oversized fireplaces where larger burners must be used.</p> <p class=factboxtext12col>- Arlene Miles</p>