With winter temperatures dropping to new lows every year, it is becoming more and more essential to keep homes cosy and warm. Indoor fireplaces are one of the best as well as economical heating solutions for decades. An indoor fireplace not only creates a cosy holiday mood around the room but also is extremely effective for heating up the room if used up to its full capacity. For an indoor fireplace, there are several ways to heat up the room. Here is how:
Firstly, you need to determine the answers to 4 questions:
#1. How cold does it usually get in the area you live in? The winter temperatures are not uniform in every region. So, homeowners from different regions will have varying heating requirements.
#2. How easily is firewood or fuel available in the vicinity of your house? The availability of fuel is extremely important for an indoor fireplace. If you own a wood fireplace in an area where wood costs a lot and biofuel is easily available at an affordable rate, it would not be economically efficient for you. That is why it is advisable to analyse the fuel availability in your area before deciding the type of indoor fireplace for heating your home.
#3. What is more important for you: ambiance or heat? For each homeowner, depending on the location of the home, the requirements differ. Some people want a fireplace to adorn the ambience of the room more than for heating purpose. For some others, it is purely meant for heating, while for some, it is meant for both, heating as well as to beautify the room. Based on the functionality requirement of the indoor fireplace, the type can be determined.
#4. Do you have an existing indoor fireplace? If yes, then the type of fireplace you already own will narrow down your options of heating up your room. But you can surely work on updating the indoor fireplace or using energy efficient fuels.
Ways to heat up your homes:
- Wood indoor fireplace: Wood is a fossil fuel and provides radiant heat and that is direct heat. It takes time to heat up the whole house but is still efficient. For traditional homes which have a pre-built fireplace with a chimney, this is the most preferable type. There are modern wood burning fireplaces that make the wood burning process pollution free.
Also, with increasing prices of electricity and gas, wood indoor fireplace is affordable and an efficient way of heating.
- Gas indoor fireplace: This type of fireplace uses natural gas or propane as fuel for combustion and to generate heat. These gases are energy efficient but cause a lot of pollution. So, it is not much preferred in places where a fireplace is used extensively for heating purposes. On the other hand, if the fireplace is meant for creating a good ambience is not used frequently, this can be a suitable option.
- Electric indoor fireplace: This is the type which has been a lot in demand in the recent years as it gives uniform and controlled heating, causes no pollution and gives an ambience like a real fireplace with a help of incandescent bulbs and coloured metal reflectors. It is portable and needs no venting or cleaning. Also, it can fit in anywhere and occupy very less space. The best part of the electric fireplace is that it can be turned on just for the curb appeal and that does not use up much wattage. For heating purposes, it is extremely efficient as well.
With these available options, you can efficiently heat up your room and keep yourself as well as your family and guests warm in the snowing atmosphere and have a cosy night away from the chilly winter.