There’s nothing quite like sitting down in front of a roaring fire. But many old-fashioned fireplaces aren’t energy efficient. Fireplaces draw warm air up the chimney and pull cold outside air into your home. This can cause your main heating system to work harder and longer. Fortunately, there are a few ways you can improve the energy efficiency of your fireplace:
- Keep the damper closed when your fireplace isn’t in use.
- Install glass doors. They’ll allow less warm air to be drawn up the chimney and won’t let cold outside air into the house.
- Use an outside combustion air vent to improve fireplace efficiency. They bring the air needed to keep the fire lit in from outside, not from inside the heated room. This greatly reduces how much warm air is drawn up the chimney and the amount of cold outside air that filters into the room.
- Fireplace inserts improve fireplace efficiency by blowing heat from the fire into the room and by limiting the amount of heat lost up the chimney.