Types of Fireplaces and How They Impact Your Electric Bill

As you sit in your home anticipating a cheery winter scene, you might imagine drinking hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire, or possibly a more subdued flame. Whatever your preference, that image of a fireplace always seems to be a key aspect of your winter musing. The more you think about it, the more you realize you know very little about the differences in fireplaces on the market. Your Garland prepaid electricity company, Pronto Power, can assist with this short listing of different fireplaces and how they will affect your electric bill.

Wood-burning

They certainly look the coziest, but wood-burning stoves are definitely the least efficient in their impact on your electric bill since a huge percentage of the heat generated by burning wood gently swirls up the chimney. Air quality is also a concern with ash and small particulate matter wafting through the air. If you are not a fan of dusting, you may wish to skip this choice. Cost for wood burning stoves is around $1,000.

Another option is an outdoor wood furnace, which is super efficient as it burns the wood outside and directs the heat into your home to heat both the rooms and the hot water heater. Choose either a central heater to blast hot air through your home, or a central boiler which heats water inside a tank surrounding the outdoor heater, then pumps the water in pipes throughout your home. The amount of wood you use is minimal for its efficiency, and your heating bill is virtually zero. These are rather pricey, running from $10,000 – $24,000 depending on the size of your home.

Gas

Natural gas fireplaces do not require wood, although they look quite similar to a traditional wood-burning fireplace. Complete with ceramic logs, they give the ambience without the effort of gathering and splitting wood. Flip a switch and the fire is instantly on, and click it off to stop the flames from emanating. Unfortunately, gas fireplaces are also inefficient and lose approximately 75% of their heat. Cost for a gas fireplace ranges from $1,200 – $2,000.

A gas insert is a metal box placed over a wood-burning fireplace. Another box fits atop it and the air between the layers is contained and emitted. This method loses only approximately 25% of its heat. Maintenance is low in both cost and effort.

Electric

As cool air is pulled toward the fireplace, it is heated with metal coils and circulated throughout the room. The artificial flames can be designed to flicker in different colors and sizes to create just the right amount of ambience. Both cost effective and heat effective, electric fireplaces require no wood and do not pollute your home with gas fumes. With a 99% efficiency rating, they are the best value at around $100. Even better, you can take an electric fireplace with you if you move.

With a variety of options – stoves, logs, inserts, mantels, and wall mounts – you can choose one that best suits your needs.

While the ambience is pleasant, none of these heaters is able to heat more than the surrounding area effectively. Go to your Garland prepaid electricity powerhouse, Pronto Power, for more details on money-saving ideas for wintertime and beyond. Call us at 888 400-6632.