Being environmentally aware is something that can now have an influence on our buying choices. Saving energy and keeping our eco-footprint in check is something that many people now consider when making any purchase. This is particularly true when it comes to buying large appliances for our home or indeed when choosing how we heat our home.
It’s no surprise therefore that people buying a fireplace may ask us which is the most eco-friendly fireplace and how they can achieve energy efficiency from the type of fireplace that they choose. Below is a summary of the impact of different fireplaces such as gas, open fires, electric etc and how efficient they may be. Here at Cast Fireplaces we supply a full range of fireplace fuel options so it always worth chatting to us first if you have a query or concern about the environmental impact of a fire type. We can help you achieve the eco-friendly fireplace you desire.
Wood Burning Stove
In order to be energy efficient when burning wood, it is important that it is fully dried. Using a stove that has a sealed glass front is an eco-friendlier fireplace for burning solid fuel than any kind of open fire. Using a stove or log burner correctly is a carbon-neutral method to heat a property.
Electric fire
Whilst they lack the real flame effect and may not heat a room in the same way as a more traditional fireplace type an electric fire is 100% efficient. There are no fumes with an electric fire, and they can use renewable energy to run. On the downside though they tend to require more energy and electricity is usually more expensive than gas.
LPG
Gas logs and LP gas whilst being a fossil fuel does have lower emissions than other options and could be found to be a viable eco-friendly option for some homes.
Gas Fire
Most people may be familiar with a gas fire as a popular fuel type for heating a home. Many properties already use gas to heat their home via a gas boiler. Installing a gas fireplace can be a choice for many as an alternative to burning wood or solid fuel. Gas fires can achieve up to 86% efficiency and a flueless gas fire is 100% energy efficient. A gas fire doesn’t use as much energy and is cheaper to run – they also don’t produce any smoke.
Gas is a much more eco-friendly fireplace option than an open fire. Overall it tends to be cheaper to run and is considered at least 3 times more efficient than an open fire, so most of the heat produced stays in the room! However, gas fires do burn fossil fuel which is non-renewable and so for some people, this doesn’t make it as eco-friendly as they’d like.
Bio-Ethanol
These fires use ethyl alcohol which is produced from agricultural products. Whilst this biofuel means they can go anywhere they don’t generate enough heat to make them a serious heat supply and are generally considered decorative in their primary purpose.
Open Fire
An open fire or one that burns solid fuel tends to be the most damaging for the environment. Whilst burning wood isn’t bad in itself; burning wood that is wet or coal means producing a lot of smoke, which can cause health problems as well as damage to the environment and air pollution. In addition, an open fire has a much lower energy efficiency rating when compared to other fuel types at around 30% – this is due to the way that most of the heat generated goes up the chimney.
Contact Cast Fireplaces for more information on any kind of eco-friendly fireplace. We will be happy to guide you through the alternatives that would suit your home.