Both wood inserts and direct-vent gas inserts are great options to help reduce home-heating costs.
Wood inserts give off the a tremendous amount of heat when installed into a masonry fireplace. Coupled with the long-standing tradition in New England to have a wood-burning fireplace, a wood insert is great investment for your home. Today’s wood inserts are very efficient and meet EPA requirements.
Burning wood in your fireplace normally allows most of the heat produced, as well as the heat from the rest of your home, to escape up the flue. Why not enjoy all the comforts of burning wood, while creating added heat for your home? An insert will allow you to direct that heat back into the room.
Tired of the mess associated with burning wood? Wish you used your masonry fireplace for more than storage or as a candleholder? It may be time to consider a gas insert.
Direct-vent gas inserts are becoming more and more popular throughout New England. As time moves on, people are seeing the efficiency and ease of gas inserts. With the simple flip of a switch or by pressing a button on a remote control you can instantly add warmth to the rooms you use the most. A centrally located gas insert can become an efficient means for you to warm up your house and also provide you with the beautiful visual of a burning fire. With some of the technology today, it is hard to distinguish between a real wood burning fireplace and that of a gas fireplace.
What is the difference between a direct-vent gas insert and a wood insert?
Both options are designed to fit directly into your existing masonry fireplace, but they offer different benefits. A wood insert provides the traditional ambiance, crackle, and tremendous heat of real burning wood, but with significantly higher efficiency than an open hearth. A direct-vent gas insert offers the ultimate convenience—providing immediate warmth with the flip of a switch or the press of a remote control, without any ash cleanup or wood storage required
Will installing a fireplace insert help lower my home heating bills?
Yes! Traditional open masonry fireplaces actually allow most of the heat produced—as well as your home’s existing central heat—to escape up the chimney flue. By installing an EPA-certified wood insert or a highly efficient direct-vent gas insert, you seal off that draft. The insert directs the generated heat back into your living space, making it a fantastic zone-heating solution that can significantly reduce your winter energy costs.
How realistic do direct-vent gas inserts look compared to real wood?
Modern gas fireplace inserts are incredibly realistic. Thanks to advancements in burner technology and beautifully crafted logs, it can be very difficult to distinguish between a high-quality gas fireplace insert and a traditional wood-burning fire. You get all the beautiful visuals of a roaring fire with none of the mess.
Is my existing masonry fireplace suitable for an insert?
Most traditional masonry fireplaces are excellent candidates for either a gas or wood insert. If you’re tired of a drafty fireplace that you only use for storage or candles, an insert will completely transform the space. As experienced fireplace installation contractors serving Massachusetts and Rhode Island, we can assess your current fireplace and chimney to ensure a safe, customized, and seamless installation.
