How can I make my fireplace more efficient?

To avoid letting all the heat evaporate, here are five tips to make your fireplace more efficient this winter.

  1. Burn seasoned firewood. …
  2. Close the dampers. …
  3. Reverse the circulation of ceiling fans to spread the warmth. …
  4. Use glass fireplace doors to reduce heat loss. …
  5. Install a fireplace insert to increase heating efficiency.




How do I maximize my gas fireplace heat?

Using a blower to spread warm air evenly throughout the room. Converting gas fireplace to a gas insert to eliminate draft and increase efficiency. Installing a heat exchanger to recycle the warmth that your fireplace is already producing. Placing a fireback behind your fireplace to reflect some heat into your home.

How do you prevent heat loss in a fireplace?

To help stop your fireplace from losing heat:

  1. Close the damper in your fireplace/chimney between fires (if it has one).
  2. Use a draft excluder or chimney balloon to provide a seal within your chimney between fires.
  3. Install another type of fireplace inside your existing open fireplace to help provide a more sealed system.

What is the efficiency of a fireplace?





A fire in an open hearth is only 10 percent efficient at best, which means that 90 percent of the heat energy you’ve paid for goes up in smoke. Heated room air is drafted up the chimney as well, so your main heating system actually works harder to keep the house warm.

Are fireplace inserts worth it?

Studies have shown that as much as 95 percent of the residual heat in a traditional wood fireplace is expelled outside. A wood-burning fireplace insert offers a slower, more efficient burn rate providing up to five hours of uninterrupted heat. It consumes less fuel and has heating efficiencies of 80+ percent!

Does a fireplace really heat a room?

Fireplaces won’t be able to heat a room as well as a wood stove is able to, but you’ll still feel warmth sitting nearer to an open fire. Wood burning fireplaces aren’t known for their ability to generate large amounts of heat for a room.

How can I make my fireplace more warm?

Fortunately, there are several things homeowners can do to maximize fireplace heating efficiency:

  1. Install a Glass Fireplace Door. Installing a fireplace door is an effective and inexpensive solution to get more heat out of your fireplace. …
  2. Use a Fireback. …
  3. Upgrade Your Fireplace. …
  4. Use the Damper to Turn Up the Heat.


Do gas fireplaces really heat a room?

Overall, gas fireplaces are highly efficient when it comes to heating a room. Once a fire has been burning for some time, it’s likely to heat a room rather quickly. The type of gas fireplace you have is likely to affect the fireplace’s ability to heat a room efficiently.

How do I make my fireplace warmer?

5 Tips to Getting More Warmth Out of Your Fireplace

  1. Do a damper check. If you think about it logically, the chimney allows airflow so that smoke can escape when you light a fire, but when not in use, you’re letting the warm air from your home out. …
  2. Caulk it. …
  3. Keep heat in. …
  4. Install a heat exchanger. …
  5. Seal it.


Why are fireplaces so inefficient?

A fireplace, of course, uses radiation to move heat. However, convection is also involved, and this is what makes an open fireplace so inefficient. Most of the heat created by a fire is in the form of hot gases. Convection pushes these gases out of the chimney and wastes them.

Will glass doors make my fireplace more efficient?

Glass doors can double the efficiency rate; some experts estimate that glass doors triple the heat that enters the home. Rather than being blocked or contained in the fireplace, the heat from the fire radiates into the room through the glass doors.

What type of fireplace insert is most efficient?

Among the types of fireplace inserts available, the natural ambience of wood-burning inserts is hard to beat. Unlike open wood fires, the best wood-burning fireplace inserts offer high efficiency, and often include a number of features that make them almost as easy to live with as gas or electric models.

What is the average cost of a fireplace insert?



Table of Contents

Average Gas Fireplace Insert Cost
Average Cost $2,000
Highest Cost $6,000+
Lowest Cost $1,000

What fireplace insert produces the most heat?

#1 Ventless Gas Fireplaces
Ventless gas fireplaces emit the highest amount of heat with 100% efficiency and are eco-friendly. They have the look and feel of a traditional fireplace, but don’t require a chimney.

Can a fireplace insert heat a whole house?

Absolutely! And many houses already have a fireplace. It’s just a matter of using it to bring some much-desired warmth into your home. That said, unlike central air, no fireplace is going to be able to properly heat your entire home at once.

Do fireplace inserts heat as well as wood stoves?



If you want to maximize the heating efficiency of an existing fireplace, then an insert is the best option. But if you want to heat a home or room that doesn’t have a fireplace, then a free-standing wood stove is an excellent choice.

Why does my fireplace not heat the room?

Many new homes are tightly built, with little room for air to make it’s way into the house. This can cause air supply issues for a fireplace. To help improve the heat output of your wood burning fireplace, sufficient ventilation within the room should be provided to allow for a constant supply of fresh air to the fire.

Are Firebacks worth it?

Experts say that the installation of a radiant fireback increases the efficiency of your fireplace by almost 50%. This fireback is half the cost of cast iron firebacks and increases the fireplace’s efficiency as well.

Do fireplace heat deflectors really work?

A fireplace hood heat deflector prevents immense temperature build-up that can potentially seriously damage your hearth surround, mantel, or TV. Without installing a fireplace hood, all of that heat is hitting your fireplace mantel or TV.

How much do firebacks help?

According to experts, if you install a radiant fireback the efficiency of your fireplace can increase by almost 50%.