A traditional wood-burning fireplace gives a home a traditional charm while providing warmth and light on a cold night. However, traditional fireplaces are inefficient. They require large fires just to heat a single room which means that much more wood is required than with a wood stove. Thankfully, with the addition of wood stove inserts, your fireplace can become a very functional whole-house heater while keeping the charm and style that you love.

Winter storms often lead to extended power outages. While a fireplace is nice to look at, there’s no longer any need to camp out in the living room when the power is out. With a high-efficiency insert, it’s possible to use you wood-burning stove as backup heating for your home – without sacrificing comfort. This means that as long as you have firewood on hand, you can be warm, no matter what nature throws your way.

All new wood stove inserts are EPA certified. Their efficiency means that most are carbon-neutral. This means that the trees remove as much carbon dioxide from the air as is produced when the wood is burned. This isn’t the case with traditional fireplaces which are very inefficient and produce much more smoke.

Most new inserts either use a catalytic converter or a non-catalytic re-burner system. Both systems have their benefits and small negatives. Catalytic systems tend to be the best at removing emissions, but the converters are a maintenance item and are a part that must be replaced every few years. Non-catalytic burners have no parts that require replacing, however they’re not as efficient. Either system redirects the exhaust back through the heat to further burn off some of the gasses. Even in areas where wood-burning fireplaces are prohibited, these inserts are allowed.

Many fireplace inserts are designed so that air flows inside the firebox to help keep the glass clean. Regardless, the glass can be easily cleaned with a fireplace or oven cleaner.

Most modern inserts will provide efficient heating even when the power goes off, but they really shine when the electricity is still on. They often include blowers that pull air through an area surrounding the firebox. This heated air is then blown into the home providing quite a bit of heat. Often these inserts are so good at putting out heat that you won’t need the blower while you’re in the room. You simply turn the fan on before you head to bed and the heat will be carried through your house.

Finally, most manufacturers of wood stove inserts create several different style of insert “surrounds” so that the trim around the stove will match nearly any decor. This way you don’t have to make major changes to your existing fireplace in order to enjoy the efficient heating that these stoves will give. They are also often fairly simple to install and are available in many different sizes to fit nearly any existing fireplace. With all of the available options as well as the benefits of having a wood stove, there’s really no reason to keep from upgrading your fireplace.