Nothing beats gathering around the fire in winter. Unfortunately, a wood-burning fireplace could be a major source of energy loss in your home, sending your utility bills sky high.

However, you don't need to sacrifice the fire to improve your home's energy efficiency and reduce your heating bills. It's possible to convert your wood fireplace into an efficient heat source with the following tips.

Consider a gas fireplace insert. They generate more radiant heat and are cleaner to maintain than traditional masonry style wood-burning fireplaces, which are a leading source of indoor air loss.

Traditional wood fireplaces add a lot of charm to a home, but they are inefficient even when they aren't in use. A gas fireplace insert is a great alternative to maintain the ambiance a fire creates while enhancing efficiency.

A gas fireplace insert is cleaner, too, creating no ash, soot or smoke. New models use energy-saving technology to increase efficiency and are low maintenance, turning on and off with the flip of a switch. Learn more about the benefits of a gas fireplace insert by visiting West Sport in Sudbury.

If you can't part with the aroma, crackle and act of building a real fire, consider wood inserts, which can be an easy, clean and efficient alternative as well.

If making the upgrade to an insert is not possible, a few simple steps can drastically improve the energy efficiency of your fireplace.

First, when the fireplace is not in use, close the chimney damper. You'll prevent warm air and your money from going up and out the chimney. A flue sealer is an affordable, inflatable stopper that fits below the damper to further seal off the chimney and is a worthwhile purchase.

Proper maintenance can also go far to improve your fireplace's efficiency. Have it inspected, maintained and cleaned annually. Even if you love DIY, you may want to hire a contractor to ensure the job is done safely and thoroughly.

Consider adding glass fireplace doors to the front of your fireplace to help reduce the draft and improve the look. There are many styles available to enhance your interior design.

This winter, bring together both traditional charm and modern energy efficiency.

For more information, contact West Sport in Sudbury.

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It is once again "end-of-year" blog post reflection time.  If you are reading this blog post, you care enough about us and our business to invest a minute or two reading here.  That means a lot to us.  The primary reason for this blog is to educate and inform our readers; as an ongoing act of giving thanks for the privilege of earning your continued trust and continued professional partnerships. So we're glad you're here.

We reflect today on the blessings that so many of you bring to both our personal and professional lives. Over the course of 2016, we hope that we have made a difference in many personal and professional lives. This is the true essence and a key measure of professional reward and business success.

It is our sincere wish that all of you bask in the joy of reflection and within the warm confines of family and friends throughout this Holiday season and throughout 2017. Cheers!

Happy Holidays!

-from all of us here at The Grill Shop and Fireplace Center at West Sport in Sudbury.

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The SÓLAS TWENTY6 VF is a versatile wall mount “landscape” design gas fireplace that can be placed in almost any room in a variety of home, condo, and commercial settings.

This Solas Gas Fireplace is also an ideal model for homeowners who want to add supplemental zone heating at “couch height”. This wall hanging gas fireplace is the answer for an easy and flexible fireplace installation, with no requirement for non-combustible materials, specialized construction, framing, or venting. With five interchangeable surround options available, this widely-popular fireplace is the perfect choice in both modern and traditional interiors. A state of the art programmable thermostatic remote control and a safety screen come as standard. Optional Corner Mounting Kit available.

This contemporary model is heater rated and offers a spectacular flame picture which is enhanced by the reflective porcelain enamel firebox liners. The unit offers today’s discerning consumer designer styling with a wide range of surround colors and options available. The surround can be changed in a matter of seconds, without the use of tools. So, if you decide to change your room’s decor the fireplace can be updated quickly and inexpensively to complement the new look of your room.

This gas fireplace is perfect for condominiums or apartments that don’t allow you to install venting. The fireplace is also perfect for homeowners who have a room in their home where they would like a gas fireplace without the hassle. After having the gas run, this fireplace takes minutes to install.

For more information, contact The Fireplace and Grill Center at West Sport.

Info from solasfires.com

The Farmers’ Almanac offers weather predictions, and forewarns of a mixed bag of wintry weather for both December and January. But it’s really February when the frigid temperatures take hold (northern tier states could see ambient air temperatures as low as 40 degrees below zero!). This is the month you want to make sure your heat works, you have a wood burning fireplace insert, your long johns are washed, and your slippers are nearby.

What about Snow?

Get the snow blowers ready in the East! An active storm track will deliver above-normal precipitation to the Southeast, Northeast and New England states throughout most of the winter, especially February (see above!). In addition, another active storm will deliver a dose of above-normal precipitation across the Western States. Meanwhile, near or below-normal precipitation will cover the nation’s midsection.

Do you want to be warm this winter? If so, come in to West Sport in Sudbury to see our selection of wood burning fireplace inserts so you can stay warm this winter.

For more information, contact us.

farmersalmanac.com

A crackling fireplace during the winter is an aesthetically pleasing heat source and a desirable one in many homes, and it’s an asset the National Association of Realtors estimates can add as much as $12,000 to a home’s value.

How often the unit will be used, whether its purpose is ornamental or utilitarian, a homeowner’s cost limitations, or whether the heater is built during construction or added to an existing home factor into choosing the right type of unit.

Generally, there are three – gas, wood-burning and pellet units – and local suppliers offer varying recommendations to their clientele.

Pellet stoves are a popular choice because of their energy efficiency, but because they run on electricity, they’re not 100 percent reliable as a heat source, even with a backup generator.

Gas fireplace inserts are more expensive to fuel than wood units, but they’re less labor-intensive, or cheaper to install and provide a cleaner burn. Unlike wood, they also don’t leave creosote deposits, the leading cause of chimney fires.

Wood-burning fireplace inserts are favored as the most authentic option, but they need more maintenance and tend to be the most arduous to fuel. The Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association rates older wood-burning models manufactured before 1990 at 10 percent efficiency or less.

But fireplaces and stoves are becoming much cleaner sources of heat and decoration because of new and more rigorous federal emissions standards.

All Environmental Protection Agency-certified wood stoves meet an emissions standard of no more than 4.5 grams per hour. By 2020, that emission limit for room heaters will fall to 2 grams per hour, a standard announced in 2015 to be phased in over five years.

Homeowners can take their own steps to boost overall efficiency by installing fireplace inserts – boxes of steel or cast iron that fit into the fireplace unit, connect to a flue and create a cleaner burn; an insert can increase a wood-burning fireplace’s efficiency up to 80 percent.

They basically fill cavities in the fireplace so it doesn’t lose heat. Selecting the right type of fuel, particularly with wood-burning stoves, also cuts down on excessive smoke.

Cured, seasoned wood is important. If it’s been split and stacked, sitting there for a year, that’s probably not usable wood.

Homeowners should never burn anything in a wood-burning unit other than well-seasoned wood with a moisture content below 25 percent. Likewise, homeowners should never burn anything in a natural gas unit other than natural gas. Gas logs are typically installed in a way to maximize unit efficiency, so homeowners shouldn’t rearrange these for cosmetic purposes.

In addition to consulting with suppliers about the best option, a homeowner can use the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association home heating calculator to help determine the most cost-effective and clean unit.

For more information on stoves and inserts, contact West Sport in Sudbury.

durangoherald.com