How to Green a Fireplace

If you want to install a new fireplace or upgrade your current version, you should consider greening the fireplace. When you green a fireplace, you're making sure that the fire lasts longer with less fuel and burns cleaner without releasing pollutants into the atmosphere.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Install insulation in your home. If you insulate your home well, you won't waste energy while using the fireplace to heat your home.

2. Select your wood carefully. Buy local wood harvested from a woodlot and only burn dry hardwoods. Woods, such as oak and hickory, burn the longest and provide the most heat.

3. Try artificial wood logs made from recycled wood waste. Just make sure that the logs don't contain paraffin, a chemical treatment that produces toxins when burned.

4. Consider installing a green model. If you want a new eco-friendly version, pick out one of the offerings from EcoSmart Fire. The fire source for these fireplaces come from renewable denatured alcohol and doesn't require a chimney for ventilation.

Tips & Warnings

• You should choose a gas fireplace instead of wood when looking to green a fireplace. Gas models have an Annual Fuel Utilization Rating or AFUE ratings that tell you their level of energy efficiency. Pick the model with the highest rating.
• Electric fireplaces don't produce a lot of heat and are not considered a green fireplace option.
• Never burn wood treated with chemicals in your fireplace. You'll send poisonous toxins into the atmosphere.