Why Fireplaces Are a Great Addition to Any Home
While fireplaces were once in nearly every home you’d visit, they became less common when alternative forms of heating, such as furnaces, boilers and heat pumps, started becoming more widespread in home construction. Despite alternative whole-house heating devices taking the spotlight in recent decades, fireplaces still have a lot to offer in nearly every type of home.
Reliable Source of Heat and Light
At any time, a single malfunction or the power going out could leave you without heat for hours, days or even weeks when relying purely on a furnace, boiler or heat pump. Wood and gas fireplaces require only a clean chimney and some fuel to keep you warm throughout even the coldest weather. You can also use fireplaces as a handy light source when the power is out. No matter if it’s a mechanical problem with your heating system or an emergency situation, you can rely on a fireplace to keep you and your family warm and comfortable.
Easy to Find and Cost-Effective Fuel
Firewood is sold in many places at reasonable prices, such as in hardware stores, grocery stores, big box stores, convenience stores, tree trimming and landscaping companies and online marketplaces. There are also stores purely dedicated to selling firewood.
If the firewood in retail outlets isn’t to your liking, you can find people selling firewood for great prices in front of their homes all over the country. Some people even give it away for free when they have excess wood from clearing land and don’t want it taking up space in their yard.
Gas fireplaces are also very cost-effective due to the lower prices of natural gas and propane. Many companies will deliver natural gas and propane to your home, and there are numerous natural gas and propane tank refill or exchange stations across North America, most often at gas stations or grocery stores. If your home has a gas line, you might even be able to use it to power your fireplace.
Beautiful Ambiance
Fireplaces create a comfortable and inviting atmosphere whether or not there’s currently a fire lit. No matter if it’s large and fancy or small and simple in design, a fireplace adds unique character and style to any room. You can get them in a wide array of shapes, styles, colors and designs to match any home. When the fireplace is in use, the flames create a cozy soft light, delightful scent and relaxing crackling sound that simply can’t be matched by any other form of home décor.
Fun Cooking Area
Wood fireplaces act like indoor campfires. You can enjoy roasted hot dogs, toasted marshmallows, s’mores and much more in the comfort of your home at any time of year. You can even use it as a grill to cook hamburgers, steaks and other meals. If you intend on using your fireplace for this purpose, remember to buy proper equipment such as:
- Long grill tongs
- Fire-resistant mitts
- Fireplace cooking rack
- Cast-iron skillet
- Skewers
- Drip pan
- Cooling rack
Lower Heating Costs
Many heating systems warm every room of the house no matter if they’re in use or not, which frequently wastes energy. In circumstances where the members of a household aren’t home or they’re gathering in one room, a fireplace would be all that you’d need to keep everyone warm, allowing you to lower the thermostat and reduce usage of your heating system. By using a fireplace whenever you can in lieu of your furnace, boiler or heat pump, you could shave hundreds of dollars off of your energy bills every year.
Several Fuel Options
Over the years, fireplaces have evolved to be much more versatile than simply using wood for fuel. There are fireplaces that utilize gas, electricity and even wood pellets as fuel. Today, you can find a fireplace suitable to install in any type of home while selecting a fuel type that you prefer.
Easy to Install
It’s a very common assumption that installing a fireplace after a home has been constructed is a painstakingly difficult task that requires a lot of work and remodeling to your home. It’s understandable to think that since many fireplaces are large, built into the wall and have chimneys that lead to the roof. However, installing a fireplace in a home has never been easier.
Some units don’t even need to be installed in the wall. There are standalone units that only require the installation of a ventilation system that leads outside. You don’t have to worry about getting all the way up to the roof. As long as the ventilation pipe can reach outside, is high up and can safely disperse the air, it can be installed without any problem. Depending on the type of fireplace and the layout of your home, it may only take a few hours and minimal alteration to your walls to install a fireplace.
Outdoor Fireplaces Add Even More Functionality and Style
If you don’t want to or can’t install a fireplace in your home for any reason, or if you want another fireplace to enjoy, you can install one outside. Unlike simply throwing together a little campfire on the ground, outdoor fireplaces and fire pits add a pleasant aesthetic to your patio, porch or yard. You can enjoy your patio, porch or yard for much longer than you would without an outdoor fireplace because it will provide you, your family and friends with warmth, light and protection from bugs no matter if it is late at night or in the colder months of fall or winter.
Adds Value to Your Home
Many people look for fireplaces when buying a new home. It is an incredibly appealing selling point due to the functionality and aesthetics it offers to any house. How much value a fireplace adds to your home varies on the type, size and style of the fireplace, but studies show that over 77% of people looking to buy homes would be more willing to pay higher costs if the home offered a fireplace of any kind. The value a fireplace adds to a home easily makes up the investment costs of nearly any installation.
If you are interested in installing a fireplace in your home and you live in Iowa, Nebraska or South Dakota, you can count on our professional technicians at Kalins Indoor Comfort to provide you with skilled service. We provide installation, repair and maintenance services for a wide variety of electric and gas fireplaces.
In addition to HVAC services for residential homes and commercial buildings, we offer services for air purifiers, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, ductwork and more. If you’d like to learn more about our offerings, contact us at Kalins Indoor Comfort today for additional information and an estimate.
If you’d like to check out our fireplace showrooms to get an idea of what you’d like to install in your home, you can visit our locations in Sioux City, Iowa or Vermillion or Yankton in South Dakota.
