Are you interested in moving toward more environmentally conscious options? A great place to start a “green” lifestyle is with heating and cooling your home in an energy efficient way.
More Energy-Efficient Option
Electric fireplaces are a great investment in becoming “green”. Powering a fireplace with electricity will release some carbon dioxide during its production; however the amount is minuscule when comparing the carbon footprint left by a traditional wood fire. It has been proven that an electric fireplace insert will use less energy and materials than a gas and/or traditional wood-burning fireplace.
Without any actual burning taking place, an electric fireplace has a realistic flame that gives the appearance of a real fire. To produce these visual flames, an electric fireplace uses 90% less energy than a gas fireplace. Electric fireplaces simply plug into a standard 120V electric outlet. With electric fireplaces, there is no actual combustion that takes place. Also, no greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere as a result of the fire.
Up to 50% of heat energy is wasted with a wood or gas fireplace and they are much less energy efficient. An electric heater converts 100% of its input electrical energy into heat. Because of this, fireplaces that run on electricity are the greenest option.
Combustion, Pollution, or Harmful Emissions
As previously mentioned, electric fireplaces do not burn wood or gas to produce a fire. Because there is no fuel combustion, there is no carbon monoxide released into the air. Carbon monoxide is a gas that can be deadly in areas with poor ventilation – both gas and wood fireplaces produce carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide can back up into the home if a chimney has not been cleared out or cleaned properly. If you are exposed to these toxic fumes overnight, injury or death could result from breathing in carbon monoxide. A wood-burning fireplace also requires a lot of wood. Trees should be preserved as much as possible since they are an important natural resource.
An electric fireplace doesn't require any wood to be consumed. You will never have to worry about these dangers with an electric fireplace. This means no air pollution. An electric fireplace is one of the greenest heating options because of lack of greenhouse gases. You can have a supplemental heat source that utilizes little electricity and adds only pennies per hour to your electric bill by installing an electric fireplace in your house.
New Technology and Zone Heating
Many electric heaters make use of new technology that further increases their energy efficiency. There are many models that now use LED (light-emitting diodes) technology to create the realistic flame effects. While the incandescent bulbs that were previously used have a life span of only about 2,000 hours, these LED bulbs have an average life span of over 75,000 hours. Because they draw only 10 percent of the watts that equivalent incandescent bulbs use to produce the same light, LED's are also exceptionally efficient to operate.
There are some brands that go a step further. With Dimplex, electric fireplace ingenuity has led to the addition of an air purification system. Some of their models actually improve indoor air quality by filtering air as it is drawn through the fireplace. The Dimplex Electric Fireplace is the world's first integral air filtering electric fireplace. This Dimplex electric fireplace cleans the air of an average room four times/hour.
Electric fireplace inserts are also ideal for zone heating. This heating method is energy efficient because it allows you to heat up only the room you're using. An electricity-powered fireplace can warm a room that's up to 20 feet by 20 feet without having to turn up the central thermostat. This way, no energy is wasted to heat empty rooms. Overall, this zone heating approach reduces total energy usage and is a green way to heat your home.
Electric fireplaces are 100 % energy efficient, do not use wood and do not burn fossil fuels. They also don't produce deadly carbon monoxide or use gas that might leak. New models make use of technology that allows for better efficiency and even air purity. All of these fireplaces are a green way to heat your home and make the best use of zone heating.
