How can Gas Direct Vent Fireplace Lowers your Fuel Bill by 50%?
If used properly, a gas direct vent fireplace insert can serve as the sole heating source in some homes and you will be able to save a lot in home heating costs. Actually, a twenty five thousand BTU gas direct vent fireplace can heat up to a 1500 square feet which equivalent to one floor living area.
You might be wondering how can the gas direct vent fireplace insert save a lot of money on heating bills. This type of fireplace operate differently as compared to an open hearth fireplace. The B vent or the open hearth fireplace is describe by a log set inside an open front masonry or rated fire box. The B vent is basically for appearance, not for heating the place. It actually combusts the indoor air and cool the air in living area. It's because the already heated air is drawn from the living area through the chimney or flue to the outside.
As compared to B vent fireplace insert, a gas direct vent fireplace insert is distinguished by a solid glass door that separates the burner and log set from the inside of the home. It has a concentric flue which serve as an exhaust pipe that sits inside the air intake pipe. Instead of burning heated inside air, all the burning air enters the firebox from outside through the outer pipe. The chimney gas emissions are released to the outside through the inner pipe. Some of the latest fireplaces sold are direct vent, particularly in new residential home.
With a single seven or eight hole a gas direct vent flue can be vented through the roof or wall. All of the combustion will takes place inside on a self contained box that houses the log and burner set. The fire never touches the indoor air because it is separated by a solid glass front. A soft radiant heat is emitted as the glass gets hot into the living area of the home which over time make the surrounding air warm.
In reality, the gas direct vent fireplace insert is a heater but is only seventy percent efficient. Others are not even heater rated. Therefore, here is the key to energy savings. Instead of allowing your 100,000 BTU gas furnace blow warm air in every room, cranny and nook of the house, why not just heat the room where you spend most your time. It is called the zone heating and is the best practical method to lower your living expenses particularly in the cold months.
You can apply the first principle of thermal dynamics which is heat finds cold. The cold area in your rooms or adjacent area, the heat from your fireplace will attack those cold spots. However, it may take sometime than your traditional furnace to heat up the room, but over time your space will become comfortable and warm. To help circulate the heated air next to living spaces a ceiling paddle fan is used