While wood stoves may seem terribly outdated, even antique, the fact is that they have never been more popular in modern times and many are rapidly making switch, whether to fireplace inserts or a full-blown corn or wood burning stove. These devices have come a huge way as far as their safety to use, efficiency, and lifespan and posses huge advantages over public gas heating and fireplace heating. They are an investment that will pay for itself, and here’s why.
Fireplaces are horribly inefficient. The wood burns, heats up the local air, and then the air goes up and out of the fireplace. Hardly an efficient system especially when you factor the volume of cold outside air that needs to flow into the fireplace to make up for that which was lost. Now. Gas heating is much more efficient and will keep your house much warmer. The problem is that as winters get colder, gas is getting more expensive. Also, the economy is hurting more and more. Inserts and stoves are the answer. These devices transfer heat to the air of the house with an efficiency a dozen times greater than any fireplace, and can run off of dry feed corn (which is incredibly inexpensive) and normal wood which can be purchased dry or cut and seasoned yourself. A wood stove can heat a whole house by itself, or can be used with a gas heating system to cut down on costs by fifty percent or more.
And the emotional benefits bare mentioning as well. Fireplaces are spots for family to gather, be warm, and watch the red glow before they go to sleep. Stoves are the same. There is nothing like reading a good book beside the family stove on a wintry day. Nothing at all.