Spending time watching a movie or reading a book in the family room on a windy, snowy chilly day can be even more enjoyable when the room is toasty warm. How about obtaining that kind of heat without turning up the thermostat on the furnace and heating the whole house unnecessarily? Simply use a hearth product like a fireplace or wood stove as a zone heater and generate ambiance and penetrating heat while controlling home heating costs.
ZONE HEATING IS ROOM HEAT
While some hearth products have the capability of heating an entire house, most are designed to heat a room or a cluster of rooms, such as the living room, kitchen and family room. Using a hearth product as a zone heater is all about focusing heat where people spend the most time. After all, there is no point to heating bedrooms, or even a laundry room, to 22 C (or whatever temperature you prefer) when not in use.
SAVE MONEY ON HOME HEAT
By turning down the thermostat on a central furnace and using a hearth product as a supplemental heat source, it’s easy to save money on home heating bills. This savings is a result of a reduction in the amount of fuel needed to heat a home. Zone heating is often most beneficial in homes with older central furnaces that tend to lose heat through inefficient operation and leaky duct-work.
An added benefit of firewood supplied home heating is even though the power may go out, you still have a warm house.
MANY OPTIONS FOR ZONE HEATERS
There are many hearth products applicable for zone heating, including fireplaces, freestanding stoves, fireplace inserts and masonry heaters. Within these types, there are hearth products that burn firewood, natural gas, propane, pellets, oil, coal, corn and manufactured firelogs. The key to selecting the correct hearth product is determining the zones of the house to heat, the level of desired heat, available fuels, intended use patterns, and the convenience factor, as well as the style, design and layout of the home where the hearth product will be installed.
Curling up by the wood stove, enjoying a book or movie with the beverage of your choice is one of my favourite ways to spend an evening.
Stay toasty my friends.