In the past few years, we have been listening and reading about the pandemic situation worldwide and how spending time indoors has become a necessity. With the prolonged time spent indoors and work-from-home culture, the health and upgrading of the quality of our indoor environments have become prime concerns. While it has questioned the wellness, especially of the children, it is more likely to drive towards better safety measures that enable the well-being and good health of our families.
A corner of the house that is ghosted out while looking for eco-friendly measures is our fireplace. Indoor air quality can be maintained by using an environmentally friendly fireplace without the harmful effects of chemicals. Hence, it is important to keep an eye on the benefits of using an eco-friendly fireplace for a healthy living environment. Transforming a space into a retreat requires informed and healthy choices.
Different Types of Eco-friendly Fireplaces
This article will give you details on different types of sustainable fireplaces, which will help you determine which is best suited for your home.
01. Wood Burning Fireplaces
Wood-burning fireplaces are the most traditional fireplaces used by humans to keep themselves warm. They create a rustic and cosy environment, and a lot of people like the smoky scent, but these fireplaces are expensive, require professional cleaning, and the wood also adds to the cost and maintenance. Wood-burning fireplaces are inefficient, cause air pollution, and contribute to deforestation. Hence, they are not a sustainable way of keeping oneself warm, unless you use wood from sustainable sources and have vents and chimneys to keep the smoke away.
02. Electric Fireplaces
Eco-friendly electric fireplaces are the safest option, as they create warmth by heating interior coils with electricity. They offer a cleaner, less toxic source of heat than burning wood by employing a fake flame for a lifelike look and feel. Most electric fireplaces allow you to turn off the heating element if the house gets too warm through a remote control or an app on your phone. Its biggest benefit is that it is cost-effective and low-maintenance, does not call for the chopping of wood or cleaning of the chimney, and is easy to install. Another benefit of an electric fireplace is that it is safe for children and pets in the house, and the flames’ intensity can be customised.
03. Gas Fireplaces
Gas fireplaces work most effectively with the right gas in place. The two options are natural gas and liquid propane. A natural gas fireplace can reuse the existing gas line, but a liquid propane fireplace requires a propane tank. Both options demand the installation of a line between the fireplace and the fuel source. Gas fireplaces are effective space heaters, but they, certainly work on the gas running at about 65% and the rest leaving up in the air, which makes them less eco-friendly.
04. Gel Fireplaces
Gel fireplaces are much less desirable than traditional, electric, or gas fireplaces, but they have their benefits. It requires only a can of gel fuel and is very easy to install, making it very effective without the requirements of vents, lines, pipes, or electrical wires. Gel fireplaces can be more expensive than others but provide benefits like being self-contained, extra flexible, easy to install, lightweight, and providing a real flame without much heat output.
05. Bioethanol Fireplaces
The ethanol fireplaces are very similar to the gel fireplaces, but they use liquid bioethanol fuel instead of gel fuel. The fireplace is connected to a bioethanol fuel container and provides the benefit of adjusting the temperature, unlike gel fireplaces. These are very lightweight, hence, making them easier to wall-mount or place on the tabletop. The alcohol burns very cleanly, producing primarily water vapour and a small amount of CO2. They come with small additional devices like CO2 detectors, which shut them off over time, making them more sustainable.
Here’s a video to sum up all the points mentioned above:
Location of Eco-friendly Fireplaces
The size of the fireplace depends on three important factors: the fuel type, the mounting type, and the location. The location of the fireplace shall be determined by the use of the space, the type of fireplace, and the amount of area it will acquire for all its storage accessories as well. Electric and gas fireplaces generally tend to take up less space than wood-burning ones.
Design of Sustainable Fireplaces
Fireplaces can be designed in different shapes and sizes, depending on their usability. Perhaps the most efficient design element of the fireplace is the material that covers the outside of it. A few popular options are brick, concrete, metal, plaster, stone, tile, and wood. Also, one of the most important aspects to consider while designing a fireplace is its style, which ranges from contemporary to modern. A fireplace can be rustic traditional style, with well-defined lines, stone-faced contemporary style, top-notch modern style, open-hearth type, free-standing type, wall-mounted type, built-in type, table top, hanging style, or two-sided facing. Design features generally provide a wide range of material selection and functionality for the fireplace.
All About Upgradation and Maintenance of Eco-friendly Fireplaces
Fireplaces are a great way to keep warm, but maintaining the fireplace and its extended accessories can be a pain at times. It is always feasible to install a fireplace that requires less cleaning, has well-functioning parts, and takes less maintenance and care. Gel and gas fireplaces do not require a chimney vent, unlike wood-burning ones, and hence are easy to maintain. Another aspect that can help increase the life of a fireplace is the upgrading of the materials and accessories used for it. Always keep the fireplace parts, storage tanks, pipes, and vents well-cleaned and in an upgraded fashion to help the fireplace work effectively.
Environmental and Health Concerns
Fireplaces tend to produce harmful particles, including particulate matter (PM). PM is a combination of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air and is particularly dangerous when present indoors due to a lack of ventilation. These small particles tend to penetrate the bloodstream or even the lungs and can cause severe health problems. Hence, it is inevitable to choose the best type of fireplace. Bioethanol fires do not produce smoke when burnt and are the best sustainable option to look for.
Conclusion
Hope these eco-friendly fireplace options help you find the best one for your home. You can always upgrade to a better and more energy-saving option that is best for the environment as well.
And before you leave, don’t forget to read the below mentioned article:
8 Tips to Design Your Fireplace in a Home!
Author Bio
Neha Bhasin – Neha Bhasin is the Principal architect of Pramana Design Studio, a leading design consultancy firm with a strong design instinct in projects that range from recycling land and master planning to the design of spaces, hospitality, houses, and commercial buildings, thereby engaging diverse issues, multiple constituencies and varying scales from interior design and architecture to urban design and planning. She has a degree in Bachelors in Architecture from Apeejay Institute of Technology, SAP, Greater Noida with a Certification in Housing Planning and Policies focused on Housing and Human Environments from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. Neha has a well-demonstrated history of 7 years, and besides being a prodigious reader, she has assisted many professionals in editing books from an architect’s perspective.
