With more and more people caring about leaving the planet better than they found it and becoming more conscientious about their carbon footprint, making environmentally conscious choices about the way you live should be an everyday consideration. Stabilizing the world’s climate will require high-income countries to reduce their carbon emissions by 60–90% by the year 2050, which is a huge undertaking and asking a lot of people to take a real, hard look at their lifestyle if we want the Earth to be around for future generations.
Some things you can do immediately to negate your impact are to reduce waste and make wise consumer choices. One of the biggest sources of wasted energy is your home’s HVAC, heating and air conditioning costs, which account for approximately 50-60% of your home’s energy usage. Electric fireplaces are an energy efficient solution that don’t sacrifice comfort or style, and save you money over the long term. They’re a win-win.
Save Energy with Electric Fireplaces
Electric fireplaces convert all of the energy they produce into heat, ensuring they’re 100% energy efficient. In contrast, gas and wood fireplaces lose up 50-60% of their energy into the atmosphere. Both wood and gas fireplaces depend on natural resources for heating. With electric, all you need is a standard 120v household outlet.
Save Money with Electric Fireplaces
By implementing zone heating, you can turn down your central heating system and combat those nasty winter electric bills. Zone heating allows you to only heat the areas of your home you use the most, ensuring no excess energy is wasted.
Electric fireplaces cost on average only 8-12 cents an hour to run, totaling about $25 a year. Compare that to gas, which typically costs 17-19 cents an hour to run, costing about $60. When you consider that 60% of the heat produced is lost right up the chimney, those numbers don’t really add up. Similarly, wood-burning fireplaces cost about $190 a year to produce the same 20,000 BTUs. And those are just operating costs. If you want to have a wood or gas fireplace put in your home, you’re looking at anywhere from 5 – 7 k to install a chimney, flue, and mantel package, quite a hefty investment.
Safe for the Environment
Because electric fireplaces do not use natural resources like gas or wood, no combustible byproducts are released into the atmosphere, reducing air pollution. The lack of greenhouse gas production is a significant reason why an electric fireplace insert is one of the greenest heating options available on the market. Both wood and gas fireplaces produce carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas that can be deadly in areas with poor ventilation. If a chimney hasn't been cleaned or cleared out properly, carbon monoxide can back up into the surrounding living areas, putting your family and loved ones in danger.
