Fireplaces have always been a popular feature in homes. They naturally add to the aesthetics and comfort of any room. Nowadays, certain types of fireplaces can provide an additional benefit—they can help make a home “green.” While the term “green” covers a wide range of attributes, fireplaces typically fall under two categories that have seen increasing attention in recent years—energy efficiency and indoor air quality. As the trend toward greener building takes shape and as fuel costs rise, consumers are starting to realize fireplaces offer them more than just aesthetics and comfort.

Fireplaces: Energy efficiency?
Fireplaces offer consumers a significant benefit, one that they value highly, especially with today’s rising fuel costs: energy efficiency. Consumers are searching for alternative ways to heat their home and have turned to fireplaces as one solution.

Adam Martin, CFO of Martin Sales and Service, a fireplace company in Butler, PA, says, “We’ve seen about a 20% increase in our fireplace sales, especially over the past year. Today’s customers are driven by the need to save on rising fuel costs, to find a more energy-efficient way of heating their home. In the past, their #1 reason for purchasing a fireplace was for the pleasing aesthetics, but now our customers are looking to reduce their energy bills. Aesthetics have fallen to the #2 spot.”

While consumers may know a fireplace can help lower their energy bills, they may not know all the ways to go about doing so. At Martin Sales and Service, they tell customers about a concept called “zone heating.” Martin says, “We explain to customers that zone heating allows them to keep the living areas warmer, while the rest of the home stays cooler. This means setting the fireplace thermostat at a higher temperature than the home’s central thermostat. As a result, the amount of energy the whole home uses is decreased.”

In addition to zone heating, here are a few other ways to save energy:

• Install high efficiency gas fireplaces. The higher the AFUE rating, the more efficient the fireplace.
• Opt for fireplaces with an electronic ignition. Fireplaces with a standing pilot light waste gas when the fireplace isn’t in use.
• Choose fireplaces with a ceramic-molded refractory or liner. This feature helps radiate more heat into the room.
• Select fireplaces with a variable flame feature. This feature controls the flame height based on the room’s temperature, helping homeowners conserve energy.

Fireplaces: Indoor air quality?
Different types of fireplaces affect a home’s indoor air quality in different ways. For example, wood-burning fireplaces with an open hearth have a negative impact on indoor air, since wood smoke contains a mixture of gases and fine particles that can harm occupant health. As a result, installing these fireplaces will disqualify a homebuilder from receiving green certification. Vent-free (or unvented) gas fireplaces, which are designed in such a way as to not require outside venting, will also disqualify a builder from receiving green certification due to indoor air quality concerns.

If these fireplaces aren’t considered friendly to the quality of indoor air, which ones are? Electric fireplaces and direct vent gas fireplaces are the best types to install, as neither one has a negative impact on indoor air quality. Electric fireplaces have no effect, since electricity is the power source; however, they’re typically a tough sell because they only simulate a flame. For many, the illusion of a fire isn’t as pleasing as the real thing.

Direct vent gas fireplaces, which produce a real flame, are a much easier sell. At Martin Sales and Service, Martin confirms this: “Direct vent gas fireplaces have been our most popular type of fireplace, especially in new home construction.” These fireplaces have a sealed combustion vent system. With this system, combustion air is drawn from the outdoors into a sealed firebox through a flue. The flue has two concentric circles—outside air is drawn through the outer pipe while combustion gases are exhausted outdoors through the center pipe. This way, air from the home isn’t used to fuel the fireplace, and all byproducts of combustion are sent outdoors. As a result, the fireplace has no effect on the home’s indoor air quality.

Energy Star qualified homes that comply with EPA indoor air quality specifications can earn the Indoor Air Package label. The EPA hopes this label will help builders meet the growing consumer preference for homes with improved indoor air quality. Receiving this label, says the EPA, will also help builders avoid the increasing cost of litigation associated with indoor air quality concerns, as well as the cost of liability coverage.

Fireplaces: Green?
Installing “green” products, or even just being able to tell homebuyers about a money-saving feature, can help homebuilders differentiate themselves in a tough market. And while the standards set by national green programs like LEED® and Energy Star are voluntary now, they may not be so in the future. Builders can probably expect to see these standards be adopted into law as local code changes. It’s helpful, though, that the national green programs are specific and consistent on what makes a fireplace “green.”

Learn more about gas fireplaces and the best ways to install them on BuildIQ’s Toolbelt, which offers homebuilders Best Practice information and handy takeaways. You can also learn more about heating systems in general in BuildIQ University’s online training course, Mechanicals: HVAC.