Fireplace Inserts: Wood vs. Pellets
These days, many people are turning to fireplace inserts in an effort to reduce heating costs. Fireplaces can be great with their open, crackling flames, but they aren’t very efficient. Fireplace inserts, whether they burn wood or pellets, can keep an entire room or an entire home warm, and they can better regulate the heat in an area. Around a wood fireplace, seats closest to the fire may be unbearably hot while seats across the room will be cool.
Using a fireplace insert can help circulate heat around your entire home, but there are a couple of different types of fireplace inserts that you can use: wood-burning and pellet-burning.
Each type of fireplace insert can help increase the efficiency of your home’s heating system, but there are pros and cons to each type.
If you get the right kind of fireplace insert, both wood-burning and pellet-burning inserts can be very clean and efficient. Other than that, though there are things to consider on both sides of the argument.
Wood-burning fireplace inserts burn one of the cheapest available sorts of fuel, especially if you can find and chop your own wood or get it from local landscaping companies who would otherwise discard it.
Fireplace insert pellet stoves burn special pellets, which can be bought at local hardware stores; these pellets aren’t as cheap as wood, but they will still save you money on your overall heating costs.
One potential problem with pellet-burning inserts is that they require electricity to run properly, so if you go through a power outage, you may have a problem. You can, however, buy battery-powered backup power sources to keep your stove running during an electrical outage. A wood-burning stove, on the other hand, doesn’t take any electricity and will continue to work during a power outage.
One of the best parts about fireplace insert pellet stoves is that they don’t need complex ventilation systems. You can usually just run a short length of pipe or pellet vent straight out the wall behind the stove. With a wood-burning stove, on the other hand, you’ll have to have a more complex chimney, which can be really expensive.
Another great thing about pellet-burning stoves is that it can regulate the heat in your home by turning on and off based on the temperature of your home; besides this, pellet stoves can have fans added to them, which can circulate heat around your entire home. Wood-burning stoves, on the other hand, have to be stoked and messed with in order to change the level of heat in the room, and if you are gone overnight, your home is likely to be freezing when you get home.
About the Author
Chris Brown is a co-maintainer of Pellet Stove Review and owns a pellet stove himself. Chris’ decided to share his research of both free-st
anding pellet stoves and fire
place-insert pellet stoves through this website.
Using the fireplace insert
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Fireplace Tulip Full Polishes Cast Iron Insert £239.99 |
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cast iron fireplace insert £40.00 |
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victorian fireplace insert £59.99 |
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reproduction fire place insert £49.99 |
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SOLID PINE FIREPLACE INC JUBILEE INSERT GAS, ELECTRIC £459.00 |
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Scotia fireplace Gas polished insert-Carron cast iron £375.00 |
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CE Lux fireplace multifuel insert-Carron cast iron NEW £275.50 |
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Tiffany fireplace woodburning insert-Carron cast iron £347.00 |
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Westminster fireplace multifuel insert-Carron cast iron £695.09 |
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Tiffany fireplace woodburning insert-Carron full polish £397.00 |
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Scotia fireplace Black arched insert-Carron cast iron horseshoe Victorian style £395.00 |
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Celtic Arch fireplace multifuel insert-Carron highlighted HUGE BARGAIN 2 only ! £265.47 |
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Antique Period Fireplace Elegant Regency 19th Century Cast Iron Insert £145.00 |
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Fireplace tiled insert – 1936 £100.00 |
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cast iron fireplace insert late victorian £10.00 |
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cast iron fireplace insert late victorian £10.00 |
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cast iron fireplace insert late victorian £10.00 |
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Fireplace Victorian Style cast iron with tiled insert £98.00 |
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BLACK CAST IRON FIREPLACE INSERTS – VGC – PICK UP ONLY £150.00 |
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Cast iron fireplace insert £50.00 |
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Fireplace Stove with Cast Insert plus optional Surround £299.99 |
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NEW IN BOX CERAMIC + BRASS FIREPLACE INSERT CHAIRBRICK fireback box for gas fire £16.99 |
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ORIGINAL ANTIQUE RECLAIM OAK FIREPLACE FIRE SURROUND & STOVAX QUALITY INSERT £1,290.00 |
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ORIGINAL ANTIQUE RECLAIM PINE FIREPLACE FIRE SURROUND & STOVAX QUALITY INSERT £980.00 |
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Nearly New Victorian Cast Iron Fireplace Tiled Insert Granite Hearth Gas Fire £400.00 |
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Marble Fire place Surround fireplaces hearth back plate brass insert £30.00 |
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Original Cast Iron Victorian Fire Place with Mantle & Tiled Inserts Restoration £20.00 |
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Vintage Marble Effect Fireplace With Metal Insert and Grate, & Fire by Rosedale £0.99 |
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Scotia fireplace Black arched insert-Carron cast iron horseshoe Victorian style £195.50 |
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cast iron fireplace insert including grate and bars £15.00 |
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Cast Iron Fireplace Insert £40.00 |
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Complete Cast iron fireplace insert ( Immaculate condition) £200.00 |
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cast iron fireplace insert £80.00 |
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SET OF 10 TUBELINE TILES FOR INSERT FIREPLACE £90.00 |
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SET OF 10 TUBELINE TILES FOR INSERT FIREPLACE £90.00 |
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SET OF 10 TUBELINE TILES FOR INSERT FIREPLACE £90.00 |
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SET OF 10 TUBELINE TILES FOR INSERT FIREPLACE £90.00 |
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Reclaimed Antique Cast Iron Combination Fireplace – fire insert £545.00 |
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Antique Reclaimed Cast Iron Combination Fireplace – fire insert £545.00 |
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Antique Reclaimed Cast Iron Combination Fireplace – fire insert fireplaces £545.00 |
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Victoian/Ewardian cast iron fireplace insert £0.99 |
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OAK ELECTRIC FIRE WALL CREAM BLACK I SURROUND 2KW GLOW INSERT – FIREPLACE SUITE £209.99 |
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70 VICTORIAN EDWARDAIN FIRE SURROUND FIREPLACE CAST IRON TILED INSERT 38 SQUARE £555.00 |
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Victorian Cast Iron Fireplace insert £50.00 |
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13 VICTORIAN ORIGINAL SLATE FIREPLACE SURROUND CAST ORIGINAL INSERT (13) £885.00 |
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CAST IRON FIREPLACE WITH STUNNING TILE INSERT £80.00 |
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Beautiful Victorian Fireplace Arched Insert – Immaculate condition £0.99 |
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Original Cast Iron Tiled Insert / Fascia Fireplace £350.00 |
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Original Tiled Insert Fireplace £250.00 |
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Original Hob Grate Insert Fireplace Design dates to 1830′s – 1850′s £350.00 |
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Reclaimed Period wide Brass fireplace insert £300.00 |
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Victorian Cast Iron Fireplace Insert £250.00 |
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Fireplace Black Slate Mantel & Surround, Cast Iron Insert with Gas Fire £500.00 |
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Antique Victorian slate fire surround and Art Nouveau tiled insert fireplace £1,295.00 |
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original antique cast iron fireplace with tiled insert £1,250.00 |
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original antique cast iron fireplace with tiled insert £1,250.00 |
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original antique cast iron fireplace with tiled insert £1,250.00 |
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ELECTRIC FLAME EFFECT 2KW 1KW WALL FIREPLACE SURROUND INSERT- CHROME INSET FIRE £119.99 |
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ELECTRIC FLAME COAL EFFECT 2KW WALL FIREPLACE SURROUND INSERT- CHROME INSET FIRE £119.99 |
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ELECTRIC FLAME COAL EFFECT WALL FIREPLACE SURROUND INSERT- CHROME INSET FIRE £119.99 |
Really useful.