Fireplaces are favorite amenities that most buyers consider a plus when searching for a new home.  These creature comforts add an extra touch of architectural vitality to a house, inside and out.  There are plenty of great benefits to having a fireplace in your home, and here are seven of them:

1 — Cozy Fires

No other type of heating appliance offers the kind of cozy warmth that you can only get from a fire.  Whether you have an open hearth, a fireplace insert, a wood stove, or a pellet stove, you can watch the fire dancing as the outside cold melts away.  Fireplaces offer a cheerful place to gather around crackling flames with family and friends, to pull up in a favorite chair and read a good book, and enjoy countless other favorite indoor activities.

2 — A Romantic Setting

Sitting in front of a fire with the person you love, perhaps sipping wine, can be very romantic.  Few features in the home offer an instant potentially dreamy escape, like a fireplace.  Parents who have trouble finding a babysitter can enjoy a romantic fireside atmosphere, without having to go anywhere.

3 — Warmth when the Electricity is Out

When the worst kinds of winter storms hit, electricity is often knocked out.  If you have a fireplace, you can still keep warm and have plenty of light.  People without fireplaces are freezing cold and waiting for the utility company to restore power.

4 – Fire for Cooking

If you have a wood burning stove, you have the added benefit of being able to cook on it.  Save money on your utility bill by heating your soup or coffee on the stove as the fire warms your home.  Whenever the electricity is out in any season, meals won’t be a problem, since you can still cook.  Even with an open hearth fireplace, you can roast marshmallows and hot dogs on sticks.

5 – Eco-Friendly Heating

Today’s wood burning appliances are incredibly efficient, producing plenty of heat to warm your home, meaning you can use less of the fossil-fueled energy supply.  Some of the latest models even make it possible to distribute the heat from the appliance throughout the home using existing ductwork.  In addition, when you burn wood, you are using a source that has a zero carbon footprint.  Some top-of-the-line wood burning appliances produce such a small amount of emissions, they qualify as smokeless heat sources.  Wood is a sustainable energy source, unlike fossil fuels.

6 – Cut Energy Costs

As electricity costs continue to climb, fireplaces are becoming a popular primary heating source.  It costs less to purchase firewood for your efficient wood burning appliance than to heat your home using utilities that depend on fossil fuels.

7 – Energy Independence

Fireplaces provide an opportunity to be less dependent upon utility companies.  You can take responsibility over your own fuel source, including how much you pay, due to various options as far as where and how to obtain firewood.  If you own a lot of heavily wooded property, you may even have an endless supply of free firewood.

As wonderful as fireplaces are, they can also be fire hazards.  An important safety measure is to have your chimney cleaned and inspected by a professional chimney sweep every year.  Contact us today so that you can enjoy all the great benefits of your fireplace without worry.