· WHAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU ·

· WOOD: The Natural Choice ·

When people think of a fire on the hearth, they think of burning wood, which is natural.

Wood is the traditional fuel. It grows locally, is abundant in most areas and is one of our few renewable sources of energy.

Burning wood also makes great sense from an environmental standpoint. As concern about global warming and greenhouse gases increases, so does the attraction of using renewable biomass for energy.

Trees convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, replenishing the atmosphere.

Most firewood comes from harvesting dead trees. Unlike fossil fuels, there is no net carbon contribution when burning wood, as those same gases are given off when the tree decomposes in nature.

Burning wood has become less polluting and more efficient over the past decade.

Sophisticated new designs have doubled the energy efficiency of stoves. Even better, the amount of smoke emitted by wood stoves has been reduced by an average of 90 percent. Almost all wood burning stoves and inserts sold today are certified by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as clean burning. And less smoke means less potentially flammable creosote within their chimney systems; the safety record of wood burning appliances is the best ever.

Burning wood makes economic sense.

Many people have access to their own firewood. Cordwood can be an inexpensive form of residential space heating.

Modern woodstoves can heat the entire house providing the home is well constructed and adequately insulated.

· WOOD PELLETS: Innovative Heat ·

Wood pellets are a new fuel option that has answered the need for clean-burning, renewable energy.

Stoves and inserts burn pellets, made of compressed sawdust, that might otherwise end up in landfills.

The fuel is consistent in size, moisture and density and comes in forty-pound bags. Simply pour the pellets into a hopper and they are automatically fed into the stove

A single load of fuel can burn for 24 hours or longer.

Pellets are one of the cleanest, most convenient sources of home heating.

· GAS: Fire At Your Fingertips ·

In recent years, gas burning hearth products have become the most popular category.

Over seventy percent of all hearth products now burn gas.

Easy, safe and efficient, gas appliances have convenient optional features that allow you to have a beautiful fire at the touch of a switch, thermostat or even a remote control. All gas stoves, fireplaces, inserts and logs can burn either natural gas or propane (LP).

Gas hearth products are characterized by how they are vented.

Natural draft stoves, fireplaces and inserts vent the products of combustion outside the home using an inexpensive ("class B") pipe similar to that used on furnaces or water heaters. As with a conventional woodstove or fireplace, the pipe goes vertically through the roof.

Direct vent stoves, fireplaces and fireplace inserts vent in a revolutionary new way. They do not need a full chimney terminating through the roof, so installation costs are lower. Because they can vent directly through the wall, this new technology is great for apartments and condominiums or unusual applications such as under a window.

Direct vent units are also especially attractive in tightly insulated homes.

Most direct vent units are very efficient and are rated as "heaters" by testing agencies and regulatory authorities.

The third category of gas hearth products is known as "vent-free" or "unvented". These are available as fireplaces, stoves, fireplace inserts and log sets. Vent-free appliances are designed to provide supplemental heat. Because of their extremely clean burn and low emissions, these units can be installed with no venting whatsoever. All of the heat is directed into the room.

Vent-free products may be installed almost anywhere - even on or beside an inside wall, and are particularly useful in those hard to heat areas such as a basement, garage, room additions, sun porch or greenhouse.

All hearth products should be properly sized for the room and installed by someone such as a professional hearth dealer.

Conferring with your local specialty dealer, building or fire official before installing any hearth product will help ensure years of safe satisfaction. Also, check with your gas utility. They often offer incentives for homeowners who purchase a gas hearth product.

· WOOD ALTERNATIVES ·

Tending a fire is a labor of love, but is does take effort. For those people who cherish the relaxing ambiance of a fire, but don't have the time or inclination to fuss with a wood fire, other choices are available.

One familiar way is with manufactured fire logs, which are made with recycled sawdust mixed with wax.

Convenient, neatly wrapped logs are widely available.

They ignite easily and quickly without kindling, leave little ash, and offer a longer, ore consistent burn than cordwood.

Emissions from fire logs are 75% less than those of cordwood burned in a conventional fireplace.

· Fireplaces ·
(O-Clearance)  An enclosure, open in the front for burning fuel. Solid fuel fireplaces may contain and vent gas log sets or fireplace inserts. Gas fireplaces are metal appliances open in the front and containing artificial log sets.

Martin  SB6000
O-Clearance Wood Fireplace

Heat-n-glo 6000TRXi O-Clearance Gas Fireplace

· Fireplace Inserts ·
Solid fuel appliance designed to be installed partially or fully in the firebox of a masonry fireplace, and which vents into the fireplace chimney by means of full relining or appliance to flue methods. 

Quadra-fire
Wood Stove

Hampton
Gas Stove

Envirofire
Windsor Pellet Stove