Today's fireplaces help save energy

Homeowners today have a variety of fireplace options that can help them save on bills. They have options for whether they are purchasing an older home or building a new home.

Today, gas burning fireplaces are the most popular category that people choose, and almost 70 percent of all fireplace products now burn gas and many fireplaces are 99.9-percent energy-efficient, which help homeowners save on electric bills.

Today, the fireplace industry has also improved both functionality and design of the fireplace units that are available. With zero-clearance units, corner units, and even see-through units, you can easily add a fireplace in most parts of your house, regardless of the space constraints while enhancing your home's decor.

These new, energy efficient units are an effective way how to save on energy bills. They are energy efficient and offer additional zone heating capabilities for all the various rooms in your home, which will enable you to lower the thermostat and save on your heating and electric bills in the winter.

In addition to adding gas fireplaces, many homeowners are also turning to wood-burning stoves that will add warmth to all the various rooms in the home and help save on energy bills. In fact, an efficient wood-burning stove can even heat an entire cottage or small-sized home.

For example of the savings, wood pellets, which are made of compressed sawdust, have a burn rate of up to 24 hours, and a single load of wood pellets can generate up to 63,000 BTUs. And if you buy a 75 percent-efficient pellet or wood burning stove during 2009, you can qualify for up to a $300 federal tax credit thanks to recent legislation signed into law to encourage energy efficient appliances.