The Advantages of a Propane Fireplace

Most of us love sitting in front of a warm fire on a cold night (we’ve had a few of those over the last month!) – It’s something we humans have been doing for a long, long time.

The only problem is that in our busy modern lives, most of us simply don’t have the time or energy to gather wood, tend to a fire, and cleanup afterwards – and as a result, we often avoid doing something that brings us a lot of peace and joy (two things we definitely need more of in our lives).

Well, thanks to the power of propane, you won’t have to give up those important benefits.

Today’s propane hearths bring you the cozy comfort of a wood fireplace without most of the drawbacks – and with some benefits that a wood fireplace could never provide. Consider the propane fireplace advantage in these areas:

• Convenience – With a propane fireplace, you will have the beautiful glow of a hearth at your fingertips any time you want it. Most of today’s propane fireplaces are equipped with thermostats, too, so you control the flame intensity and heat output from the comfort of your chair.
• Efficiency – A propane fireplace operates at about 80 percent efficiency – about four or five times more efficiently than a wood-burning fireplace.
• Cost – A freestanding propane fireplace costs far less to install than a masonry fireplace – if installing one of the latter is even possible in your home. Once you have it installed, upkeep of a masonry fireplace becomes a big expense when you factor in paying for chimney liner replacements and fire code-required cleanings – and with the drop off in efficiency compared to a propane fireplace, you will also pay A LOT more to keep heat coming on a cold night.
• Versatility – A propane fireplace isn’t just an attractive centerpiece for your living room – it’s also a power outage-proof space heater. It’s so powerful, in fact, that you can turn down your thermostat a few degrees when it’s on, making it a kind of zone heating solution for your Connecticut home.
• Flexibility – Propane hearths are available as built-in fireplaces, freestanding stoves, and sealed fireplace inserts that can be installed directly in your existing mantle. With that kind of flexibility, you can enjoy the benefits of a propane fireplace whether or not you have an existing fire feature.
• Health impact – Wood smoke may smell good, but it’s not good for you. The biggest health threat from smoke is from fine particles (also called fine particulate matter or PM2.5) – microscopic nasties that can wreak havoc on your respiratory system, cause heart attacks, and more. But don’t take our word for it; ask the Environmental Protection Agency. With propane, you avoid the dangers of PM2.5s.
• Environmental impact – Burning wood produces about 28 pounds of smog-producing particulate emissions (soot and ash) per MMBtus of heat output; propane produces less than one percent of that total. Trade wood for gas burning and you will be shrinking the carbon footprint of your NC home.

Think a propane hearth is out of reach for you? You may be surprised. Contact Hocon today and ask for a FREE, no obligation estimate on a propane fireplace installation – you’re only a day away from enjoying it in your Connecticut home!