NE Ridger - 11/26/2022 20:18

In general, a true fireplace is rather inefficient. When not in use, even with the damper closed, it's still a very poorly insulated column in your house. When in use, they pump a LOT of heated air out into the atmosphere. You've got a lot of cold air entering the house exterior somewhere to replace the draft air. And that cold air has to be heated. You can add heat with them, but it's just as easy to end up net-losing heat while using them. It takes some care to make them work.

But, there are many different designs of fireplace inserts, that are a essentially a fitted wood stove with proper air control and heat exchangers. You drop a 6-8 inch liner down the chimney, and connect the stove to that for a draft. The chimney ends up being a little more sealed, less prone to heat loss, and the insert uses a small fraction of the draft air. So that's much less outside cold air being pulled into the house.

I'd look at that route, and see if you can find something you like.