*SIGH* I'd really like a fireplace...but in a house like mine (1906 American Four Square) in "The Great White North" they are totally inefficient.
On a more positive note, I did get my natural gas bill today. After a high of a $317.00 CREDIT when they adjusted my budget plan in July, I finally owe the gas company $37.00 after a five month break. Dang! And I thought new windows and added insulation and weather stripping wouldn't amount to jack. ;)
Fireplaces ARE romantic, and knowing how to build a fire in the outdoors is a skill every Able-Bodied American should have, but unless your home is designed to work around a fireplace, they aren't the smartest use of your energy dollar.
And the best part about being an "Eeeeeeevil Conservative" is CONSERVING resources, is it not? ;)
*Ducking While Others Pelt Me With Rotten Tomatoes* :)
If you own wooded acreage and if you wish it to cleared of tree litter (broken or dead branches/trees) it is conserving to capture that energy source decaying away (and releasing greenhouse gasses in the process). You have the added plus of eliminating a fire hazrd on your property.
Keeping in mind that fireplace heat is RADIANT, not convection, or forced air, so the more heat flame and coals you can see...the more a fireplace will heat.
One thing I've seen that makes a big difference is an iron 'FIREBACK', another colonial era innovation. Like andirons they aren't that easy to find--and are usually used as just a colonial decoration. However, for reflecting heat back into the room they work GREAT!!!
All a fireback is a squarish plate of cast iron (usually with a pretty picture or motto molded into them) that sits in the back of the fireplace. The idea is to focus and radiate the heat back into the room, rather than to be absorbed by the brick. It protects the brick well, and really does add heat to the room. The ones I've seen are $60 and up. Of course also on ebay! (just the shipping for heavy stuff is expensive)