High-Efficiency Fireplace Design Ideas

Russian Serpentine

• Russian fireplaces are special masonry heaters that use serpentine pipes to vent the exhaust fumes produced by the fire, according to Mother Earth News. These compacted vent pipes release most of the heat in the exhaust into the walls of the unit. Heat is often wasted by escaping through the chimney of the fireplace, but fireplaces featuring the serpentine system of the Russian fireplace are much more efficient. High amounts of stone and masonry are also used in the construction of these fireplaces, creating a heat sink to better store and transfer the heat produced by the fire.

Heated Air Exchanger System

• Electrically powered blowers may not work when the power goes out, but installing them on your fireplace will improve its efficiency while electricity is available. The U.S. Department of Energy says that heated air exchanger systems force hot air back into the room. Fresh air for the combustion reaction is also taken in more efficiently with an exchanger system. Depending on the design of your existing chimney and the style of exchanger system or blowers you choose, it may be possible to retrofit an energy-wasting fireplace.

Fresh Air Supply

• Fire requires fresh air, and in most fireplaces this comes from the already heated air in the home. Wasting energy on heating the air that will be used to feed the fire is one of the main problems with using a traditional fireplace. A specific, separate fresh air intake pipe or opening built into the fireplace will reduce this waste, according to the Masonry Advisory Council. The whole fireplace must be engineered to accommodate this intake, making it difficult or impossible to add on an existing structure. Combined with a specially designed heated air exchanger system, a separate fresh air supply can raise the efficiency of a fireplace significantly.

Glass Doors

• Drafting preheated air to feed the fire will still occur, even with a heated air exchanger or fresh air intake, unless glass doors are installed. Tight-fitting, double-walled glass doors with gaskets are the most efficient, says WoodHeat.org, but any solid, heat-proof material will transfer heat and stop the fire from drafting so much warm air out through the chimney. Installing glass doors on any fireplace will improve its energy production while a fire is burning. Some homeowners say that fireplace doors block some of the sound and light of a fire, but open fires waste such a high amount of energy inside the home that they are better burned outdoors.