If you plan to use your fireplace, save energy by converting any open hearth fireplaces to closed or direct vent by:

1) Install a solid glass door that isolates the burner and log set from the inside of the home.

2) Install a combustion air duct from outside to feed the fire.  One option is to install a concentric flue. With this flue, an exhaust pipe sits inside the air intake pipe (a pipe within a pipe). Instead of combusting heated inside air, all of the combustion air enters the firebox from outside through the outer pipe. Flue gas emissions are expelled to the outside through the inner pipe. Most new fireplaces sold use a direct vent, especially in new residential homes.

A direct vent flue can be vented through the wall or roof with a single 7″ or 8″ hole. All of the combustion takes place inside of a self-contained firebox housing the burner and log set. The flame never “touches” the indoor air because it is isolated by a solid glass front. As the glass gets hot, soft radiant heat energy is emitted into the living space of the home that, over time, heats the surrounding air.