If you’re considering buying a new fireplace, insert, gas stove or any similar product for your home, the pros at Comfort Solutions are here to assist you. We have all the industry-leading products you might need on hand, plus experts who can help you find the perfect choice for your space and needs.

If you’ve never purchased a fireplace or similar device before, the process may feel a bit confusing to you when you start out. In reality, though, it’s pretty simple and straightforward. To assist you, here’s a basic two-part buyers guide for your next big heating element purchase.

Fireplace Purpose

The first area you’ll want to consider is exactly what you plan to use the fireplace or insert for. There are several broad reasons why you might consider a renovation in this area:

• For an upgraded, modern aesthetic
• For improved room heating, or to reduce monthly heating bills
• Upgrading an inefficient model to a more efficient one

In many cases, getting a new fireplace or insert checks more than one of these boxes at once. In particular, if you’re only thinking of a new fireplace for aesthetic reasons and haven’t done the math on how it might benefit your heating costs, speak to our pros about assessing this area as well.

Fireplace Type

Once you know what you want out of your heating element, it’s time to decide exactly which kind of element fits best. The primary choices here:

• Fireplace: A new modern fireplace can come in a variety of styles and formats, from modern and contemporary to traditional and classical options. Because of modern direct vent technology, adding a fireplace to virtually any room in your home is a possibility.
• Fireplace inserts: In many cases, you may think you need a fireplace when you actually need a fireplace insert. Inserts are meant to quickly install into masonry that’s already present, offering similar heating and ambiance benefits to an actual fireplace. They come in gas, wood and pellet options.
• Stove: In other cases, you may actually want a wood, pellet or gas stove, which can be customized to a huge degree. These come in a stand-up style with fantastic heating capabilities.

Fireplace Fuel

You also have several fuel options to power your fireplace, insert or stove:

• Natural gas: This is a clean-burning fossil fuel that requires very little maintenance and can be included in remote-control items. If your home doesn’t have a natural gas line, we can help you with a propane conversion kit.
• Pellets: If you want a renewable fuel that still brings the same convenience of gas, go with the pellet option. These are small pieces of compressed material that produce flames when burned.
• Wood: Wood is a renewable energy source that’s carbon neutral, and also creates the most traditional “crackling” sensation in a fire. It also does require wood collection, though there’s new technology that increases efficiency here.
• Electricity: Electric options product a wonderful ambiance, but they aren’t quite as good at heating a room as the other options.

For more on choosing initial fireplace elements, or to learn about any of our custom fireplace solutions, speak to the pros at Comfort Solutions today.