Having a fireplace in your home can be a great amenity. But a wood-burning fireplace with an open hearth may not always be the best option in the long run. Replacing a wood-burning open hearth fireplace with a gas fireplace insert has a lot of benefits. Some of the top reasons to make this change with your fireplace include:

Better Efficiency

If you are counting on using your fireplace for warmth during the winter months, a wood-burning open hearth fireplace is not your most efficient option. This is because a lot of the warm air in the room is pulled back into the fire, and the fire burns out quickly. Thus a pile of wood in your wood-burning fireplace will not provide ample heat, and it won't last long. On the other hand, a gas fireplace insert is air tight when the door is sealed, so the fire burns slower and produces more heat. You can count on your gas fireplace insert to create heat for many hours and nicely warm the room.

In addition, since a gas fireplace insert is tightly sealed, you don't have to worry about the warm air in your house escaping through the chimney. Likewise, cold air won't be able to flow into your home from the chimney and make your home cooler when you are not using your fireplace.

Ease of Installation

One of the best things about a gas fireplace insert is the fact that installing one does not require a major remodeling project. In most cases, a gas fireplace insert can easily fit inside the open hearth of a wood burning fireplace. If you are particularly handy, you may be able to install a gas fireplace insert yourself, but even if you are not, the installation project is a small task for a licensed contractor. You may also want to consider replacing the mantle and framing around your fireplace when you have a gas fireplace insert installed to change the overall look of a room.

Convenience

When its cold outside, most people don't want to deal with having to leave the house to get firewood. When you have a gas fireplace insert, it will continually be powered by natural gas, so you don't have to worry about refilling it in order to continue to get heat. If you have a gas fireplace insert, you can say goodbye to chopping firewood or paying for a firewood delivery service during the winter months.

To learn more, contact a company like Nordic Stove and Fireplace Center.