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Old 07-13-2009, 02:50 PM
 
6 posts, read 38,303 times
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I'm coming from a much colder climate and we avoided use of fireplaces, as they actually waste heat. The heat output from the fire is less than the wasted heat as your expensively heated air gets drawn up the chimney. Unless your electric system is off, or you have a pretty sophisticated blower system or enclosed wood stove, you are most likely adding to your electric bill by using your "free" source of heat of the fireplace.
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Old 07-14-2009, 09:44 AM
 
Location: NoVA
230 posts, read 1,215,625 times
Reputation: 132
Quote:
Originally Posted by ImNewToVA View Post
I'm coming from a much colder climate and we avoided use of fireplaces, as they actually waste heat. The heat output from the fire is less than the wasted heat as your expensively heated air gets drawn up the chimney. Unless your electric system is off, or you have a pretty sophisticated blower system or enclosed wood stove, you are most likely adding to your electric bill by using your "free" source of heat of the fireplace.
Not to mention these new gas fireplaces that have a "direct-vent" system..basically a 6-inch open vent that allows cold/hot air directly into your firebox that is supposedly air-tight. Yeah right, most of these newer gas fireplaces are like having an open window. We plugged our vent, added insulation, turned off the gas, and don't ever use it. What a waste.
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Old 07-15-2009, 06:07 AM
 
433 posts, read 964,179 times
Reputation: 144
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZakAttack View Post
Not to mention these new gas fireplaces that have a "direct-vent" system..basically a 6-inch open vent that allows cold/hot air directly into your firebox that is supposedly air-tight. Yeah right, most of these newer gas fireplaces are like having an open window. We plugged our vent, added insulation, turned off the gas, and don't ever use it. What a waste.
nobody is talking about a gas fireplace! those are good for looking pretty. that's it.

the discussion is on REAL fireplaces with REAL burning wood.

we have found that burning wood is not only pretty to look at and provides direct, good feeling heat, it also heats the immediate room in which the fireplace is in very well. not so much the rest of the house. i would suggest using both the fireplace and the hvac system to heat the house :-)
helps if the wood is free from someone...
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Old 07-15-2009, 06:46 AM
 
240 posts, read 221,753 times
Reputation: 65
I just bought this neat device made by Black and Decker - that you hook to your electric meter and monitors instantaneous electric assumption. You can see the difference when your heat or air conditioning kicks in, or you run your clothes dryer, or even unplugging certain appliances or just computers, etc. It is really fascinating. It is not that expensive at about $100. I got it via Amazon.com - here's the link in case anyone is interested (other companies make them too - but I read up on it and it seemed like the Black & Decker one was good - I bought it a few weeks ago and am very pleased with it):

Amazon.com: Black & Decker EM100B Energy Saver Series Power Monitor: Home Improvement (oddly enough the price seems to have gone up by $10 over what I paid for it, but Amazon seems to vary their prices a lot as I've found in the past). Also, as a bonus it shows you the outdoor temperature, which i think is kind of neat too - I didn't realize that when I bought it. Easy to hook up as it says in the description on the website - it is done wirelessly so no wires to run into your house.
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Old 07-15-2009, 06:50 AM
 
240 posts, read 221,753 times
Reputation: 65
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZakAttack View Post
Not to mention these new gas fireplaces that have a "direct-vent" system..basically a 6-inch open vent that allows cold/hot air directly into your firebox that is supposedly air-tight. Yeah right, most of these newer gas fireplaces are like having an open window. We plugged our vent, added insulation, turned off the gas, and don't ever use it. What a waste.
Exactly right. Our new house came with one - it is good for looks to just have the "fireplace" look in your family room. We turned it on one time just to see how it worked, and that's it. I had to laugh that it has a remote control so you don't even have to get up to turn it on and off - that's ONE remote control I'll never need to use - last thing I need is one more remote control in my house! When we moved in and were shown that on the pre-closing walk-thru - first thing I did was take that remote control, remove the batteries from it, and throw it in a drawer with other useless stuff.

Plugging that vent sounds like a good idea though - I may do that before the winter comes - I didn't even think of that! Good idea! Indeed, it is for "appearances only". The fireplace and mantle looks very nice in our family room, but is it practical for heating? Definitely NOT! I don't even want to think of what my gas bill would look like in the winter if I used the thing!
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Old 07-15-2009, 07:49 AM
 
Location: Washington, DC
65 posts, read 201,502 times
Reputation: 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by fdeitz View Post
I just bought this neat device made by Black and Decker - that you hook to your electric meter and monitors instantaneous electric assumption. You can see the difference when your heat or air conditioning kicks in, or you run your clothes dryer, or even unplugging certain appliances or just computers, etc. It is really fascinating. It is not that expensive at about $100. I got it via Amazon.com - here's the link in case anyone is interested (other companies make them too - but I read up on it and it seemed like the Black & Decker one was good - I bought it a few weeks ago and am very pleased with it):

Amazon.com: Black & Decker EM100B Energy Saver Series Power Monitor: Home Improvement (oddly enough the price seems to have gone up by $10 over what I paid for it, but Amazon seems to vary their prices a lot as I've found in the past). Also, as a bonus it shows you the outdoor temperature, which i think is kind of neat too - I didn't realize that when I bought it. Easy to hook up as it says in the description on the website - it is done wirelessly so no wires to run into your house.
Also look into the Kill-A-Watt devices:

P3 - Kill A Watt EZ

Great for figuring out exactly how much money certain appliances/devices are costing you!
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Old 07-15-2009, 10:00 AM
 
240 posts, read 221,753 times
Reputation: 65
Quote:
Originally Posted by clarksonknight View Post
Also look into the Kill-A-Watt devices:

P3 - Kill A Watt EZ

Great for figuring out exactly how much money certain appliances/devices are costing you!
Yes, those look neat too! I was thinking of whether I should buy one of those, or just what I bought. I didn't want to go for both, and thought I liked the idea of monitoring the total energy useage. But those look neat for homing in on a specific energy wasting device.

By the way, you would be amazed at how much power charging devices for things like cell phones, laptops, etc. draw even when nothing is plugged into them. Always unplug them after you are done charging up whatever they are connected to. It may seem like a small amount, but if you have a few of these things plugged into the wall outlets 24 hours a day, it really adds up over time!

Really it would be good to have both the kill-a-watt type device AND the total energy monitor type device. Right now I could only justify one, so decided to go the total energy monitor route.
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Old 07-15-2009, 12:13 PM
 
Location: NoVA
230 posts, read 1,215,625 times
Reputation: 132
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evidence-is-key View Post
nobody is talking about a gas fireplace! those are good for looking pretty. that's it.

the discussion is on REAL fireplaces with REAL burning wood.
Well guess what bud, we're talking about it NOW so slow your roll and mind your business if you don't want to discuss.

The original topic was a high electric bill, with much discussion going towards running your home more efficiently...which in general fireplaces (gas or wood) are not.
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Old 07-15-2009, 12:18 PM
 
433 posts, read 964,179 times
Reputation: 144
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZakAttack View Post
Well guess what bud, we're talking about it NOW so slow your roll and mind your business if you don't want to discuss.

The original topic was a high electric bill, with much discussion going towards running your home more efficiently...which in general fireplaces (gas or wood) are not.
take it easy johnny...
you misunderstood my comment and jumped the gun...take a chill pill fella!

what i meant by "nobody's talking about a gas fireplace" was that the comment i made was regarding the real fireplace...and what was said didn't pertain to a real fireplace.

ok buddy? don't have a heartattack zakattack ok?
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Old 07-15-2009, 12:27 PM
 
Location: NoVA
230 posts, read 1,215,625 times
Reputation: 132
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evidence-is-key View Post
take it easy johnny...
you misunderstood my comment and jumped the gun...take a chill pill fella!

what i meant by "nobody's talking about a gas fireplace" was that the comment i made was regarding the real fireplace...and what was said didn't pertain to a real fireplace.

ok buddy? don't have a heartattack zakattack ok?
Gotcha. But when you start correcting someone, and USING UPPERCASE and exclamation points to correct someone, it is impolite, and also implies that person stands to be corrected. Dig?
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