From: "Jamie" 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Gas fireplace efficiency?
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 16:08:16 -0400


"v"  wrote in message
news:416ec4b7.6725008@news.verizon.net...
> Think about it, why invent boilers and furnaces if a fireplace is more
> efficient.  Being able to see the flames doesn't make it more
> efficient!  In your case, they all burn the same fuel, and try to
> extract useable heat from it.  There is nothing about the enclosed
> furnace that would make it inherently less efficient than the open
> fireplace, more like the other way around.

Well, there are a few other advantages to a boilers and furnaces. For
example, you don't need to have a fireplace in every single room, and you
can heat the whole house with a single thermostat versus firing up 13
fireplaces.. I suspect the invention of central heating systems was driven
more by convenience than efficiency.

Actually a *ventless* gas fireplace is probably a fairly efficient heat
source- since none of the heat is going up the chimney.  If you only want to
heat that room, I would say it's definitely more efficient to use it, then
to fire up the central unit for the whole house.