Looking for ideas for the perfect fireplace for a home? You’ve come to the right place. This guide will introduce you to some of the most efficient fireplace designs that are known to man. The reason for this? It’s no longer enough to just have something that looks nice so you can enjoy it from time to time on a cold winter’s day, then fall back on your central heating once the fire goes out in a couple of hours. No, we must also find ways to make our fuel (firewood, in this case) go further- much further, in fact, than you will think is possible if all you’ve known is the traditional style fireplace found in most homes today.

For people that either don’t want or can’t afford the super efficient masonry heaters, which in addition to being super efficient also cost a hefty sum, there are the options of going with a Rumford fireplace or a rocket stove.

The Rumford fireplace was the invention of Count Rumford, and it enjoyed some use but was somehow relegated to being a thing of the past. Well, people have discovered it again as using less fuel to provide more heat, and it is once again appearing in newly constructed homes. It is shallower and taller than a traditional fireplace. The shallowness allows more heat to radiate into the room, while the tallness allows for more surface area for the heat to disperse in the room. The design of the flue is also a great improvement on the original fireplace, and smoke is better conducted so that it does not get the house all smoky.

The rocket stove is more of an enclosed fire, and is great for very efficient heating at 90% fuel efficiency. This is accomplished by relying on a draw to burn the fuel, and also a combustion chamber which makes the fire burn hotter. Paired with thermal mass, the rocket stove is also cheap and easy to make, especially when compared with stone fireplace designs.

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