Now that all the leaves are changing colors and winter is nipping at our doorsteps many people are turning on the heaters. To save money in the winter many people have turned to wood-burning stoves or burning in their fireplaces to help cut costs. There are many things to consider when choosing firewood such as safety and the amount of heat desired. More

A fireplace is the centerpiece of any room and home. It provides a place for family and friends to gather to tell stories, catch up, and warm up on cold nights. When you are looking to have a fireplace installed into your home, you want something that is not only aesthetically pleasing but built to industry standards for safety and reliability. Whether you are interested in wood burning fireplaces, gas, or electric fireplaces, choose Napoleon fireplaces.

Napoleon has over 30 years of experience manufacturing fireplaces, inserts, as well as stoves that are not only efficient and up to the industry standard, but are also beautiful. Installing Napoleon fireplaces into your home will give any room a beautiful focal point that will draw the whole family in. Copperfield Chimney Supply is a proud distributor of Napoleon fireplaces and other hearth products.

More than 2,000 children ages 5 and younger suffered burn injuries from gas fireplaces from 1999 through March 2009, according to research conducted by Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D., an independent safety consultant.

The problem: the glass front on gas fireplaces gets blistering hot. Hot enough, according to Dr. Pollack-Nelson, to cause severe burns. Curiosity about fire leaves children particularly vulnerable.

Industry standards for gas fireplaces allow the temperature of the ceramic glass to reach as high as 1,328°F. Tempered and annealed glass is allowed to reach 500°F and 446°F, respectively.

Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, and Consumer Federation of America submitted a letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission this week supporting a petition for a mandatory safety standard for gas fireplaces. The petition requests that CPSC “develop a mandatory standard for gas fireplaces that requires an integral protective barrier, guard or other device for any accessible surface (e.g., glass fronts) that, if contacted is hot enough to cause severe burns.”

In addition, the groups urged the Commission to include in its standard the following elements:

• A performance requirement for this barrier/screen; the temperature of the barrier/screen should not exceed the temperature at which it could cause serious contact burns when used according to manufacturer instructions.

• The barrier/screen should be installed as part of the unit and not as a separately available piece that has to be purchased apart from the gas vented fireplace. Once the unit installation is completed by a professional, the fireplace barrier/screen should be in place.

We hope that manufacturers and the CPSC take action quickly to help reduce these horrific burn injuries.

Many consumers are still avid fans of using wood to heat their homes despite other more eco-friendly alternatives such as renewable energy.

The reliance of burning wood as a main heating source is popular throughout the U.S., but its use has increased by 50% in the Northeast and Middle Atlantic regions from 2005 to 2012, said the Energy Information Administration.

Wood remains a popular heating source, and consumers are still buying split logs and wood pellets in droves in the nine states from New England and Middle Atlantic census divisions.

Wood chips are commonly sold at Lowe's and other home improvement retail stores in the Northeast, Southeast and Northwest parts of the U.S. because of the availability and proximity to the source, said Craig Marcum, managing partner at Edge Energy, a brokerage in Houston.

"The closer you are to the coasts where most of the wholesale market is, the better you are," he said.

Consumers have sought cheaper options such as wood for many years and are foregoing the use of fuel oil and kerosene, the EIA said.

Across the U.S., 2.5 million households or 2.1% of the population now use wood as the main fuel to heat their homes, an increase from 1.9 million households or 1.7% in 2005. There are another 9 million households, or 7.7% of Americans, who use wood as a secondary heating fuel.

Most homes rely on using heating stoves as their primary source and fireplaces are the next common choice, the report said. While most consumers are burning split logs, more people are buying wood pellets in the past few years.

What's more, while homes with higher income brackets "are more likely to use wood, those at lower income levels who burn wood consume more on average," the EIA said.

Finding cheaper alternative fuels which are eco-friendly remains a challenge for consumers still, Marcum said. Using biodiesel fuels or other fuels is still not obtainable for most people.

"Alternative fuels are local in nature," he said. "Every single one of them is driven by receiving subsidies by the federal and state governments. Alternative fuels are more expensive to develop and build and cost more for the consumer."

While the use of wind and solar energy is gaining in popularity and availability, many limitations still exist depending on what state you reside in, Marcum said. Finding the right balance between the higher costs for using renewable energy and seeking better options for the environment remains tricky and difficult right now, he said.

"We can't afford to go strictly for the wallet," Marcum said. "I don't think we as a country will ever go strictly on the wallet. I think most leaders in the energy sector believe in the same thing – there has to be an environmental aspect to it."

Another potential option for consumers in the near term is using hydrogen to heat and power their homes. HyperSolar (OTCMKTS:HYSR), the Santa Barbara, Calif. hydrogen producer, is working on commercializing their technology so that consumers can use their method at home for heat and electricity. The company's technology splits water molecules and isolates and harvests hydrogen. The particle technology uses thousands of tiny solar cells which are immersed in water. When the sun hits the particles in water, it splits the water molecules and produces hydrogen.

"The reason it is a good option is because the hydrogen can be produced on site," said CEO Tim Young. "With a little bit of land and sun and using a clear vessel filled with waste water, the sun would hit the particles and produce hydrogen. The benefit of hydrogen is that it can be stored like oil and gas and produces clean emissions."

The current renewable technology for splitting water to produce hydrogen calls for a consumer to buy $4,000 to $6,000 in solar panels and an electrolyzer, an electrochemical device to convert electricity and water into hydrogen and oxygen, which ranges from $45,000 to $50,000 for a 2,000 sq. ft. home. Once a consumer makes the initial capital investment, they will have free energy to use, but the costs still remain prohibitive except for hydrogen enthusiasts and renewable energy adopters.

HyperSolar's technology could be available commercially within three to five years and could be up to 50% cheaper than the current renewable energy options such as using an electrolyzer, Young said. Its technology will likely be located near fueling stations for hydrogen cars or warehouses for power equipment and then adoption is likely to occur at homes and farms.

"We've made tremendous progress to get where we are now," Young said. "It will be the greenest form of energy available and our goal is to be on par economically with natural gas."

The adoption of using other forms of renewable energy has been slow because natural gas is a very inexpensive and plentiful fuel for heating options, he said.

--Written by Ellen Chang for MainStreet

Gas fireplaces are an affordable option for people who want to add a fireplace to their existing home but do not want the expense of having to put in a chimney. These types of fireplaces are direct vent, which means there is no need to cut through the roof, ceiling and other areas of the home to install the fireplace, but only require a direct vent through the outside where the unit is installed.

Buy Direct Vent Gas Fireplaces Here!

Everyone enjoys the warmth created by having a fireplace in their home. Instead of having to run their furnace more often, they can use their wood burning fireplace to save money on their energy bills. You will find Napoleon fireplaces exceed the EPA's standards for clean burning wood fireplaces while providing energy efficient heating. Napoleon offers many different models and styles to fit the décor of your home. You can even upgrade your old fireplace with a Napoleon wood burning insert.

Napoleon Fireplaces Manufactures More Than Wood Burning Products

Besides making wood burning products, Napoleon fireplaces also manufacturers direct vent gas fireplaces, electric fireplaces, patio heaters, and other accessories. You will find all of these Napoleon brand items and more available here at Copperfield Chimney Supply. We offer quality hearth products for your entire home, as well as all the accessories and supplies needed to install your new fireplace, stove or other type of appliance.