Lowes has been helping people make houses homes for many years. Conversions have bene part of modernising homes for generations and Lowes has been at the forefront of many changes over the years. Helping you make changes in your home a Lowes Money Off Coupon from We Are Coupons will see you save money. One such change you may be considering is changing a conventional fireplace for an electric fireplace. But what, if any are the benefits of doing this? In part tow of this two part article we will take a closer look.
Take A Hassle Free Approach
One of the main reasons many fireplaces sit unused is the hassle involved in operating and maintaining them. With wood burning versions, wood has to be chopped or delivered and transported through the house leaving a trail of wood chips. Then there's the dilemma of where to store the firewood for it to be convenient to access without cluttering up the living areas.
Maintenance Free
Both wood burning and gas versions require frequent maintenance in order to keep them in safe working order. Chimneys must be swept periodically to prevent soot build-up that would block airflow. Gas versions also require regular checks to make sure that the fittings are secure to prevent dangerous gas leaks. When moving into an older home that has a fireplace, there's always the risk that the previous owner didn't use or maintain the fireplace.
Ease of Use
Electric models are so simple to use, all it takes to 'light' the fire, is a push of a button on the unit. Many electric fireplaces have a remote control. The realistic flames, logs and embers immediately come to life and the heat can be felt almost instantaneously. Most models require little or no installation aside from plugging them into an outlet. If you are permanently transforming a traditional masonry fireplace to an electric model, an electrician can easily hard-wire it in to the home's electrical system.
Saving Money And Energy
With energy costs skyrocketing, saving money is one of the biggest reasons people are making the transition to electric fireplaces. They provide zone heating to the rooms constantly used by the entire family rather than heating the entire house, where many rooms are unoccupied for the majority of the day.
Units can provide 5,000 BTUs per hour of heat by using a quiet fan that forces the heat generated by the insert into the room. They cost approximately three cents an hour without the heat feature turned on and eight cents with the heat turned on. Compare that to the 17 cents an hour that gas units cost and the savings really add up.
