In a recent blog, I discussed ways to stay warm this winter. Fireplaces have been known for their beauty vs. functionality. But here is an interesting comment from Bob who has a solution worth considering:
Burning wood is allot of work and can be very dirty. But, there is a major gratification to see lower heating bills and knowing that your house is as warm as you want it without turning up the thermostat. I recently took a grate out of my fireplace and replaced it with a grate heater and now I’m heating my whole house with my fireplace. A fireplace is about 5% heat efficient and with this product they claim it a 120,000 BTU per hour furnace.
Interesting. I would never think of using a fireplace as a source of heat. Bob is correct, they are only 5% heat efficient. I have used fireplace inserts for years. They work off the same basis as the grate heater. They trap the heat and use blowers to circulate around the room. I keep my house thermostat set at 65 degrees and use my insert to keep the place toasty. You can go online and enter grate heater to see what is available. Looks like they run between $500 – $900. An insert costs around $2,000
Last summer, I was asked by two national news organizations what the weather would be when Senator Barack Obama accepted his party’s nomination at an outdoor stadium in Denver. I said it would be clear and cool. And, it was that. Then yesterday, for the Inauguration we said “January 20 – 23rd, clear and cold weather would set in (zone 1)”. And, it was clear and very nippy. I could become the “official weather prognosticator” for the new administration. Maybe….
Peter Geiger is the Editor of the Farmers' Almanac. 
If you notice a hole in the upper left-hand corner of your Farmers' Almanac, don't return it to the store! That hole isn't a defect; it's a part of history. Starting with the first edition of the Farmers' Almanac in 1818, readers used to nail holes into the corners to hang it up in their homes, barns, and outhouses (to provide both reading material and toilet paper). In 1910, the Almanac's publishers began pre-drilling holes in the corners to make it even easier for readers to keep all of that invaluable information (and paper) handy.
