One important way to make a home healthier, safer and more comfortable is to improve the indoor air quality. Did you know that smoke from burning wood contains thousands of chemicals, such as carbon monoxide, benzene, formaldehyde and dioxin?  These form fine particulate matter that can lodge deep in the lungs, reduce your body’s ability to fight infections and aggravate asthma. Since this is now considered a serious public health concern during the winter when smoke is most prevalent in the air, "No Burning" Days have been instigated to reduce this harmful effect.

This source of pollution in your home can be eliminated by converting to a natural gas fireplace insert.  The look and feel of traditional warmth will still be there, but it will be cleaner and more convenient. Gas fireplace inserts produce heat more efficiently by drawing cold air down and in, warming and circulating it with fans through the space. Wood-buring fireplaces remove warm air from the room with an upward draft leaving a residue of smoke behind.  With the insert, the room temperature can be thermostatically controlled and the indoor air is clean.

A wide range of fireplace insert styles becomes a wonderful design opportunity. Skillful coordination concerning size, scale and architectural style of a new insert and mantel will upgrade the look and feel of the entire house. Greater focal-point interest and architectural integration might also be achieved.  The clean burning, animated gas flame activated by a remote button is a very welcoming sight makes for a healthy trade-off to cealing out ashes.  Summertime is obviously best time to begin the upgrade to safe, efficient warmth for the fall.