Fireplaces: Warm, Mesmerizing and Cost-Effective

For example, Walter Moberg, a custom designer whose work includes fireplaces for the Ritz Carlton (MAR Quote) in Atlanta and the Grand Lodge at Disney Grand California Hotel (DIS Quote), has a gas unit with several burners built into the grate as well as electronics that control the fire sequence so it follows the same pattern as a wood fire going from a small fire to a bigger one and finally to glowing coals. The cost for the entire fireplace starts at $50,000 and can top several times that amount.

Traditional fireplaces remain the top choice for consumers, but unlike their drafty ancestors, fireplaces today are 60 to 99 percent efficient depending upon the fuel source. Some even are certified by the Environmental Protection Agency, and most have a way to enclose the fire using insulated doors, with price tags ranging from $3,000 to $5,000.

This year, for the first time, an open wood-burning fireplace, the Renaissance Rumford 1000, won the Vesta Award, the industry's highest honor, for technological innovation. It is based off one of the earliest energy efficient fireplaces, introduced by Count Rumford in the 18th century. The original Rumford had angled sidewalls in the hearth that reflected heat back into the room and a flue design that encouraged a draft that directed more smoke up the chimney instead of into the room.

The Renaissance Rumford 1000, which retails for about $6,500, has an innovative guillotine door that is concealed when raised and seals off the fire when lowered. According to the manufacturer, it burns so cleanly that there is no visible smoke in the chimney only two minutes after the initial spark.

Almost 75 percent of new fireplaces are factory built and engineered. With prices in the $5,000 range, they cost a fraction of a masonry fireplace's building cost. Essentially, factory built fireplaces are a steel or cast iron box enclosed in a steel cabinet. Air circulates between the inner and outer boxes transferring the heat to the room and keeping the outer wall relatively cool. A traditional chimney isn't required, and depending on the fuel, some models can be directly vented to the outside using a small pipe.

Recently a number of manufacturers introduced vent-free gas models. The secret to their design is new catalytic technology that cleans the hot air before it leaves the combustion chamber.

"The thin design allows easy installation almost anywhere a gas line is available. No special framing is required," states Robert Dischner, direct of product development for Lennox Hearth Products.