The hearth is the heart of the home

A fireplace is warm, familiar and creates a focal point in the room. Who hasn’t been beguiled by the flickering flames and whiled away many an hour in a comfy chair by the fireplace? J.W. Corley ¹. wrote in 1960 (p14) that his ideal county home for the aged would focus on heating:

Whilst the risks of open fireplaces render them less likely to be used in aged care facilities, the lure of a fireplace is timeless.  Yet sadly some fireplaces are disappearing with old heating units removed and dried flower arrangements, adornments or shelving inserted into the empty void instead.

There are typically 4 types of fireplaces readily used – gas, wood burning, electric and ethanol.

Gas fireplaces are becoming more popular as the heat effect is quick, they are affordable and installation is fairly simple with no brick chimney required². This form of heating does produce some waste product (carbon monoxide and water vapour) so require a flue or a well ventilated room³. However, with the rising costs of gas, alternatives need to be considered³. Wood fireplaces are considered to be timeless and generate good heat². As a renewable source of energy compared to other forms of heat, wood heaters can be a carbon neutral way of heating a whole house³. However, the maintenance, cleaning and storage elements need to be considered³. Electric heaters can be expensive to run but using reverse cycle air conditioners is very effective in terms of the power they use when compared to the heat output². Electric fireplace technology has evolved with LED lighting technologies used to mimic flame effects and now offering energy efficient higher heat with low maintenance³. Ethanol fireplaces are low maintenance, energy efficient and easy to install² as they don’t give off fumes such as carbon monoxide and thus don’t need flues³. However a study showed that decorative ethanol fireplaces were strong sources of fine and ultrafine particles in the room and thus having a considerable influence on air quality due to lack of ventilation⁴.

Interestingly, an ecovillage built in Sweden back in 1992 combines wood heating, solar energy and electric heating in a water based system⁵! There are many facilities looking at low carbon thermal technologies. Devine-Wright et al⁶ explored how older adults living in these environments feel thermal comfort is represented. A key finding was cosiness and glow are highly value and care homes can introduce fake fireplaces to provide these key elements whilst managing risk concerns⁶. It was suggested that in the perceived savings from low carbon heating technologies may be overestimated as it became necessary to supplement these with other “units/devices to provide the comfort, cosiness and sociability” (p288) desired by older people⁶.

References

1.      Corley, J.W., 1960. A county home for the aged (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://www.pdf.investintech.com/preview/50a71696-9adb-11e8-b59b-0cc47a792c0a/index.html

2.      https://www.houseofhome.com.au/blog/which-fireplace-to-choose

3.      https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/heating/home-heating/buying-guide/your-guide-to-home-heating

4.      Schripp, T., Salthammer, T., Wientzek, S. and Wensing, M., 2014. Chamber studies on nonvented decorative fireplaces using liquid or gelled ethanol fuel. Environmental science & technology, 48(6),   pp.3583-3590.

5.      Linden, K.P. 1999. Hidden messages in the sociomateria: Design for sustainability and cooperation in two ecovillages in Sweden. Nordisk Arkitekturforskning:1,47-58.

6.      Devine-Wright, P., Wrapson, W., Henshaw, V. and Guy, S., 2014. Low carbon heating and older adults: comfort, cosiness and glow. Building Research & Information, 42(3), pp.288-299.