Facts

• Wood fireplaces are typically inserts within the wall of a room. Tile or brick surrounds the immediate places around the fireplace with a wooden mantle surrounding the tile and brick. Fireplaces vent fumes and smoke through a chimney that is typically on the outside wall of a home. Wood stoves are large metal units that you can place anywhere in a room so long as you can vent fumes and smoke through the ceiling.
  
  

Considerations

• Fireplaces typically need metal flashing or other protective materials inside the wall which protects the combustible material from the heat of the fireplace. Wood stoves often need more consideration in their room placement. The stove will usually require 36 inches of space from all combustible material, such as carpet, walls and decorations. You should also protect the floors for about 12 inches extending around the exterior of the wood stove.
  
  

Benefits

• Heating your home with wood allows you to avoid heating rooms you do not use throughout the day. For example, if you spend most of your day in the living room or kitchen, a strategically placed fireplace or wood stove allows you to heat only these rooms. Wood heating options also allow you to use a more eco-friendly heating source that burns wood, a renewable source of energy.
  
  

Disadvantages

• When heating with wood fireplaces and wood stoves as space heaters, remember that these units typically heat objects within a room better than the room itself, which can be a disadvantage because other parts of your home will not receive heat. You can try to mitigate this disadvantage by adding a fan to the fireplace or wood stove, but this adds to your electricity bill, negating the possibility of only heating with wood.