Naturally, one of the easiest ways to reduce fossil fuel dependence is to heat with wood. A wood pellet stove or wood pellet fireplace may be the most convenient and satisfying way to heat with wood. Unlike the more traditional wood fireplaces, this type is automatic, as wood pellets are fed from a storage hopper into the fire. That causes warm air to circulate. The heat output is adjustable or it can be made completely hands free by using a thermostat.

If you have an existing chimney that you would like to use with one of the pellet fireplaces, then you will most likely need to get a pellet stove insert. There are other alternatives as well. For example, some fireplace inserts have zero clearance, which means you do not need an existing fireplace in order to install it. They can be installed in a renovation situation or as part of a new construction.

The Whitfield fireplace inserts can help you convert your existing metal or masonry fireplace into a pellet fireplace. There are inserts that will fit most gas, wood and pellet burning fireplaces. These are easily installed and will fit into most traditional fireplace openings.

• There are wood, gas and pellet burning fireplace inserts that will fit into almost any traditional fireplace opening.
• Pellets are fed from a storage hopper into the fire that causes the warm air to circulate.
• Modern fireplaces have improved enough to reduce much of the pollution.

For the most part, pellet fireplaces stoves can be installed in almost any home. Recently, there are more and more companies that sell a vent free fireplace and they have become very popular. Equipped with such things as a remote control and a variable flame height adjustment, most make it possible to control the speed of your assembly blower as well. Some allow you to turn the unit on from a wall switch but their flame adjustment must still be done from the valve on the fireplace and not with any type of a remote device.

The traditional wood fireplaces have come under quite a bit of scrutiny these last several years due to the concerns over the output of carbon and pollution that is found in the particles in the smoke. Luckily, modern fireplaces have improved enough to reduce much of the pollution and any problems that might have been associated with them. The pellet fireplace is one such option that is available, as it emits very little, if any pollution. While nothing exactly matches the ambiance and warmth of the flickering flames in a fireplace, there are options available that still come pretty close to the real thing.