When you light a blazing fire on a cold winter day it looks and feels wonderful, but it can be an expensive and inefficient endeavor. A fireplace sends most of the heat in your house straight up the chimney. A fireplace can exhaust as much as 24,000 cubic feet of air per hour to the outside! But, there are ways you can limit the loss of heat when enjoying a quiet evening by the fire.

• Reduce heat loss by opening dampers in the bottom of the firebox (if provided) or open the nearest window slightly - only about an inch - and close doors leading into the room.
• Install tempered glass doors and a heat-air exchange system that blows warmed air back into the room.
  
• Check the seal on the flue damper and make it as snug as possible.
  
• Use grates made of C-shaped metal tubes to draw cool room air into the fireplace and circulate warm air back into the room.
  
• When you aren't using your fireplace, keep its damper closed!
  
• If you are planning to install a new fireplace, consider a gas fireplace. These provide the enjoyment of looking at flames but can be 70% more efficient than regular fireplaces.