Everyone loves a real fire, because there really is nothing like looking into real flames, especially on a cold winter's night. There's something about flames which actually make the room feel warmer even if the heat is exactly the same. The trouble with having a real fire is that they can be very expensive to run because of a lot of the heat does not go out into the room but actually ends up going up the chimney. They may look great, but you may not feel very warm.

However there is a way around this problem and that is to install one of the new range of wood-burning inserts. In effect a wood-burning insert is a mini furnace, and anyone who knows anything about heating will tell you that a furnace really can pump out a lot of heat. In fact the smallest inserts can sometimes be enough to heat a small house let alone heat a room.

Now, in order to fit a proper wood-burning insert you will need to have it vented, which essentially means you need a chimney. However it does not need to be one of the old-fashioned stone chimneys, but can be a very simple metal pipe which takes away some of the noxious gases from the insert and puts them outside. If you're good at DIY you can do this yourself, though many people do tend to opt for the professional services of a gas appliance fitter in order to make sure that the job is done properly.

And the really great thing about wood-burning inserts, as mentioned above, is that although the fire is actually closed, you can still see the real flames through the door, because many of the doors are actually fitted with a window to enable the flickering firelight to come out into the room. In this way you really do get the best of both worlds. You get a fireplace which gives you the really lovely feeling of watching dancing flames, but which does not burn up a huge amount of wood and cost you a fortune, and can actually heat your house better than almost any other type of heating on the market.

Another excellent point about these types of fireplace is that they come in so many different models that you're sure to find one which will fit in with the decoration of your room, whether it be antique or purely modern. Take a look at some of the wood burning fireplace inserts the true on the market today, and remember that you can have as much heat as you like and still have a real fire without the cost.