Eco Fires
February 6, 2009
It’s something of a cliché that smoke comes with fire and when it comes to fireplaces that was until recently quite true. Whilst the functionalists out there will of course remind us that a fire is necessarily a method of heating the home and modern environmentalists will tell you fireplaces are not a viable option en-masse, the market is ablaze with the introduction of a wide range of supposedly eco-friendly and affordable smokeless fires.
As a buzzword 'eco' appears to be everywhere and in the surest environmentalist terms its hard to see how much of what is widely produced is in any sense environmentally sound, however, the EcoSmart fire claims to be a clean burning fireplace which uses a renewable source of fuel (bio-ethanol) and is transported flat pack to add to its eco-credentials. Having no need for a flue, the fire is free-standing and self-contained, leaving it with an incidental, though not unconscious, contemporary feel.
Having not as yet had the opportunity to toast marshmallows in front of one were not quite sure how the fire works in terms of heat output but it might just be a case of watching this space. As a substitute for a gas burner and all that entails, EcoSmart, and products like it, may well be the most convenient and least damaging substitute for the real thing.
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