Fireplace Options for your Home
Feeling the nip in the air? Brief though it may be, winter certainly does come to Cairo. Cairo West Magazine wasted no time in hunting down the latest fireplaces and heating options to help you stay cozy during these cooler days. Here’s what we found. >>
Eco-friendly and Chic – Bioethanol
If you are looking for something easy to maintain and run, with minimal fuss, then a bioethanol-fuelled fireplace could be just what you need. Bioethanol fuel is a renewable energy source made completely of biological products. Bioethanol is classed as being easily biodegradable; miscible in water and when it burns the residual emission is carbon dioxide and water steam. It is completely composed of biological products resulting in a neutral ecological balance.
Carbon dioxide is absorbed by plants, it is then processed via photosynthesis to help the plant grow. This infinite cycle of creation and combustion of energy makes bioethanol a carbon neutral fuel source while it creates the clean burning, beautiful dancing flame in our fireplaces. You don’t need a flue or any existing structure to achieve this – simply use Firebox Inserts or Bioethanol Burners. You can add fire with ease without all the complications associated with a flue, even in a high-rise. And good to note, it is suitable for indoor or outdoor installations.
For those with a hedonistic streak, take a peek at the stunning range primarily created for making bathrooms a haven of warmth and luxury. A project born from the collaboration between designer Domenico de Palo and “maestro fumista” Massimo Pistolesi, it culminated in the first bioethanol fireplaces for the bathroom.
Going for Gas
Gas fuelled fireplaces have been available for some time, and with recent innovations are hard to tell apart from real wood fires. Attractive gas fireplaces work with natural gas or gas bottles and create a cozy, warm atmosphere. The oxygen required is obtained from outside the house through a balance flow system (double pipes). No chimney is needed; pipes are fitted through an opening in the wall, with clean and easy installation. There is no smoke or odor, and security glass offers full protection against the flame. Even better, a remote control makes them convenient to use. They come in a variety of styles and sizes from minimalist and contemporary to classic, and can even be integrated into an existing fire surround.
Throw Another Log on the Fire
Traditionalists still love everything that goes with a real log fire; the feel of the wood, logs neatly stacked next to the hearth, the glowing embers, the smell, and yes, even the smoke. It’s all part of the appeal. Bringing tradition and clever design together to meet the demands of more contemporary dwellings, with sometimes less space to play with, today’s wood burners are design statements in themselves. >>
The Electric Option
If you are not scared off by power bills, an electric fireplace can add heat, elegance and beauty to any of your favorite rooms. Using ‘fake flame’ technology, these innovations give you the most advanced flame realism available with a truly realistic ‘wood burning’ flame. Furthermore, the electrical fireplaces can operate with or without heat, for year-round pleasure, just sit back and enjoy the flame effect. Electric fireplaces are secure, clean, and easy to set up and maintain, and come in a wide variety of styles.
Feel the Warmth Around You
When you have a large home to heat, how do you go about ensuring you keep everyone warm as they move around? The popular option these days is having heating integrated into the building structure. Water based under-floor heating, wall heating, ceiling heating as well as cooling systems tick a lot of boxes. Due to the low operating temperatures used in radiant heating systems, it is the most energy-efficient way to distribute heat within buildings. Low operating temperatures enable optimal efficiency of the heat sources, ideally renewable sources like ground heat or air source heat pump. This leads to the lowest possible primary energy consumption and CO2 emission. At the same time, radiant heating offers the best comfort to occupants and can even be used for cooling at no additional cost. The entire installation is invisible, which gives you freedom for any kind of architectural style. Although there is a slightly higher investment initially than for conventional heating systems, will be paid back many times during the life time of the building through lower energy consumption.
Let the Sun Shine In – Infrared Heating
Flat panel infrared heaters are very efficient infrared heat sources that work like the sun with all its benefits. Looking like a picture or mirror, they just need to be fixed on the wall or ceiling, plugged in and you bring the sunshine to your home. How does it work? Radiated energy from the sun consists of a wide range of energy waves of different wavelengths. Besides the visible sunlight, infrared radiation is part of this wide spectrum. Infrared radiation primarily transports heat energy without heating the air it passes through. There is barely any energy loss during the transmission process. With a unique, glass front the infrared heating elements bring the sun into your home.
Virtually free of electro smog, far-infrared-heating waves are generated by a non-metallic, high resistance, high-tech carbon conductor proven in space technology. The generated far-infrared energy is transferred via the tempered glass front of the panel into the room. The climate comfort of a room, perceived by humans and animals alike, is dependent on the amount of infrared heat released by a heat source. The process is safe, maintenance free and consumes very low levels of electricity.
