I’ve always coveted a modern, stainless steel fireplace. Not that traditional brick and stacked stone fireplaces aren’t beautiful. They’re just not me. So if and when I ever decide to get one, I’m happy to hear from the team over at Alternative Consumer that EcoSmart fireplaces now qualify for federal tax credits for energy efficiency. Any consumer in the U.S. who purchases (or has purchased) an EcoSmart fireplace between 1/1/2009 and 12/31/2010 can receive a tax credit of 30% of the purchase price up to $1500. Sounds like a win/win situation to me! You get a beautiful, energy-efficient, clean-burning fireplace, and you get a decent chunk of your money back. Learn more about the tax credit here.
EcoSmart makes freestanding units, built-in fireplaces and fireplace inserts that are all vent-free. This means a nonexistent or much less costly installation process, even for the built-ins, and none of them require a utility connection for fuel. Rather, they use denatured ethanol, which is an environmentally-friendly, clean-burning, renewable fuel that is derived from natural sources like sugarcane, potatoes, bananas, beetroot and wheat. And because there is no vent or flue through which to lose heat (like a chimney would), the heat stays inside the unit and heats a space much more efficiently.
Why It’s Green:
- Energy efficient
- Uses clean-burning, naturally-derived fuel
Price: $1580-11500
SUBSCRIBE
I’m Jennae Petersen, and I’m a lot of things. A mother, a graphic artist, a connosieur of beautiful interiors and a purveyor of all things design. Green Your Decor was borne of frustration in my attempts to find eco-friendly housewares that were also beautiful, and inspiration to do something to reduce my own carbon footprint and help others do the same in a beautiful way.
