A Star Tribune reader with two fireplaces wrote to the paper inquiring as to why they smell smoke in the lower level of their home when the upper level fireplace is going. The columnist wrote that the likely reason is the heat from the upper fireplace is pushing air up the chimney causing the lower level flue to act as an intake to replace the missing air.
Star Tribune
Fireplaces often create negative heat efficiency. They cause more heat loss through the house than they produce. From an energy perspective, they are as inefficient as can be. From an environmental perspective, they add additional pollution to our air harmful to us all.
People who say they need to use fireplaces for home heating are full of hot air. For most fireplace users, the use is purely recreational and completely unnecessary. One person wants to use a fireplace for recreational purposes and everyone from children walking to and from school to joggers and the rest of us have to breathe toxic polluted air.
I have never demanded the banning of fireplace use during cold months. But when you consider the pollution and negative heat efficiency fireplaces produce, I can see no good argument for allowing them.