These are best things in the world, bar none. Not necessarily cheap up front to install, but by far the most efficient way to burn fuel for heat.

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1. Soapstone absorbs the heat and SLOWLY radiates it back out.
2. Provides and even, gentle heat. Doesn’t go from sweltering to ice cold.
3. Safe for the little ones. A baby can put their hand right on the soapstone, and there will be no burns or blisters.
4. COMPLETE combustion, every time. Even if you are using a shitty pine log, the only thing you will find afterwards are clean, white ashes.
5. Water filled units do all of the above on steroids...8 hours of fire will and they will continue to heat for 48 hours.

I’ve got a friend In Michigan’s UP...he put one of these in his basement and now gets 2 YEARS out of his propane tank instead of 4 months. He keeps the thermostat set to a balmy 72 and even in the most bitter winter conditions that the Northwoods has to offer of 20 below air temps his forced air furnace will only kick on from about 3:30am to 5am tops working more as a backup than anything else.

That being said...the home is of a newer construction in the last 10 years or so, and about an 1800sqft ranch... but he does have an exposed basement too which results in more heat loss than one completely below grade.

He also took a jigsaw and cut out 4 additional “dummy” heat vents in the floor of his main level. Meaning that there is no ductwork/fans/etc...but just 4 additional good sized holes around the walls and his kitchen island for the heat to naturally rise through.

It should go without saying...but individual results would vary based on the home. He probably wouldn’t have quite such incredible results in a 100 year old home, nor in one that was 4,500sqft.

It’s the way to go, if you can swing it.