Over the centuries man has used wood fires for heating and cooking and protection. The fear of fire has long since left us and captivates us and entertains in an indescribable way. Wood has always been a low cost heating fuel, however in the 70s there was also electricity, oil and gas appliances with the advantage of instant action and low cost as well. But, cheap oil and gas did not last long. The home heating industry made tremendous technological advances and once more wood heaters present a low cost viable option to whole home heaters. It should be remembered that controlled combustion wood heaters can heat your whole home. They are not just room heaters like gas and electric units.

We do not recommend that home owners use open brick chimneys as a heating source. While they may provide an ambience that other forms of heating cannot, they are very inefficient and high polluters of our environment. New insert type heaters tested and approved to Australia's tough air pollution standards are available in many different sizes and are designed to fit into your existing brick chimney to change it from an "old wood hungry" low heat output fire to a modern fuel efficient and low pollution wood heater. These type of insert type wood heaters have almost exactly the same efficiencies of their free standing brothers.

The Research Institute for Sustainable Development at Murdoch University gives
good advice on many aspects of wood heating, including: wood heater design, siting, correct operation and other useful information.

http://www.rise.org.au/info/Tech/woodheater/index.htm