Regardless of the weather, I think the fireplace will be enough for me.
I don’t live in an area where it gets super cold, but we have these icy winds that sometimes come off the lake by the house. It gets so cold that it makes me glad I have a fireplace to keep me. Within a few minutes, I have heat in the house because I put fire logs on the grate. I’m not sure what I would do without the fireplace. I didn’t have a furnace put in the house when it broke three years ago. I didn’t think I needed the furnace. I didn’t use it for hot water, and it never got much colder than 50 degrees in my house. When the wind blew, it seemed to cut through every crack in the house and pull the heat right out. I had the house insulated, and the windows were caulked. It made such a difference that I didn’t start the furnace until January. When the furnace broke the following year, I never turned the furnace on. Between the insulation in the house, and the fireplace, I was cozy. I’m not sure if I’ll ever have another furnace installed, but I know I’ll keep the fireplace burning. Regardless of the weather, I think the fireplace will be enough for me. The best thing about the fireplace is that when the power goes off, I always have heat. Next year, I am considering moving, so I may have a furnace in the new home. I am moving to a different area and the weather gets much colder than it does by the lake. I can only hope there is a fireplace in this new house, so I don’t need to depend solely on a furnace to heat my house.