Tired of That Drafty Old Brick Fireplace? Why 2026 is the Year for a Gas Insert Upgrade

It’s a familiar scene in many older homes across London, St. Thomas, and Southwestern Ontario.

It is late January. The wind is howling outside, and the thermostat is set to 21°C, but your living room feels chilly. You look over at the massive brick or stone fireplace that serves as the focal point of the room. It looks charming, historic, and sturdy.

But if you walk past it, you feel it: a cold draft pooling on the floor.

For decades, homes were built with open masonry wood fireplaces. While they offer undeniable ambiance and a touch of historical character to neighbourhoods like Old South or Wortley Village, in 2026, they are often little more than beautiful energy liabilities. They are massive holes in your home’s envelope, actively working against your furnace.

If you are tired of chopping wood, cleaning ash, and feeling that persistent chill, this is the year to make a change. It’s time to stop thinking of your fireplace as decoration and start using it as an efficient heat source.

Here is why upgrading to a modern gas fireplace insert is the smartest home improvement move you can make this winter.

The Problem: The "Stack Effect" and Your Wallet

Many homeowners assume that because they aren't using their wood fireplace, it isn't costing them anything. Unfortunately, the opposite is true.

An open masonry fireplace is essentially an open window. Even with the damper closed (and let’s be honest, how often does it seal perfectly?), warm air from your home is constantly escaping up the chimney.

This phenomenon is known as the "stack effect." Your warm indoor air rises and exits through the chimney flue. To replace that lost air, cold outside air is pulled into your home through cracks in windows, doors, and the fireplace itself. Your furnace has to work double-time to heat that incoming freezing air.

According to Natural Resources Canada, a traditional open masonry fireplace can be as little as 10% efficient. In some cases, they have a negative efficiency rating, meaning they exhaust more heated air from your home than they provide to the room.

👉 Read More: Heating with Gas via Natural Resources Canada

If you have been noticing high heating bills despite keeping the thermostat low, your charming brick fireplace is likely a major culprit.

The Solution: What is a Gas Insert?

A gas fireplace insert is not a renovation that requires tearing down your existing brickwork. It is a brilliant retrofit solution designed specifically to slide into your existing masonry or factory-built fireplace opening.

Think of it as a technologically advanced, sealed combustion box that fits perfectly inside the old, inefficient firebox.

How It Works:

Unlike your open fire, an insert uses a two-pipe venting system that runs up your existing chimney.

1. One pipe draws fresh outside air directly into the sealed unit for combustion.
2. The second pipe exhausts all fumes and combustion byproducts safely outside.

Crucially, the process is completely sealed off from your room's air. It doesn't suck your heated air up the chimney, and it doesn't let cold drafts down.

The result? An appliance that can achieve efficiency ratings of over 80%, transforming a heat loss center into a powerful "zone heater."

👉 Explore Our Range: Browse High-Efficiency Gas Fireplaces & Inserts

Why Upgrade in 2026? The Core Benefits

Beyond stopping the drafts, upgrading to an insert changes the way you live in your home during the long Ontario winters.

1. Zone Heating: Warm Where You Are

Why heat the whole house to 22°C at 8:00 PM when everyone is gathered in the living room watching TV? A gas insert allows you to practice "zone heating." You can turn down your main central furnace thermostat and use the insert to bring the room you are actually occupying up to a cozy temperature. This is a proven strategy for reducing overall energy consumption.

👉 Learn More: Understanding Zone Heating and Energy Savings

2. Unmatched Convenience

Be honest: how often do you actually build a wood fire? It involves sourcing seasoned wood, hauling it inside, building the fire, tending it, and cleaning the messy ash the next day.

With a modern gas insert from brands like Valor or Kozy Heat, you have instant ambiance. With the touch of a remote control or even a smartphone app, you have a roaring, realistic fire in seconds. You can control the flame height, the fan speed, and the precise temperature.

3. Safety and Backup Heat

We all remember recent winter storms in the London area that knocked out power for days. Most modern gas inserts use a battery backup ignition system. This means that even if the electricity grid goes down and your furnace shuts off, your gas insert will still light, providing a critical source of emergency heat for your family.

Furthermore, because they are sealed units, you eliminate the risks of sparks flying onto the carpet or smoke back-drafting into the room.

It’s Not Just Functional: The Aesthetic Transformation

While the efficiency gains are massive, let’s not ignore the design impact. An old, soot-stained brick cavern can make a room feel dated.

Upgrading to an insert is an instant room makeover. At My Fireplace, our "Galleries of Fire" showrooms in London and St. Thomas showcase the incredible versatility of modern design.

• Traditional: If you love a classic look, choose high-definition ceramic log sets that look incredibly realistic, paired with traditional cast iron fronts.
• Modern: For contemporary homes, swap the logs for shimmering glass media, river stones, and sleek, minimalist frames.

You keep the character of your brick mantel, but the fire inside becomes a stunning, modern centerpiece.

👉 Get Inspired: Browse our Fireplace Products

👉 See Them In Person: Find Our Showroom Locations

The Installation Process: Easier Than You Think

Many homeowners put off this upgrade because they fear a messy, weeks-long renovation.

Because inserts are designed to retrofit existing spaces, the installation is surprisingly low-impact. Our certified gas technicians handle everything: running the new gas line (if necessary), installing the dual-liner venting system down your existing chimney, and sliding the unit into place. In most cases, the entire process is completed in a single day with no damage to your existing mantel or surround.

It is vital that this work is done by professionals. All our installations adhere strictly to codes set by the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) to ensure your family's safety.

👉 Safety First: Read about Homeowner Safety

Conclusion: Reclaim Your Living Room

Don't let another winter go by sitting next to a drafty, unused fireplace while paying high heating bills. 2026 is the year to turn that dark brick hole into the warm, efficient heart of your home.

Take a photo of your existing fireplace, grab some rough measurements of the opening height and width, and visit the experts at My Fireplace. Let us show you how easy it is to upgrade your comfort.

Ready to stop the drafts? ‍

👉 Contact us today for a consultation or visit our London or St. Thomas showrooms to see over 125 models burning live.

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