If fireplaces are so inefficient, how did people manage when they were the only heat source in the home?

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I understand that with a traditional fireplace, most of the heat is lost through the chimney and you have to be very close to it to feel much heat. A wood stove or insert performs much better. However, I’m curious how people stayed warm enough in a house. It would seem that everywhere besides being near the fireplace would be freezing. I guess fireplaces were mostly meant to locally heat people near the fireplace, and not so much that the fireplace is a central heat source. That would explain why people often had a fireplace in every room. Just light the fireplace that you will be near for most of the time, etc. rather than heat the whole house. Just curious since you often hear “warm by the fireplace”.

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Ny oarents have a fireplace in their living room. With it lit, it heats up a significant part of the main floor. The entire hearth surrounding the fireplace is brick, which holds heat and radiates it for a while. Also while being inefficient, burning wood does create a lot of heat, and even if a lot is lost, some is retained and used to heat your house

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