Wood Inserts: Efficient Heat for Chilly Spring Nights

Spring in Winnipeg is a little unpredictable. The afternoons can be genuinely warm, warm enough to open windows and think about patio furniture. Then the sun goes down, and you remember you live in Manitoba. Temperatures drop quickly, and that chill that settles into the house by 9pm is real enough to send you looking for a sweater or reaching for the thermostat.

A lot of homeowners deal with this by firing up the furnace again, even though it feels a little absurd in April. Others light up their existing fireplace, only to discover that the room never really warms up the way they expected. If that sounds familiar, a wood fireplace insert might be exactly what you have been missing, and spring is actually a smart time to look into one.

At Krevco Lifestyles, we carry a full lineup of wood inserts from Regency, one of the most trusted names in hearth products in North America. This guide is going to walk you through what a wood insert actually is, why your current fireplace is probably losing most of its heat, and what makes these units worth considering for your home.

What Is a Wood Fireplace Insert, Exactly?

If you have an existing masonry fireplace, you already have the hardest part of the job done. A wood insert is a self-contained firebox that slides directly into your existing fireplace opening. It connects to your chimney through a stainless steel liner, seals off the open cavity, and turns what was essentially a decorative feature into a legitimate heating appliance.

The simplest way to think about it: a wood insert is a fireplace within your fireplace. The original masonry structure stays exactly as it is. You are not doing a renovation. You are upgrading the performance of what is already there.

Why Traditional Fireplaces Lose So Much Heat

Here is something that surprises most people when they first hear it. A traditional open masonry fireplace can lose up to 80 to 90 percent of the heat it produces straight up the chimney. The fire looks warm, the flickering is beautiful, and the room directly in front of the hearth feels cozy. But as a heating system, an open fireplace is genuinely inefficient.

The reason comes down to physics. An open firebox draws air from the room to feed combustion, and that air, along with most of the heat generated, exits through the flue. You are essentially running your furnace and your chimney at the same time, one working to heat the room and the other working to empty it.

A wood insert changes this completely. Because the firebox is sealed with a glass door and the combustion system is enclosed, the heat has nowhere to go but into your living space. Instead of disappearing up the chimney, it radiates through the glass and is circulated through the room via a built-in blower. The efficiency difference is dramatic.

How Regency Wood Inserts Actually Work

Krevco carries Regency wood inserts, and the reason we stand behind that brand is straightforward: they build products that hold up over decades and back them with one of the best warranty programs in the industry.

Regency offers both non-catalytic and hybrid catalytic wood inserts, and understanding the difference helps you choose the right one for your home.

Non-catalytic inserts use a secondary combustion system that reburns gases before they exit the firebox. This produces a cleaner burn, reduces emissions, and generates more heat from each piece of wood. They are simple to operate, require less maintenance, and are a great fit for most homes.

Hybrid catalytic inserts like the Regency CI2700, which is available through our wood inserts collection, take efficiency further by using a catalytic combustor in addition to secondary combustion. When the firebox reaches the right temperature, engaging the catalyst extends burn time significantly and squeezes more heat out of every load of wood. The CI2700, for example, can deliver up to 14 hours of heat from a single load of wood, which means you load it up before bed and wake up to a still-warm room.

All Regency inserts are EPA certified wood burning appliances, meaning they meet strict federal standards for clean air and emissions. If you are burning wood in a city like Winnipeg where air quality matters, that certification is worth paying attention to. 

One feature worth mentioning for anyone in a climate like Manitoba's: Regency wood inserts continue to operate during power outages. If a spring storm knocks out your electricity, the insert keeps producing heat. Your furnace does not.

Why Spring Is a Good Time to Think About This

Most people associate fireplace upgrades with fall preparation, and that logic makes sense. But spring has a few advantages that are easy to overlook.

Installation is simpler when the heating season is winding down. Your chimney professional is not as booked as they will be in September. You have time to get the unit installed, have it inspected, and understand how it operates before you actually need it as a primary heat source.

Spring in Winnipeg also gives you the perfect use case right away. You do not need to heat the whole house. You need to take the edge off chilly evenings without running the furnace for three rooms when you are only sitting in one. A wood insert handles that kind of zone heating beautifully. You burn a small amount of wood, warm the main living area, and leave the rest of the house to the thermostat or simply let it sit at a lower temperature.

That kind of targeted heating, warming the space you are actually in rather than the entire home, is one of the practical reasons wood inserts tend to reduce overall heating costs once people start using them consistently.

The Practical Benefits Worth Knowing

Efficiency That Actually Changes Your Bills

Regency wood inserts run at over 74 percent efficiency, which is a significant improvement over an open fireplace losing 80 to 90 percent of its heat. Over the course of a heating season, that difference shows up in how much wood you burn and how much you rely on your furnace.

A Lifespan Measured in Decades

A quality wood insert, properly maintained, lasts 15 to 20 years or longer. Cast iron and heavy-gauge steel construction means these units are built to take the thermal stress of regular use without degrading. The Regency warranty reflects that confidence.

No Major Renovation Required

Because the insert slides into your existing firebox and connects to your existing chimney, installation is far less disruptive than adding a new fireplace from scratch. Your living room looks the same. It just works better.

Backup Heat When the Power Goes Out

Manitoba winters and springs both bring the occasional storm. A wood insert keeps producing radiant heat regardless of what is happening with the grid, which is a comfort that electric heating solutions simply cannot match.

Real Wood, Real Ambiance

Gas fireplaces are convenient, but there is something about a wood fire that nothing else replicates. The sound, the smell, the way the heat feels in the room. A wood insert gives you all of that with the efficiency of a modern heating appliance.

What to Think About Before You Buy

Choosing the right insert comes down to a few practical factors, and it is worth thinking them through before visiting the showroom.

The size of the insert needs to match the size of your existing firebox opening. You will want to measure the height and width at the opening and the back of the fireplace, as well as the depth. Bringing those measurements with you, along with a photo of your current fireplace, makes the selection process much more straightforward.

Think about how you plan to use it. If you are looking for supplemental heat on shoulder-season evenings, a smaller non-catalytic unit may be all you need. If you want to use the insert as a primary heat source for a larger main floor area, a hybrid catalytic model with a longer burn time is worth the investment.

Consider how often you plan to load it. If the convenience of long burn times matters to you, the catalytic models that can run 10 to 14 hours on a single load are worth looking at seriously. If you are comfortable managing the fire more actively, a non-catalytic unit is simpler and still highly efficient.

Our team at Krevco can walk you through all of this in person. We are not going to push you toward the most expensive option. We are going to help you figure out what actually fits your home and how you live in it.

Pairing Your Insert with the Right Hearth Setup

One thing worth knowing: if your existing fireplace does not have a proper hearth pad, or if the surrounding area needs updating, Krevco also carries hearth pads that complement a new insert installation. A proper hearth surface protects your flooring and completes the look of the upgrade without requiring any structural changes.

If you are also exploring other fireplace options, whether you are curious about a full fireplace or a freestanding stove, we carry those as well. The right solution really does depend on your existing setup, and we are happy to help you think through the options across all of them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Need an Existing Fireplace to Install a Wood Insert?

Yes. A wood insert is designed to fit inside an existing masonry firebox. If you do not have a fireplace, a freestanding wood stove or a new fireplace installation would be the alternative to explore.

How Long Does Installation Take?

In most cases, a wood insert installation can be completed in a single day. The insert slides into the existing firebox, and a stainless steel liner is dropped down the chimney to handle venting. There is minimal disruption to the rest of your home.

Do I Need to Have My Chimney Inspected First?

Yes, and this is worth taking seriously. Before installing any insert, a chimney inspection confirms that the flue is in good condition and appropriate for the liner installation. This is a standard part of the process and not something to skip. If you need help arranging that, our Fireplace Services team can walk you through what is involved before installation day. 

How Often Does the Chimney Need to Be Cleaned After Installation?

Most wood insert owners have their chimney swept once a year. High-efficiency inserts produce significantly less creosote than open fireplaces, which makes maintenance easier and less frequent than many people expect.

Can I Use Any Type of Wood?

Dry, seasoned hardwood is the right choice. Wet or green wood burns less efficiently, produces more smoke and creosote, and can shorten the life of the unit over time. Hardwoods like oak, maple, and birch are ideal for Manitoba winters and spring evenings alike.

What if the Power Goes Out During a Storm?

Regency wood inserts continue to operate during power outages. The radiant heat they produce does not depend on electricity, which makes them a reliable backup in Manitoba's occasionally unpredictable weather.

Come Talk to Us Before the Season Changes

Spring moves fast. The shoulder season where a wood insert makes the most immediate sense, those chilly evenings in April and May when the furnace feels like overkill, is also the time when installation timelines work most in your favour.

If you have been living with a fireplace that looks good but does not heat well, or if you have been running the furnace longer than you should have to just to keep the main floor comfortable at night, a wood insert is worth a serious look.

Come visit us, or browse our full wood inserts collection online. We are also happy to help with flexible financing through Flexiti if you want to get this done without waiting for the budget to line up perfectly.

Our team knows these products well. We will help you find the right fit.