One reason fireplaces are poor for heating is that chimneys get built on the end of the house, open to cold air. It can take hours to heat the chimney enough to put any heat back into the house. Hence our NE ancestors building the center chimney style house. Same applies to fireplaces that are open on two sides. No reflected heat and no brick back wall to absorb and regenerate heat.
MAXUM is right. For heat, consider a gas fired cast iron stove. Look into venting both exhaust and fresh air intake. If you really want a fireplace, a shallow "Count Rumford" design works well.
If you just want visual effect, I think there are some nice screen savers available.
Yes, get the standby generator now. Site selection is more important than ever if you think you might want to have solar panels, but don't like the look on the front of the house.
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