Keep Your Family Warm and Safe—No Matter What

Because wood stove installers aren't as common in Bergen County as gas fireplace installers, expect to get quotes from two or three companies that serve the wider northern New Jersey / lower Hudson Valley area rather than a shop based in Englewood itself. In this region, a full wood stove or insert installation—including Class A chimney work or a stainless liner for an existing masonry flue, a code-compliant hearth pad, and labor—typically runs $4,000 to $9,000. Homes without an existing chimney (new construction or additions) run higher once full venting has to be built from scratch.

Yes. New wood-burning appliance installations require a building permit through the Englewood Building Department, and the stove itself has to meet current EPA 2020 NSPS emissions standards to be sold and installed legally. Most hearth retailers who work in this part of Bergen County will pull the permit as part of the installation and coordinate the inspection, so you're not filing paperwork yourself. Because wood installs are less frequent here than gas conversions, it's worth confirming upfront that your installer has actually pulled a wood stove permit in Englewood before, not just gas permits.

It can be, but it's worth being honest about the fit. Englewood's winters (26°F average low, a moderate heating season overall) are mild compared to genuinely cold-climate markets, and PSE&G's gas network reaches nearly every block in the city, so wood isn't filling a heating gap the way it does in rural or off-grid areas. Where wood still makes sense here is in older homes with an existing masonry fireplace that's currently just decorative—converting it to a working wood-burning setup or adding an insert gives you real heat, a backup source during outages, and use of a chimney you're already paying to maintain.

A wood insert slides into an existing masonry fireplace opening and uses your current chimney (usually with a new stainless liner), which is the more common route for Englewood's older colonial and Tudor-style homes that already have a working flue. A freestanding wood stove sits on its own hearth pad and needs a full Class A chimney run through a wall or roof, which makes sense mainly for additions, converted garages, or homes without an existing fireplace. Given how many Englewood houses already have a masonry fireplace sitting unused, an insert is usually the simpler and less expensive of the two.

There's no national forest or county land nearby for a cutting permit, so firewood here comes from local tree services and seasoned-wood suppliers serving northern Bergen County. Oak, hickory, and maple are the species most commonly split and sold in this part of New Jersey—oak and hickory burn longer and hotter, maple seasons faster and is easier to find split smaller. Buy wood that's been seasoned at least six to twelve months (ask the supplier when it was cut) since kiln-dried or truly seasoned hardwood is what keeps a masonry chimney from building up creosote.

The Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends an annual inspection for any wood-burning appliance, and that holds regardless of how mild the climate is. Even in Englewood, where a wood stove might only see occasional or supplemental use rather than daily winter burning, resin and creosote still build up in an older masonry flue. Plan on a Level 1 sweep and inspection once a year, ideally before the heating season starts in the fall.

Mostly infrastructure and climate. PSE&G's gas network covers nearly all of Englewood, so gas fireplaces and furnaces have been the default choice in new construction and remodels for decades. The winters here (a moderate heating season overall) are mild compared to genuinely wood-heat-dependent regions, and there's no nearby public land for cutting your own firewood the way there is in more rural parts of the country. Wood stoves haven't disappeared here—they're just a deliberate, occasional choice rather than the regional default.

Yes, and that's one of the more practical reasons Englewood homeowners still install one. A wood stove or insert doesn't need electricity to produce heat, unlike a gas furnace's blower or an electric heat pump, both of which stop moving warm air the moment PSE&G power goes out. For a household that's experienced a multi-day outage from a Nor'easter or downed lines, a properly installed wood stove tied into an existing masonry chimney is a real hedge—even if it never gets used any other week of the year.

For the vast majority of Englewood homes, gas wins on convenience: PSE&G service is available nearly everywhere, gas fireplaces run on a switch with no ash or wood handling, and installation is generally simpler since most local retailers are set up for gas work. Wood makes sense in a narrower set of cases—an existing masonry fireplace you want to bring back into real use, a desire for heat that works without electricity, or simply a preference for a real fire over a gas flame. Many homeowners here end up asking about gas first and switching to a wood conversation once they realize they already have a chimney that's just sitting unused.

An insert is a fireplace that slides into a pre-existing wood-burning fireplace—if you don't have one, there's nothing to insert it into. A zero-clearance fireplace is built into a framed wall, which makes it the answer for remodels and new construction. Simple test: existing masonry fireplace means insert; blank or framed wall means zero-clearance.

The right one can. If waking up to a warm house and live coals matters to you, say exactly that when you're shopping—firebox size and burn-rate control determine overnight performance far more than any number on a spec sheet. It's a much more useful question than asking about BTUs.

Yes—by creating a comfort zone. A furnace heats every square foot of the house just to warm the one room you're in; a gas fireplace on low burns roughly a sixth of the gas a typical furnace does. Set the furnace around 55–60 degrees as a baseline, then heat the rooms your family actually uses. Families who heat this way commonly save $20–$60 a month.

If you're putting a fire in your house on purpose, it's best to work with an expert. Unless you're genuinely experienced in framing, gas line, vent pipe, and the national code on clearances to combustibles, have a professional do it—and ideally the same company that sells you the fireplace, so warranty, service, and liability all live under one roof.