For homeowners
Types of fireplace: which one fits your home?
Choose Fireplace for primarily for ambiance and secondary heating; Fireplace insert for the firebox of an existing masonry or metal fireplace; Wood stove for a primary or secondary source of heat. The right choice depends on primary or secondary source of heat, the firebox of an existing masonry or metal fireplace, and electricity.
| Type | Best for | Main advantages | Main drawbacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fireplace | primarily for ambiance and secondary heating | no official source names one | EPA (2026): “Fireplaces are typically very inefficient heaters.” |
| Fireplace insert | the firebox of an existing masonry or metal fireplace | no official source names one | EPA (2026): “If your fireplace is factory built (or "zero-clearance"), you must use an insert that was specifically designed and tested for your unit” |
| Wood stove | a primary or secondary source of heat | no official source names one | no official source names one |
| Pellet stove | no official source names one | EPA (2026): “Pellet stoves operate by pouring pellets into a hopper which feeds automatically into the stove.” | EPA (2026): “Unlike wood stoves and fireplaces, most pellet stoves need electricity to operate.” |
InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.
Post your job on InstaBids, and contractors can bid in writing on one written scope.
- Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
- Post it and send itContractors bid in writing on that scope.
- Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
- You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.
For your AI assistant
MCP connector · REST API · plain HTMLHand any of these to your assistant and it can help you write this job's request; you send the request yourself. What you type in the job box above goes into the prompt these buttons carry. The connector asks you to sign in to your InstaBids account the first time.
- MCP connector URL
https://instabids.ai/api/agent/mcp - Agent API (OpenAPI)
https://instabids.ai/openapi.json - Start-request link
https://instabids.ai/intake?from=options-fireplace&utm_source=us&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=options&page_type=options#job=fireplace%20or%20stove%20installation - Prompt for any AI, with your job
- ChatGPTOpens with the prompt
- ClaudeOpens with the prompt
- GrokOpens with the prompt
- GeminiCopies the prompt, then opens
Every page is plain HTML. Steps for every assistant: add to your assistant.
Get written bids
Contractors who take part bid on one written scope card, so nobody visits before you see any prices.
The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated.
Homeowners pay InstaBids nothing.
Post your job on InstaBids: describe it once, and contractors who take part bid in writing on that one scope.
Sources for the facts on this page
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Burn Wise: Choosing Wood-Burning Appliances, government, read 22 October 2026.