Bio-fuel, or ethanol, fireplaces are relatively new to New Zealand but they present a marked departure from traditional heating options in that they burn pure alcohol - a remarkably clean-burning fuel that doesn’t produce smoke, ash or soot and therefore doesn’t require a chimney or flue.

It’s a strange concept to have a fire inside the house without a chimney or flue, but in this case, it’s entirely appropriate for many settings and offers perhaps the cleanest burning fuel available today to heat the home. 

Generally made from the byproduct of certain crops such as sugarcane, bioethanol or biofuel, would otherwise be a waste product left in the ground to rot. 

The indoor or outdoor fires

Depending on the frame of the fireplace and the fire pit materiality, many ethanol fireplaces can be used inside or outside. There are various options to choose from, including black or white finish, stainless steel, natural, graphite or bone finish with some bio fires smartphone operable, with an integrated touchscreen or operable via remote control. There are also various colours and textural finishes available to create the perfect accompaniment for any setting - indoors or out. Burner inserts are varied too - with options ranging from small, tabletop burners through to high output burners designed to rival the wood burner in terms of output. 

Portable or freestanding? Wall mounted or tabletop?

One of the main allures of biofuel fires is that they are so versatile due to the lack of a requirement for a chimney or flue. This means they come in almost all shapes and sizes, and can be portable, wall-mounted, built-in, inserted into traditional fireboxes or used as tabletop fireplaces to create a dynamic visual feature with the allure of a real flame and considerable heat output. 

Outdoor fire pits

Biofuel fires are also available as a contemporary version of the traditional outdoor fire pit and designed to create an ultra-contemporary designer flair to any outdoor settings from poolside to a tabletop. 

Suspended fires

Pushing the boundaries of our traditional notion of the fireplace, some models of biofuel fires are now available in suspended form, hanging from the ceiling with a fireplace that can rotate 360 degrees to face any direction desired.