After my divorce in '95, I retreated to a 600 square foot cabin that had no central heat and no insulation. Whenever you used the microwave when the 1200 watt space heater was working, it blew the old screw-in type circuit breakers. It was bleak. My landlord gave me a wood-burning stove that had been sitting in his garage for 3 years, unused, and when I finally got it installed, my electricity for that winter month was $24. I fell deeply in love with my wood-burning stove. They are, in many ways, better than fireplaces. You close them up at night, stay snug thru the night, and then stir the coals in the morning, and it's toasty once again.