Harry,
I hear what you are saying Harry. I tried suplimenting heat with my
wood burning fireplace two years ago and I actually made my heating
bill go up. I read about the futility of heating with a fireplace and i
decided to plug my fireplace with a chimney balloon and just dress it
up with a candelabra for looks.
Then I upgraded the furnace to a power vent and that was when i really
experienced savings. Now I spend about 35% less in therms for gas on
the coldest months.
The fireplace is a nice decorative piece, but that is it.