I can't take any credit for this, other than convincing builder and real estate agent that this "newfangled" technology would not be a disaster and would not destroy my resale value.
As far as anyone knows, masonry heaters were developed in various places around Europe to deal with rampant firewood shortages during the "mini ice age" in the late 1600s, and the technology hasn't really changed much since then. The big advances are related to making them modular for easier assembly and using ceramic glass in the doors to let you see the fire.
If you don't believe me, I was talking about the new house with a nice old Austrian couple down the road from my old house. I described the heater and they both turned, smiled, and said "he has a kachelofen !!". Both of their grandparents homes were heated with kachelofen (tile covered masonry heaters) in Austria, almost 150 years ago.
http://www.ceramicstoday.com/articles/kachelofen.htmThe most bizarre thing is that masonry heaters are starting to be used with electrical heating elements in the smoke channels. Many countries charge much less for electricity consumed during off-peak periods, so people are using a masonry heater to let them heat up the stove with cheap off-peak electricity then enjoy the heat during the day when electricity is expensive. Apparently Tulikivi in Finland sells almost 50% of their masonry heaters with electrical heating elements these days -- talk about dual-fuel !!
