> I have a 1 bedroom apt, so it's not that big of a deal, really. It's 
 > the middle of November, a bit chilly, but I've done pretty well not 
 > turning the heat on so far sans fireplace. If I was in Montana, it 
 > might be another story :-)
Seems like I read that in temperatures below about 10 degrees F, a fireplace 
will actually suck more heat up the chimney than what it provides to the 
dwelling.
As you said, it doesn't apply to your situation.
An area for your experimentation might be a stove. Barrel stoves are very 
inexpensive, and building one in a 30-gallon drum (or even smaller) would 
increase your heating efficiency tremendously. Northern sells "ice shanty 
stoves" that might work well; see my comments about keeping them dry and 
painted if you want them to last more than a single season.
If you connect a stove to your fireplace, you must monitor the stack very 
closely for creosote buildup and take appropiate measures.
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