FREEPORT — If you want to watch a grown-up light up like a kid at Christmas, just give them a remote control and a fireplace.

Jay Doyle sees these moments a lot. After nearly 20 years working with fireplaces, Loescher Heating and Air Conditioning’s sales manager knows the look well.

A customer decides to convert from a wood burning fireplace to natural gas, or maybe it’s their first time with a fireplace — but whatever the case, when they push that button, hear that click, and see those flames start dancing, they get a smile on their face and a sparkle in their eyes. There’s just something about the marriage of old-world ambiance with modern convenience that brings out the kid in them when their fireplace come to life for the first time. It’s enough to make them want to break out the chestnuts and start roasting.

And part of the reason they’re smiling? They know the days of hauling in firewood and cleaning up ashes are a thing of the past.

“A lot of times people are getting older and they don’t want to chop wood anymore, or they don’t have a source for wood but still want a fireplace to have the ambiance of a fire,” Doyle said. “They’ll go to a gas insert or a gas fireplace, where they’ll turn it on with a flip of a switch rather than having to find and cut wood. At the click of a button, you can have a fireplace and have heat.”

Loescher, which is located in Freeport and does heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical work throughout northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, stepped into the fireplace world in 2007. Since then, the company has carved out a niche in both full gas fireplace installations and gas inserts for old wood-burning hearths.

Less work is just one benefit of having a gas fireplace. Another perk: increased efficiency. Today’s models are better at doing their job than their predecessors, which were more like decorative space heaters that tended to pull air from inside the home.

Gas fireplaces provide clean and steady heat, customizable flame heights, backlighting options, remote controls and thermostatic settings — all of which transforms a room in a way that’s both aesthetic and practical. The logs in the units may look real, but they’re actually made of ceramic fiber, and the flames mimic the curl and rise of burning wood, even if they don’t replicate the classic crackle (since there is no crackle in a gas fireplace).

Today’s models are a different species entirely, Doyle said.

“The new fireplaces are great to where they are very efficient and pull outside air rather than air through the inside,” he said. “The new fireplaces have an intake and an exhaust, so they can bring in outside air, combust that, and exhaust the air. A lot of them are over 80 percent efficient, just under what a gas furnace would be. A lot of people like them because they don’t burn the air from inside the house.”

People who want to see what a gas fireplace is like can visit Loescher’s Freeport showroom, where different models are on display — both wall units and standalone models. Doyle guides customers through the features and benefits of each model, helping them find the right fit for their home. He’ll also go over the maintenance aspect of owning one, so customers will know what to expect before buying — and when he talks, he speaks from experience.

Doyle doesn’t just sell fireplaces. He lives with one, and like other fireplace owners, his stories are often less about thermodynamics and more about thoughtful moments.

“We have a study room where my wife goes to read books,” he said. “You think about snow falling, looking out the window, and a fire’s going, and she finds her peace there reading a book, drinking hot chocolate by the fire and being relaxed. Our animals like lying by the fire and love sitting in a room with a fire, there’s something peaceful about it.”

They’re not the only ones. Doyle enjoys sitting by the fire while flipping through a golf magazine or or reviewing a recording of a basketball game for the teams he coaches at Orangeville High School.

“A lot of times you have a room that you want to go to, rather than one with a TV,” Doyle said. “There’s something about going into a room that’s quiet and peaceful and warm.”

Can every home have one? These days, almost. As gas fireplace technology has improved, installation has become surprisingly flexible, allowing units to vent straight out the back with minimal clearance, making it rare that a suitable location can’t be found.

If the homeowner has a contractor on the job, Loescher will work with them during the installation process to ensure everything goes smoothly; he can also recommend contractors. Doyle visits each house personally, measures the space, shows booklets and walks customers through their choices.

“I don’t want to sell something to someone if they don’t want it,” Doyle said. “I want them to be happy, but I also want them to understand what they’re going to get for the price. Fireplaces aren’t cheap. You want to be forthcoming to the fact that this one is going to give you this, and this one is going to give you this.”

He also makes sure people understand the care involved. One of the things people want when they put a fireplace in is that they don’t want you back every half-year working on a fireplace, Doyle said. Gas fireplaces are easier to maintain than wood burners, but they still need attention: Cleaning the glass with only soap and water, checking for fogging, watching for soot and — most importantly — making sure the ceramic fiber logs stay perfectly positioned.

“Positioning in the log set matters,” he said. “There’s a specific way they need to sit. They come with an instruction booklet and there are pegs on the main logs so that they don’t shift, and there are other logs that just sit on top. Sometimes people don’t like [how it can look], and I’ll tell them that’s how they are because they’re at a certain position in order for the burn to work. The manufacturer’s look is their design and how it goes, and it’s something we can’t mess with.”

Fireplaces offer more than supplemental heat: They can shape how a home feels and functions, becoming a gathering place for friends and family, or simply a place where homeowners can sit back and relax at the end of a long day.

Once installed, they become part of a home’s personality.

“They’re a focal point of your room,” Doyle said. “I tell people that with the guys we have doing them, they make sure that when they’re done, everything is how they would want it in their own home.”