Empire Comfort Systems grew out of a small sheet metal shop founded by Henry Bauer in 1911 in the city of Belleville, Illinois. Formally incorporated on August 26, 1932, Empire Stove Company produced sheet metal heaters that took advantage of the increasing availability of natural gas.
From early floor furnaces (a forerunner to central heating systems) to console heaters to wall furnaces, to gas fireplaces and log sets, to the super-efficient Mantis fireplace system, Empire has adapted to market requirements.
Empire was the first to market vent-free heaters equipped with an Oxygen Depletion Sensor (now standard on all vent-free products in the U.S.). In the 1980s, Empire became the first to market a gas-fired heater that achieves 80-percent efficiency, and in 2006, Empire marketed the first vented gas fireplace to achieve 90-percent efficiency. Today’s heater and hearth offerings cover a wide spectrum of gas-fired products including:
- Vented, Vent-Free, and B-Vent Heaters and Fireplaces
- Vented and Vent-Free Log Sets
- Fireplace Inserts and Cast Iron Stoves
