[Greenbuilding] Fireplace questions

[Ian Remmler]

Hi,

I have had a hard time finding information about fireplaces in
green building.  I know most fireplaces just suck out warmth,
but I would go with a Rumford fireplace, which is supposed to be
pretty efficient.  I'm in the Austin, Texas area, so I don't
need to heat the house with it; I just like sitting by a nice
fire!  So as long as there is no net energy loss, I'm fine.
With those assumptions in mind:

1. I've read that bringing in outside combustion air is the only
way to go, but rumford.com indicates that due to the Rumford's
efficiency, it's unnecessary, and that your ventilation system
should take care of bringing in makeup air.  Who's right?

2. Assuming rumford.com is right on question 1, would it be
better to put the fireplace in the interior, or would an
exterior wall be OK assuming everything is well sealed,
insulated, etc.?

Thanks for any insight,
    - Ian.