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Yes, sounds very good in theory. And to be technical, the better built chimney, the MORE heat it retains which helps to keep it clean. Cool chimneys are the real fire hazzards since they get coated with creosote very fast, even with good hardwood with only 15% moisture.
Most chimney fires start from chimneys that have been run too cool, too long, and then get a flash from a hot fire. That's also why the so-called "air-tight" degign was a fad in the 70s that got dropped after the many fires it led to. Sounds to me like you've never heated a home completely with wood, all winter, in temps that can vary from plus 40F to minus 35 F. It's not feasible to run a wood-furnace constantly at optimum stack-temps for the least creosote all the time. If you did, the house would get too hot on not-very-cold days. If you're playing with a smaller woodstove as a heat supplement, that's a whole different story. It's also not likely that someone is going to clean their chimney every day. So - in my opinion and experience, a fire-proof chimney, and a good shut-off damper in that chimney is very important for saftey-reasons. I've heated entirely with wood for 40 years and never had a fire. I have, intentionally started controlled chimney fires - it's a good way to get a chimney clean if you know what you're doing (and the chimney is metal, not clay or brick).
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