Ten reasons you should get an electric fire

There are several reasons why you should get an electric fireplace over its traditional fuel-burning alternatives. To name a few, electric fireplaces are the safest type of fireplace, are easiest and cheapest to install, are most cost-effective long term, and require the least maintenance.

They come in a wide variety of designs and sizes, meaning there’s a fireplace to suit just about any space; no matter what your aesthetic or practical requirements are, you’ll find an electric fireplace that fits the bill. We’ve gone into more detail about the top 10 reasons why you should opt for an electric fireplace below. 

1. Safest type of fireplace

Safety is the primary concern with any type of fireplace, and this is where electric fireplaces come out on top. Electric fireplaces are by far the safest type of fireplace you could install in your home. Safety-wise, the main feature that sets them apart from traditional fireplaces is that electric fireplaces lack a real flame.

Traditional fireplaces, like wood and gas, require a constant source of solid fuel to burn and produce heat. This poses an obvious safety risk to your property and the people and pets that live within it; when real flames are involved, there is always the danger of the fire spreading or causing burns. With electric fireplaces, however, this risk is completely negated as they lack any form of real burning fire or flames.

The flames that you can see in an electric fireplace are nothing more than an optical illusion. Electric fireplaces create these flames using an internal mechanism; typically this involves an LED light that reflects off a set of rotating mirrors to create a highly realistic flame effect. More modern electric fireplace models may instead feature a digital screen as their flame-effect mechanism. Likewise, the heat that electric fireplaces can produce comes from an internal heater, furthering the illusion of a real fireplace.

In the absence of any form of a real fire, electric fireplaces are therefore much safer than their traditional counterparts. Many models of electric fireplaces also come with additional features to enhance their safety. For example, all of our fireplaces come with power supply cut-out features; this means the fireplace will shut off entirely as soon as it detects a fault, instantly eliminating any safety hazards.

2. Aesthetic appeal and customisability

With electric fireplaces, you have endless design options to suit every style and aesthetic preference. Electric fireplaces are fully customisable, from their size and surround, down to the colour and flicker of their flames.

Depending on the existing decor of your home, you can choose an electric fireplace that perfectly suits your stylistic requirements. Models of electric fireplaces come in a wide variety of styles; they range from traditional-looking surrounds to more contemporary modern designs. No matter what your preferences are, you’ll find an electric fireplace that ties the rest of the room’s decor together.

Another feature that only electric fireplaces can offer is the customisability of the flames. Many models will allow you to adjust the colour, brightness, and speed of the flame effect in your electric fireplace. You can set the ambience of an entire room at the touch of a button; whether you want a warm orange glow, or a bright white flame, adjusting the feel of your fireplace is instantly possible.

3. Easy and cheap to install

Another exemplary feature of electric fireplaces is their ease of installation. Providing a power outlet is nearby, you can essentially install an electric fireplace anywhere on your property.

The installation of a fuel-burning fireplace often comes with a lot of hidden expenses. A professional will need to fit the fireplace, as well as any necessary ventilation systems like a chimney or flue. This may involve a lot of structural work on your home; these additional expenses will ultimately push the overall cost of installation way beyond the price of the fireplace. Also, once installed, it isn’t easy a process to move the fireplace to a new location. You’d need to enlist the help of the professionals all over again if you change your mind about its placement.

Oppositely, electric fireplaces are simple to install without the requirement of any professional help or structural changes. The installation process is as simple as taking the fireplace out of the box and plugging it into the wall. Electric fireplaces don’t require any form of ventilation; therefore, you won’t need to spend any money on additional work to make the fireplace safe. All that is necessary is an available power source, i.e. a regular wall socket. You’ll then be able to use your electric fireplace immediately upon plugging it in and switching it on.

4. No chimney, flue, or ventilation necessary

To reiterate, electric fireplaces do not require any form of ventilation such as a chimney or flue. In addition to the safety benefits, this allows complete versatility when it comes to the installation of your electric fireplace.

It’s an absolute necessity for fuel-burning fireplaces to have some form of ventilation. Whether it's wood, coal, or gas, all of these materials produce harmful byproducts in their combustion; they generate smoke, ash, and fumes like carbon monoxide as byproducts of the burning fuel. It’s essential to have a well-maintained ventilation system to channel these byproducts out of your home. Without proper ventilation, the smoke and fumes would pose a significant safety risk to your property and its occupants. 

Electric fireplaces do not require these structural elements as they give off no byproducts in their running. This allows you to place an electric fireplace anywhere in your home regardless of whether a chimney is present. Electric fireplaces can also be installed into a variety of fittings, including brick, wood, MDF, and marble; as long as the material can support the weight of the unit, you can fit an electric fireplace into it.

5. Minimal maintenance requirements

Unlike traditional fuel-burning fireplaces, electric fireplaces have little to no maintenance requirements long-term. At most, you may wish to give your electric fireplace a light clean every so often to rid it of dust. Otherwise, no maintenance is necessary to keep an electric fireplace in safe, working condition.

Fuel-burning fireplaces involve a real burning source of fuel like wood or gas; and, as is the case with the combustion of any material, the burnt fuel will produce some unpleasant byproducts. A fuel-burning fireplace will create soot and ash, which you must regularly clean out to keep the fireplace safe. It’s also necessary to have the fireplace and chimney serviced by professionals to maintain the safety of the whole system.

On the other hand, electric fireplaces lack real burning fuel, and therefore do not have the same requirements for maintenance. They run entirely on electricity and use 100% of this electricity to power their heat and flame effect. As such, electric fireplaces produce no byproducts like soot, ash, or harmful fumes. The only maintenance you may carry out occasionally is cleaning dust off of the fireplace’s facade; apart from this, you won’t need to spend any time or money on maintaining an electric fireplace’s condition.

6. Most cost-effective fireplace option

From its installation to its long-term running costs, electric fireplaces are overall the most cost-effective fireplace option. Even the very top-of-the-range electric fireplaces will beat traditional gas or wood fireplaces in their overall costs.

As we’ve already discussed, in the majority of cases, electric fireplaces come with no additional installation costs. They also don’t incur any long-term maintenance costs as little to no maintenance is ever necessary. While these costs are inevitable with gas and wood-burning fireplaces, they’re non-existent when you opt for an electric fireplace.

On top of this, fuel-burning fireplaces are cheaper to run than gas or wood-burning fireplaces. With these traditional fireplaces, it’s necessary to keep them stocked with a constant source of fuel. A portion of the money you spend on this fuel is lost via the wastage that occurs with fuel-burning fireplaces. Electric fireplaces, however, run entirely on electricity, costing less to run per hour than both their gas and wood alternatives.

7. 100% energy efficient

Continuing from our previous point, electric fireplaces are the only type of fireplace that offers 100% energy efficiency. They convert the entirety of the energy they draw into powering their heater and flame effect.

Traditional fuel-burning fireplaces are inevitably prone to energy wastage due to the waste byproducts they produce. For example, wood or coal-burning fireplaces lose up to 95% of the heat that they produce; the heat is lost via the smoke and fumes that channel out of the fireplace through the chimney. In the same way, gas fireplaces waste between 10% and 60% of the energy they produce. This essentially means that a large portion of the money spent on fuel for these fireplaces is a total waste.

In comparison, electric fireplaces use 100% of the energy they draw to power the unit. As they produce no byproducts, they don’t waste any of the energy they draw. Therefore, every penny that you spend on the running of your electric fireplace goes into powering the unit. Not only is this good for your wallet, but it’s also much better in terms of your environmental impact.

On that note, electric fireplaces are the most environmentally friendly type of fireplace available. The absence of any waste byproducts means that the fireplace itself produces no pollution via smoke or harmful fumes. Furthermore, If you’re with a renewable energy supplier, then your electric fireplace will generate no pollution whatsoever.

8. Produces instant heat

At the touch of a button, electric fireplaces begin producing heat in an instant. This is another feature that sets them apart from traditional fuel-burning fireplaces.

To get a fuel-burning fireplace going, you have to stock the fireplace with fuel, light it, and then wait. You won’t feel the heat from the fireplace until the fire takes off, which can take some time. In comparison, an electric fireplace will begin producing heat from the moment you decide to turn it on. This is thanks to how an electric fireplace functions to generate its heat.

As we’ve explained, electric fireplaces do not involve any burning fuel to produce heat. They instead contain a heating mechanism to create the illusion of the heat given off by an actual fire; this could either be a fan-forced heater or infrared heating technology. As soon as you switch it on, the fireplace will power up its heater to generate instant palpable heat. You don’t need to spend any time setting them up or waiting for them to get going.

9. Thermostatic control

Another unique feature that comes with electric fireplaces is thermostatic control. Using a simple set of controls, you can adjust the temperature of your electric fireplace to your liking with ease.

Once the fire gets going, you have very little control over the heat output of a fuel-burning fireplace. There’s no way to reduce the heat that the fireplace produces other than putting it out completely. Electric fireplaces, on the other hand, come with multiple heat level options; you can turn the heat up or down as you please to adjust its output instantly. All of our electric fireplaces come with this functionality.

Also, many models of electric fireplaces utilise their thermostat functionality to enhance the safety and efficiency of the unit. Once the room reaches the desired temperature, the thermostat will detect this, and the fireplace automatically switches itself off. It will also shut itself off in the rare event of a malfunction that may cause the fireplace to overheat. This functionality prevents energy wastage at the same time as eliminating the risk of the unit overheating.

10. Ability to use fireplace all year round

To top off their all-around versatility, you can make use of an electric fireplace throughout the entire year. This is possible using the ‘flame-only’ feature that comes exclusively with electric fireplaces.

In electric fireplaces, the mechanisms that create both the heat and flame effect are separate from each other. You can operate the flames independently to the heater in the fireplace using the flame-only setting; this allows you to enjoy the visual effect of the fireplace without it generating any heat. So, even in the height of summer, you’ll be able to make use of your electric fireplace.