How big of a room will an electric fireplace heat?
What size room an electric fireplace can heat will depend on the particular model’s heating element. An electric fireplace with a fan-forced heater can efficiently heat a room of up to 400 square feet in size. Electric fireplaces with infrared technology can heat larger rooms to 1000 square feet in size.
How does an electric fireplace heat up a room?
Electric fireplaces create the look and feel of a real fireplace without the flames or burning fuel; they instead utilise a series of mechanisms to recreate the experience of a real fireplace.
Although electric fireplaces may look like they produce a real flickering fire, the flames are nothing more than an illusion.
To create the visual effect of the fire, electric fireplaces use a set of LED lights and a rotating cylinder of mirrors. The lights reflect off the mirrors to produce the flickering flame effect that you can see from the outside of the unit. As these flames are merely an illusion, they don’t produce heat in the same way that a real fire would.
However, many models of electric fireplaces are also able to produce heat, despite the absence of real flames. These units generate heat using an internal heating element, functioning similarly to traditional space heaters.
Heat output of electric fireplaces vs traditional fireplaces
Comparing the two, electric fireplaces and traditional fuel-burning fireplaces differ in how they heat a room. While traditional fireplaces can vary in their heat output, electric fireplaces guarantee a constant output of steady heat.
Many variables can affect the heat output of a traditional fireplace. For example, wood-burning fireplaces rely on firewood; the amount and type of firewood can have a significant impact on how much heat the fire produces. On top of this, it’s necessary to keep restocking the fireplace with fuel to maintain the heat supply to the room. The heat output of a traditional fireplace will diminish as it burns up its fuel.
With electric fireplaces, on the other hand, the heat is set at a permanent, constant value. Providing it receives a steady electricity supply, an electric fireplace will always produce the same level of heat. Typically speaking, there are no variables with electric fireplaces; the fireplace unit's heater is switched on or off. At most, some models of electric fireplaces allow you to switch between different heat levels.
Types of heating elements in electric fireplaces
There are two main types of heating elements that you may find in an electric fireplace. Different models of electric fireplaces will either use a fan-forced heater or infrared heating technology.
Fan-forced heaters
When you switch on a fan-forced heater, it will begin to take in cool air from the room using an inlet vent. As it passes over the heated coils within the unit, the fireplace heats the air to a warmer temperature. The fan then blows out the warmed air into the room through its outlet vent. The heated coils take a small amount of time to warm up before this fireplace can generate heat.
Infrared heating technology
Electric fireplaces with infrared technology heat a room using a different mechanism than fan-forced heaters. These fireplaces begin to emit infrared rays as soon as they’re switched on. Instead of heating the air, infrared heaters directly heat the object that the rays hit. Due to this mode of operation, infrared heaters begin heating a room instantly.
Infrared units are generally more expensive, but they work much more quickly to generate heat and warm up a room. Infrared heaters also tend to have a higher heat output than fan-forced models.
How much space can an electric fireplace heat?
The amount of space an electric fireplace can effectively heat depends on the type of heating element within the unit. Electric fireplaces that use a conventional fan-forced heater can typically heat a space of up to 400 square feet. Electric fireplaces that utilise an infrared heating element can heat a larger space of up to 1000 square feet. With that said, if you leave any electric fireplace running long enough, it will heat a room of any size.
How well does an electric fireplace heat Up a small room?
You can effectively heat a small room (up to 400 square feet) using an electric fireplace with a fan-forced heater. Electric fireplaces with this heating mechanism can sufficiently warm up a small room without requiring any major power usage. These units run cheaper than infrared-powered fireplaces, best suited for heating smaller spaces.
How well does an electric fireplace heat a large room?
To efficiently heat a larger room of up to 1000 square feet, it’s better to install an electric fireplace with infrared heating technology. It is possible to heat a large room with a fan-forced heater; however, this will end up costing you more money as running the unit for longer will leave you with a hefty electric bill. For both energy efficiency and economical value, choose an electric fireplace with infrared technology if you wish to heat a room larger than 400 square feet.
