Electric Fire is the New Generation
It all begins with an idea.
Home owners in the 80’s and early 90’s spent a fortune boarding up their fireplaces or tearing it out and installing storage heaters. The next generation of homeowners then spent a fortune trying to restore them in order to experience that real fire experience. However, it wasn’t always practical or affordable to knock walls or re-establish chimney breasts. This signalled the start of the electric fire. With its efficiency, modern looks and easy to install, electric fires soon became the popular choice for home owners. They are also practical as they can be wall mounted, inset into a wall or replace an existing fireplace and most of them just requires to be plugged into a wall socket.
What are they?
Electric fires are visual flame effects which are mostly controlled by a remote or manually. They have variable settings which can be made to imitate real fire. The fire can be turned off whilst the flames are kept on, producing that warm and cosy feel making the room appear warm even without producing any heat.
Are they expensive?
Modern electric fireplaces can range from £300 (for hearth insert fires) - £3500 (for luxury fire suites), depending on the make and model of the brand as the power of the fireplace will influence the price.
How do you install them?
Most electric fireplaces can be unboxed and plugged directly into an electrical output. For wall inset fires, you may require a builder to cut out the space in the wall. You may also require an electrician to fit the plug socket directly behind the fire, giving it that tidy finish.
Are they cost effective?
Electric fires are very cost effective as the initial investment of buying the fire is the bulk of the cost. It does not loose heat as it doesn’t have a chimney or flue, making it efficient and cheaper to run than gas fires. There is also less instillation charge in comparison to gas fires.
Which one do I choose?
Choosing your electric fireplace may come down to personal preference. This could depend on the colour or brand as well as the style, whether you like hearth inset, fire suites or wall mounted. However, wall mounted fires are the most practical as they resemble flat screen TVs and can be placed in a room to become the focal point.
