Electric Fireplaces

There is some confusion among some potential consumers about the terminology surrounding electric fires and accessories. This can be blamed on the industry as a whole - keeping things simple would be a better way of increasing sales.

So what exactly is an electric fireplace? If you've tried to look up the phrase "electric fireplace" (or "electric fire suite") in a dictionary then you may well have found very little information.

That's certainly the case when I look at my relatively new dictionary. So why might this be?

It's largely because these phrases tend to be used solely within the home heating industry - they have not made it into wider use.

When people talk about electric fireplaces what they are usually describing are electric fires that can be used to copy the effect that would be achieved by more traditional methods of heating (such as wood or coal fires).

They can even be placed in existing fireplaces, although this does mean that the opening can no longer be used by other appliances.

Advantages of electric fireplaces

So why have electric fires become more popular? One prominent reason is that they do not require an existing chimney in order to use them. This is because they do not have to make use of an existing fireplace (although many models do have the ability to do so). Why is this such an advantage?

Many properties don't have chimneys in existence, or certainly not ones that are usable. Given this situation, it's easy to see how these appliances have become desirable.

Is that the only reason why consumers have been turning to electric fireplace suites? No - there are a number of other advantages.

Ease of installation is a key factor for many, plus the fact that a large number of electric fireplaces are actually portable. That certainly gives more flexibility than would be the case with a solid fuel burning alternative.

Disadvantages of electric fires

There are, however, some disadvantages to buying an electric fireplace. These are worth noting, even if they make little difference in your own situation.

Firstly, it must be said that the flame effects are not as realistic as the real flames produced by alternative heating sources. Although things have been improving in recent years with technological advances, you won't get quite the same effect.

You also need to bear in mind that you shouldn't expose electric fires to water, although this should hopefully already be obvious to you!

Don't forget that an electric fireplace will be likely to cost more money than a standard electric fire. In essence, you're paying more for the fact that they look considerably better.