The Benefits of an Electric Fireplace

a guest post by Lance Ranck

For years, the fireplace has been the focal point of the living room. However, recently the popularity of real fireplaces (i.e. the ones that burn wood and coal) is not as strong as it used to be, since people do not like dealing with all of the mess and hassle that comes with one of these fireplaces. Keeping the chimney clean and having to replace logs as they burn down can sometimes be too much for some people. Combine this with the fact that many places have stopped selling them, although you can still buy fireplaces and fireplace accessories online, it seems the traditional fireplace’s days are numbered.

The alternative here is to buy an electric fireplace instead. So what are the benefits of electric fireplaces, and can they ever replace the real thing?

The main advantage of making fireplaces electric is that it is far safer than the real thing, since it runs on electricity instead of creating an open fire. An added benefit of it using electricity means that you can set a desired temperature, which is usually done by using a thermostat knob but can sometimes be set via a remote control.

Not only are electric fireplaces much easier to run, but they are also a lot better for the environment than smoke-producing fireplaces. Because the do not burn any wood they do not create any harmful smoke or gases that could potentially harm the environment. That being said, the electricity that is needed to run them has to come from somewhere, such as a power station, but the amount of electricity being used to run it is almost certainly doing less damage than if you were to burn several lumps of wood.

All in all, it is well worth opting for a “fake” fireplace these days, due to their efficiency, safety and ease of use. But don’t think that that means that you have to renovate your home. You can buy inserts that will fit inside your existing fireplace, giving you the safe glow of a warm fire at minimal cost. You can also buy a wall mount electric fireplace if you live in an apartment, or in a more modern home that simply wasn’t built with this traditional fixture. Whatever your situation, you can still capture the magic of those flickering flames, and going the electric route is the one that most people choose to take nowadays.