Best Energy Efficient Electric Fireplace
At a time when the climate crisis has never been more serious, the last thing anyone should do now is worsen the situation by buying a fireplace that isn't energy efficient.
Such a fireplace would not only be bad for the environment, but it will also dive up your utility bills far more than is absolutely necessary.
However, we're pleased to report that there's an easy solution to hand, which is to invest in an energy efficient fireplace. And the good news is that there are some really good ones out there on the market today.
We've been checking out the best of them and testing them, and our reviews are coming up very shortly.
(For the purposes of this article, we're going to concentrate on freestanding fireplaces rather than wall mounted or recessed ones.)
But we totally get that choosing one can be tricky, so we've also put together a handy buying guide that will walk you through the key points to consider before you buy.
Then we're going to top that off with a section where we answer some of your most frequently asked questions of the subject.
And without further ado, let's get straight to it!
Duraflame DFI-5010, 3D Infrared Portable Electric Fireplace With Remote Control
Now, this is hands down one of THE most popular electric fireplaces around. On Amazon alone, we can see that there have been well over 10,000 sales. And that's just from customers who bothered to leave a rating.
Better yet, even after so many ratings, the average customer rating still comes out at an impressive 4 and a half stars out of 5.
It has a rather traditional aesthetic, with a boxy shape and good, sturdy legs. The inside of the stove is home to a set of what is designed to look like freshly chopped firewood burning away.
And in the background, you can see yellow flames dancing away. The stove is see-through from both the front and the sides, with old-fashioned "bars". What's more, the flames are 3D rather than merely 2D.
You can tweak the dancing of the flames for color, brightness and speed.
Although it's quite compact with dimensions measuring 13.07 x 24 x 23.4 inches, it can sure throw out a lot of heat, 5,200 BTUs in fact, which is enough to heat up even large rooms of up to a whopping 1,000 square feet in size.
Using freestanding electric heaters like this one is more energy efficient than traditional gas central heating, because rather than heating the whole home, you only heat the areas that are actually occupied.
Its safety features include an automatic shut off to prevent overheating.
It's described as portable, but it weighs 28.6 pounds, so it's not that light to carry around. But if portability is important to you, there are some much more portable fireplace reviews to follow.
Amazon occasionally has deals on this particular fireplace - simply click on "Check price" to see if there happens to be a deal on now.
Our Personal Experience: We loved being able to just sit and watch the realistic 3D flames dancing away, and the room heated up so quickly we had to turn the thermostat down not long after turning it on.
Pros
- Prominent bestseller with excellent ratings
- Traditional aesthetic with 3D dancing flames
- Throws out up to 5200 BTUs of heat
- Quite compact, taking up minimal space
- Automatic shut off to prevent overheating
Cons
- Premium product at a premium price
Also Available To Buy At:
TURBRO Suburbs TS17 Compact Electric Fireplace
If you like the sound of a realistic looking fireplace, but you don't have enough of a budget for our number one pick, then this is possibly your next best option.
It has a somewhat compact design and a minimalist look that's perfect for apartments or small spaces.
And it weighs only 13 pounds, so you can just move it around to wherever you need it. And when you do want to move it, it's cool to the touch and perfectly safe.
It's safety features also include an automatic shut off to prevent overheating.
But despite its modest appearance, it can throw out quite a lot of heat, coming in at 4,777 BTUs, which is enough to heat up even large living rooms.
It offers thermostatic temperature adjustment, and you simply turn the dial to your preferred temperature setting, and the fireplace will act first to reach that level, and then to maintain it.
A thermostat like this is a great way of ensuring that you don't waste any energy, and that you use the heater as energy efficiently as possible.
It also happens to be a fan heater, to better spread the hot air into the surrounding area.
It's a prominent bestseller with the leading online retailers, where it's been met with excellent customer ratings and reviews.
Our Personal Experience: What we loved about this fireplace is its portability. When we were done in the living room, we simply moved it to the kitchen and then to the dining room. It looked great and it heated the area superbly. It was also very quiet.
Pros
- Excellent customer ratings and reviews
- Throws out enough heat for large rooms
- It's compact and space-saving
- It's lightweight and portable
- Features thermostat control
- It's very reasonably priced
Cons
- Doesn't come with a remote control
- There are no temperature markings on the thermostat dial
Also Available To Buy At:
Ameriwood Home Chicago Electric Fireplace TV Console
Now, what's great about this particular fireplace, as you may be able to see from the photo, is how it doubles as a TV stand...
You get a stunning, realistic, electric log fireplace with glowing flames. And at the same time, it provides a base for flat screen TVs up to 50 inches in size and up to 70 pounds in weight.
And that's not all - there's also room for a DVD player, and a games console, as well as some shelving for your books behind glass doors.
Its dimensions are obviously broad, but they remain unassuming, measuring 15.87 x 47.24 x 31.77 inches.
The fireplace part looks very realistic, with wood-look logs and a glow of flames, thanks to Ameriwood Home's AltraFlame patented technology, with LED lights that last up to a whopping 50,000 hours.
Once it's assembled, it couldn't be easier to use, you just plug it in to a standard socket and off you go. And it's designed to heat rooms up to 400 square feet in size.
It comes in a range of different colors, including black, dove gray, espresso, natural, and rustic oak.
It's been selling in its thousands on Amazon, where it's been met with excellent customer ratings and reviews.
Our Personal Experience: Although it required some assembly, this was very straightforward. It took the weight of our TV, and our PS4 slid in nicely on the shelf underneath. The fireplace itself was stunning and made the room look super homely.
Pros
- Doubles as a TV stand and storage area!
- Heats rooms up to 400 square feet in size
- Log fireplace looks particularly realistic
- Simply couldn't be any easier to use
- Excellent customer ratings and reviews
Cons
- It's heavy and not at all portable
- Requires some assembly
Also Available To Buy At:
Kismile 3D Infrared Freestanding Portable Electric Fireplace Stove
If you love the idea of watching 3D flames dancing on your electric fireplace, but you just don't have the budget for our number one pick, then this one may be more up your alley.
Although it's considerably smaller, it looks just as good, and is available for a mere fraction of the price. It measures just 16.3" x 12.2" x 22.8" inches, and weighs just 17.6 pounds, so you could easily move it from room to room if you wanted to, for more economical heating.
It has two different heat modes, one that uses 1500 watts of power, and one that uses just 1000 watts, which is much more energy efficient, and better for your wallet. At maximum, it can heat rooms up to 400 square feet in size.
It features adjustable thermostat control, so you can set the exact temperature you want, and it will not exceed it once reached. You can also control the brightness of the flames, too.
Its safety features include both an air outlet, and protection from overheating.
Our Personal Experience: We loved watching the 3D flames in this cute little fireplace. Super realistic and incredibly warming and comforting.
Pros
- Realistic dancing 3D flames on logs
- Can be moved from room to room
- Has a small, space-saving design
- Adjustable thermostat control
- It can be very energy efficient
- Excellent safety features
Cons
- Doesn't come with a remote control
Also Available To Buy At:
VIVOHOME 14.6 Inch Mini Portable Electric Fireplace
Now, this is a perfect choice for those who want to cut down on their energy bills. Rather than using gas central heating throughout the space, or even using an electric fireplace to heat up large rooms, this is a tabletop heater that you can place and use only where you need it.
It's perfect for those who are working from home and need some warmth in the home office while everyone else is elsewhere.
It weighs less than 10 pounds and has a handy carry handle at the top, so when you're moving from one room to another, you just unplug and take it with you.
Yet despite its small size it can really throw out some heat, 5,120 BTUs in fact, which is enough to heat rooms up to 400 square feet in size.
There are two heat settings to choose from, the 5120 BTU one which uses 1500 watts of power, and the 2560 BTU one which uses 750 watts of electricity. Very energy efficient.
The temperature ranges from 32 degrees Fahrenheit up to 203 degrees Fahrenheit, and the machine is very energy efficient.
And despite being such a modern high-tech piece of kit, the burning log-look fireplace has a really nice, almost realistic look to it.
Its safety features include an automatic shut down to prevent overheating, and an automatic shut off if it gets accidentally tipped over.
It's also really quiet to use, and will never exceed 40 decibels, even at the maximum temperature.
What's more, it's also much more affordable than your regular electric fireplace, to boot.
Our Personal Experience: We found this heater super handy to take from room to room. We loved how it looked smart and sleek, yet also rustic and traditional at the same time. We were tempted to buy two of them.
Pros
- Extremely small, lightweight and portable
- Adjustable heat settings up to 203 degrees
- Simultaneously modern and traditional aesthetic
- Affordable and reasonably priced
- No assembly required
Cons
- No thermostat control for reaching a specific temperature
- Not suitable for heating up really large rooms or areas
Also Available To Buy At:
Buying Guide
As promised, here's your buying guide. Let's walk you through some of the key points to consider before you buy.
Energy Efficiency
There's so much to consider when shopping for a fireplace, you could easily forget to look into the energy efficiency of the fireplace you're looking at.
But if energy efficiency is important to you, be sure to look at what the product descriptions say about their energy efficiency.
Aesthetic
An electric fireplace has a whole different aesthetic to a generic space heater, and this is usually what draws customers to buy.
And while there are a great many electric fireplaces in a standard black color, several of the units that made our shortlist are available in a range of different colors.
Be sure to choose a fireplace with the most fitting aesthetic for your home.
BTUs
BTU stands for British Thermal Unit. The greater the number of BTUs, the more heat is thrown out from the heater.
Portability
If you're not in the market for a recessed or wall mounted electric fireplace, you'll find that many freestanding options also have the added benefit of portability.
And this is important for those who are concerned about the environment and energy bills, and only want to heat the certain areas of the home where you are actually spending your time.
You don't have to waste energy heating unused areas.
The most portable electric fireplace in our shortlist is our number 5 pick, the VIVOHOME 14.6 Inch Mini Portable Electric Fireplace, which can sit on a tabletop.
Safety Features
When it comes to heat sources, nothing could be more important than safety features. We would even argue that it's more important than energy efficiency.
The most important safety feature to look out for is safety from overheating, since this could cause a real fire to erupt.
Thermostat Control
Not only does having a thermostat on your fireplace mean that you can control the exact temperature of a room, but it's also a good technique for not using up energy unnecessarily.
This is because the thermostat switches the heating mechanism off as soon as the desired temperature of the area has been reached.
So any fireplace with thermostat control is automatically more energy efficient than one that doesn't have this feature.
Additional Uses
When you have a fireplace taking up a big chunk of space in the room, it would be nice if you could use the top of it for keeping things on.
That's where our number 3 pick comes in. The Ameriwood Home Chicago Electric Fireplace TV Console not only features a stunning energy efficient electric fireplace, but it can also be used as a TV stand and a storage area.
Remote Control
Some fireplaces, such as our number one pick, the Duraflame DFI-5010, also come with a handy remote control. That way, you don't even have to get up out of your seat to change the temperature of the fireplace.
It's also a handy way to ensure that you're not using up too much electricity, and that you can turn the fireplace down, or even off, when you no longer need it to be so hot.
Fan
Some electric fireplaces feature a fan behind the heat, in order to better distribute hot air around the room.
Noise Level
You don't want your heater to distract you from anything you might be doing, so you could look into the noise level and seek out a quiet one.
Value For Money
Last but not least is value for money. You may have noticed that we haven't included prices in our reviews.
That's in case the prices change or deals come and go. However, we do encourage you to check prices as you go along, so you can learn which features you can get with your budget.
What's more, the prices of fireplaces can really vary quite considerably, even within our shortlist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are There Energy Efficient Electric Fireplaces?
To be honest, there are very few electric fireplaces that highlight their energy efficiency in their product descriptions.
This is because electric fireplaces don't vary too much in terms of how energy efficient they are, and concentrate instead on how much heat they can throw out, and how large a space they can heat.
Electric fireplaces are more energy efficient than traditional fireplaces, because heat isn't being lost through the chimney.
Does An Electric Fireplace Cost A Lot Of Electricity?
The cost of electricity from running an electric fireplace can vary according to what settings you use.
If you only have the LED flames on and no heat, you use barely any electricity. And when you set the heat to maximum, a 1,500 watt electric fireplace will generally still cost less than 20 cents per hour.
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