The Best Small Electric Fireplaces
The popularity of electric fireplace heaters has grown significantly over the last decade. In addition to being environmentally friendly, they also provide a cosy atmosphere.
Electric fireplace heaters are a great option for those who want to save energy and money. These devices are safe, efficient, and versatile. They come in various sizes and shapes, allowing homeowners to choose the perfect fit for their homes.
Some electric fireplaces won't be suitable for your space. Choosing the right model is important. They come in a wide range of styles and can be either portable, freestanding or wall-mounted. Before buying, you also need to take into account the recommended heating capacity and safety features to suit your needs. Read on to find out the best electric fireplace for you!
Duraflame Dfi 5010-01 Infrared Quartz Fireplace Stove
It has an adjustable thermostat, timer, and light, plus a remote control for added conveniences. You can choose from 4 different finishes: Black, Cream, French Gray, or Cinnamon.
With a 5,200 BTUs infrared quartz heater, this unit radiates plenty of warmth without depleting the room of its moisture. Because of that, it’s an excellent choice for people who suffer from allergies. The plug has a temperature sensor, so the unit will turn itself off if it gets too hot. A truly great and essential safety feature.
Pros:
- Simple and intuitive setup
- Beautiful design
- Small form factor
- Great heat production that doesn't dry out the atmosphere
Cons:
- The top gets very hot so nothing can be placed on top
- On the pricey side
- Size - 23.4 x 24 x 13 inches
- Weight - 28.6lbs
- Main material - Metal
- Coverage area - 1,000 square feet
- Heat output - 5,200 BTUs
R.W.Flame 50 Inch Electric Fireplace
The heater has a touch screen on the panel and a remote control for controlling the temperature. It has a lot of features that allow you to customise it to fit your needs.
You can choose from twelve different flame colours, five different flame speeds, and five different flame brightness levels. The LED flame bed comes in twelve different colours, allowing you to mix and match the colours and create a unique look.
There isn't a thermostat for the heater, but you can switch from one power mode to another—750 watts and 1500 watts. It’s designed for rooms up to 400 sq ft in size and comes equipped with a top-mounted blowers fan. A heater can sufficiently heat a room, but it cannot direct the airflow.
Pros:
- Quick and easy installation
- Stylish
- Customizable
Cons:
- No thermostat
- Average heat distribution
- Size - 18.1 x 3.85 x 50 inches
- Weight - 50.6 lbs
- Main material - Metal
- Coverage area - 400 square feet
- Heat output - 5,100 BTU,s
Zipcode Design Lauderhill Wall Mounted Electric Fireplace
This heater is equipped to heat a room up to 400 square feet. It has a powerful 5,118 Btu heater. It has some great safety features including an alarm clock, a timer, a safety stop, and thermal shutdown protection. It has a built-in remote control for added convenience.
Most people agree that this electric fireplace is simple to install and looks nice. You can turn the heaters on without activating the flames. One major drawback is that it produces only single colour flames.
Pros:
- Cool design
- Solid heater power
- Good safety features
- The exterior does not get hot
Cons:
- Does not produce multi coloured flames
- Size - 21.65 x 50.4 x 5.63 inches
- Weight - 46lbs
- Main material - Metal and Glass
- Coverage area - 400 square feet
- Heat output - 5,118 BTU,s
Twin Star Home Chimneyfree Infrared Quartz Electric Stove Heater
This heater looks like a traditional wood stove and creates a fairly realistic effect. The faux logs look real. It can be used both with and without heat, providing a warm atmosphere all year round. With a 5,200 BTUs heater and an adjustable thermostat, this unit can heat up to 1,000 sq. ft.
The Twin Star Home Stove Heater retails for $100, but you can often buy it on sale for $70. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that you'd find on more expensive models. Despite its relatively low price, this heater gets high praise for its easy assembly and appealing design. It measures 10 x 14 x 24 inches and is available in gold, silver, copper, and rose gold.
Pros:
- Simple to setup
- Minimal footprint
- Good heating power
- Great price point
Cons:
- No remote control
- Size 10 x 17 x 23 inches
- Weight - 14.92lbs
- Main material - Metal
- Coverage area - 1,000 square feet
- Heat output - 5,200 BTU,s
Red Flame Callaway Grand Electric Fireplace
The mantle is perfect for displaying pictures, candles, or keepsake items. You need to assemble everything yourself and there are tools provided.
With a 1500-watt heating element, this unit is designed to heat rooms to 1,500 square feet. The adjustable thermostat ranges from 72 to 99 degrees F. Other convenient features include an infrared remote control and multi-colour flame. You can use the fire with or without heat. The only downside is that there are no safety features. This heater doesn't turn itself off automatically.
Pros:
- Classic look
- Many flame colour options
- Adjustable thermostat
Cons:
- Pricey
- Poor safety features
- Size - 49.95 x 63 x 17.24 inches
- Weight - 179lbs
- Main material - Wood
- Coverage area - 1,000 square feet
- Heat output - 5,100 BTU,s
Ameriwood Home Carver Electric Fireplace Tv Stand
With both flame and temperature adjustability, this fireplace heater can easily be used all year round. It can heat rooms to 400 square feet in size. It comes in white, grey, and black colours.
With four storage shelves, this stand will keep things looking neat and organised. It has cutouts for cords so they won't get tangled up. The top shelf can usually hold most 60-inch flat panels. It's not hard to assemble, but it can take some time. However, the final result looks well worth the effort.
Pros:
- Multi-use with TV aspect and mantle space
- Hides chords and looks sleek
- Flames look realistic
Cons:
- A complicated construction
- Size - 19.8 x 54.1 x 31.3 inches
- Weight - 119lbs
- Main material - Metal and glass
- Coverage area - 400 square feet
- Heat output - 4,600 BTU,s
Comfort Zone Czfp1 Portable Fireplace Heater
Lightweight and compact, this portable electric fireplace weighs less than 5 pounds and can easily be taken from room to room. It measures 10.75 x 7.88 x 14.13 in., so it can be placed on a table or the floor.
With 1,200 watts of heating power and two heat settings, this heater is best suited to smaller spaces up to 175 square feet. The 3D flame and bed of glowing ember effects give the illusion of realism.
The Comfortable Zone portable fireplace heater has some great safety features. It includes a tip-over switch and an automatic shutoff in case of overheating. It also has a cool-to-touch design. The fan-forced heater quickly disperses heat throughout a room. This unit is available for purchase in two colours: red or black.
Pros:
- Light as a feather
- Compact and portable
- Excellent safety features
Cons:
- Small coverage
- Size - 10.75 x 7.88 x 14.13 inches
- Weight - 5.33lbs
- Main material - Plastic
- Coverage area - 175 square feet
- Heat output - 1,200 watts
Laurel Foundry Terrence Charcoal Terrence 47.38" W Electric Fireplace
The Terrence electric fireplaces come in four finishes: sergeant, charcoal, grey, or chico oak. Thanks to its cool-touch exterior, this product is safe for use around kids and pets.
This unit has a heating capacity of 4,600 BTUs and can heat rooms to 400 square feet in size. The 23-inch firebox has top-mounted blowers for optimal airflow. Since the flame effect works with or without heat, it is usable in all seasons. It doesn't have any user-friendly features like a flame and thermostat adjustment.
Pros:
- Quick and simple to assemble
- Comes with traditional log or fire glass beads
- Adaptable and adjustable for different seasons
Cons:
- Doesn't have a thermostat setting or much flame adjustability
- Size - 37.9 x 47.38 x 11.5 inches
- Weight - 82.76lbs
- Main material - Wood
- Coverage area - 400 square feet
- Heat output - 4,600 BTUs
Buyer's Guide
Power
An electric fireplace is a type of electrical appliance and usually requires access to mains power to function.
Most electric fireplaces will come equipped with a power cord and a plug. They generally work straight away and you just need to plug them into one of the standard power sockets in your house and they can be used right away.
Electric fireplaces that are designed to be a permanent feature in your home, such as built-in fireplaces, may need electrical wiring.
However, some of these types of units come with a plug kit as standard that allows you to plug them into an electrical socket instead. If not, these additional plug-ins can usually be purchased as an optional extra.
Powering An Electric Fireplace
When buying an electric fireplace, look for one that can be plugged into a wall outlet or is hardwired. Most electric fireplaces come with a power cord and plug as standard but some models, such as built-ins, may require hard wiring.
Electric fireplaces cannot be plugged into an extension lead and so you'll need to consider which type of electric fireplace will be capable of reaching a nearby electrical outlet in the house.
Flame Effects
The flames effects are the focal point of an electric fireplace.
They create the appearance of a real fire, but they don't burn any fuel.
Electric fireplaces use rotating mirrors to create the appearance of flickering flames.
The realism of the fireplaces will vary from one brand and model to another, but in general the pricier the fireplace the more realistic flame effects you can typically look forward to seeing.
As you progress up through the price ranges, you’ll be finding electric fireplaces that use more and more realistic flames.
The realism of the flame effects in an electric fireplace will vary between each brand and model.
Expect lower-cost electric fireplaces to have less realism in the flame effects and for the higher priced units to display more realistic flames.
Look out for highly realistic flame technologies such as Prism, Allure and 3D SpectraFire used by popular brands such as Dimplex, Napoleon and Classic Flame respectively.
Heater
Most electric fireplaces will also include a built-in heater, which means they will be able to generate supplementary heating.
There are two main kinds of heaters used in an electric fireplace.
- Fan forced heater
- Infrared heater
Infrared heaters are another type of heater you‘ll find in an electric fireplace.
Infrared heaters can usually heat a larger area than fan heaters and can usually be found on the more costly models of electric fireplaces.
Electric fireplaces with infra-red heaters can typically heat rooms to 1,000 square feet, while those with fan heaters can typically heat rooms up t0 400 square feet.
Fan heaters are usually used to heat smaller rooms, whereas electric fireplaces with infrared heaters are more commonly found with the ability to heat large rooms.
Maintenance
As electric fireplaces run on electricity, the flames aren’t real.
Some modern electric fireplaces now employ LED lights to create the flame effect, but others may still use traditional bulbs. LED lights are rated to last many times longer than regular light bulbs.
If your new electric fireplaces use bulbs rather than LEDs, then you may need to replace them every few years when they blow out.
There aren't really any maintenance requirements for an electric fireplace unless it uses LEDs.
Compared to other types, such as wood-burning, fireplaces don't require any setup at the start and no cleanup at the end. There aren't any byproducts like smoke or gas produced, so you don't need to maintain a chimney or flu.
Maintenance For Electric Fireplaces
Electric fireplaces don't require as much maintenance or cleaning as can be required for other kinds of fireplaces. Some models of electric fireplaces may use bulbs to generate the flame, which you can expect to have to change every few years through normal use.
When buying an electric fireplace check if it uses bulbs. LED lights are rated to last many years longer than halogen bulbs, so they're worth investing in.
Features
Electric fireplaces come in a variety of styles and designs, some of which include:
- Thermostatic control
- Remote control
- Timer functionality
- Multi-colour flames
- Flame only functionality
- Overheat protection
- Flame speed and brightness control
Thermostatic control lets you set the desired temperature for any room, and an electric fireplace will bring the room up close to that temperature by turning itself on and off.
Some electric fireplaces can be controlled by a remote control that lets you adjust all of the features right from your seat.
If you want to enjoy the flames without having to turn on the heat, then many electric fireplaces offer this option.
Electric fireplaces usually offer a range of settings for controlling the brightness and/or the intensity of the flames.
We've created our own particular electric fireplace stove which allows us to adjust the intensity of the flames.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to know when buying an electric fireplace?
So, typically when shopping for an electric fireplace, you'll want to look for lower wattage and a higher BTU rating. Because of their relatively low wattage, most electric fireplaces can run off of a standard 120-volt plug (about 1500 watts), making electric fireplaces much more efficient than wood-burning fireplaces.
How do I know what size electric fireplace to buy?
Typically, you want it to be the size of an average TV. Just as important as the physical size of the fireplace is the amount of power it produces. The overall size of the room will tell you what size electric heater you need. Count on roughly ten watts of power per square foot.
Is an electric fireplace tacky?
Not anymore! Modern electric fireplaces such as the Regency Skope series are specifically designed to suit any modern home and offer realistic 3-dimensional displays.
Does an electric fireplace need a flue?
Electric fireplaces do not need a vent, chimney, or flue. They do not emit smoke or toxins from combustion since they don't burn fuel.
Should an electric fireplace be on its own circuit?
You should however plug your Electric Fireplace into an outlet by itself on a dedicated breaker or fuse. Before plugging an Electric Fireplace into an outlet in your home, you should make sure that it is not on the same circuit as any other significant appliances or lights.
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