A closer look at electric fires
Before buying an electric fireplace you might be interested to know more about how they work and what is involved when it comes to installation.
While there is no short answer to these questions, this section gives an overview.
The first question that many people ask is about how much heat you get from an electric fire. The answer will vary depending upon the device that you are going to use - you should check the specifications before making a purchase so that you know exactly what you will be getting.
In general terms, electric suites are good for heating smaller rooms, but may not be ideal if you are looking to heat a particularly large room.
Another question that crops up regularly is one of cost. There's clearly a cost associated with heating a home using electricity and few people would recommend this as a cheap option. Most buyers of these appliances look to buy them to heat a single room of their home - that's clearly a cheaper option than installing an electric fire in every room of the property.
This means that you can benefit from the heating, as well as enjoying the decorative properties of your new purchase.
How about installation? The most simple appliances will be those that plug in to an existing wall socket. Freestanding models are perfect for this use - they can still look great but installation costs are kept to a minimum.
If you're looking for something that looks considerably more permanent then you may want to look at getting the fire wired in. This is not a job for a novice, so consult a suitably qualified professional if you're not sure if you have the necessary skills to carry out the job.
You'll often see electric fires described as having a "flame effect". In practice, what this usually means is that lighting is used to create a flickering effect, similar to that which is produced from real flames.
Some people like to have this lighting effect switched on, even when they do not make use of the fire's heating properties. It's up to you how you make use of your fire, but you'll probably be wanting to strike a balance between impressing your friends and keeping your energy bills down to a reasonable level.
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