What Are the Pros and Cons of an Electric Fireplace?

Is an electric fireplace a worthwhile home addition? Just more than 40% of recent new houses come with a fireplace, and a substantially higher percentage of homes built in the decades since the 1970s incorporate at least one fireplace.

Though not all standard fireplaces get the regular use they once did, many people still miss the appearance and comfort of a warming fire inside the house. An electric fireplace may provide a simpler, less labor-intensive alternative to the real thing. Here are some pros and cons of having an electric fireplace in your home. 

Pros

• Convenience. No need to obtain and/or store firewood and lug it into the house to build a fire. An electric fire starts with the flip of a switch, eliminating the sometimes difficult process of lighting a real fire. After enjoying the fire, just turn it off. No cleanup and disposal of ashes.

• Safety. Because there’s no combustion nor flames, certain safety issues are eliminated, such as possible carbon monoxide gas, chimney fires, and sparks or embers from the fireplace triggering an indoor fire.

• Less heat loss; higher efficiency. A wood fireplace loses substantial heat up the chimney. An electric unit, conversely, requires no venting or chimney, so all generated heat goes into warming the room. While the process of burning wood is considered an inefficient method for home heating by the Environmental Protection Agency, electricity produces heat with a 99% efficiency rating.

Cons

• Less ambiance. Few persons would claim that electric fireplaces produce the same classic, charming indoor atmosphere on a winter evening as a crackling, natural wood fire.

• Modest heating performance. While electric fireplaces are efficient in terms of energy consumption, perceptible heat these units produce is about the same as a standard electric space heater.

• No boost to the home's value. While a wood fireplace may increase home value up to 8%, most realtors agree that an electric fireplace adds no value to the home.

• Higher electrical demands. Household circuits must be adequate to handle the fireplace’s considerable electrical load.

For more pros and cons of having an electric fireplace, contact the pros at Air Assurance.

Housewarming Gifts that Actually Warm

When you’re searching for the right housewarming gifts for someone who just bought a home, give some thought to their comfort. They might enjoy and find something that complements the heating system useful like:

Blankets

Having enough warm blankets lets the new homeowners turn the heat down at night. Not only will they save energy by keeping the house cooler, but they may also sleep better as well. Scientific studies have found that sleeping in cooler rooms enhances the quality of sleep. Lower nighttime temperatures also drop heating costs. Select blankets, quilts, or comforters that are easy to wash and dry.

Fireplace kits

If the home your friends or family members are buying has a fireplace, a fireplace kit will give them the tools they need to enjoy the fire and manage it too.Besides fireplace tools, you can give them a fireplace liner or a fireplace grate, both of which make the fireplace more energy efficient. They’re designed to act as heat exchangers and instead of sending most of the heat up the chimney, they let much of it radiate into the room.

A space heater

If the new homeowner finds that the bathroom is cold compared to the rest of the house, a space heater could be one of the best housewarming gifts. It doesn’t make sense to heat the whole house for such a small room. As long as the heater has an anti-tip mechanism, is grounded and UL certified, it should be safe to use in the bathroom.

A programmable thermostat

If the home didn’t come equipped, why not make it a gift? It will help the new owners save money on heating and cooling bills and save them time. It’s too easy to forget to turn down the thermostat when racing for the door in the morning or going to bed at night. With a programmable unit, they’ll have convenience and practicality in one simple gift.

If you’d like more ideas related to housewarming gifts, give Air Assurance a call. We provide HVAC services for Broken Arrow homeowners.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.