If you’re looking for a modern electric fireplace for your home, you’ll quickly discover that there are hundreds of options in a wide range of shapes and sizes. The challenge Is to sort through them all to find the electric fires that are going to rise above trends and add value to your home. Most of us are looking for realistic flames plus options for personalizing the fireplace, as well as the ability to have heat on demand.
The good news is that almost all modern electric fireplaces have heaters, and those heaters operate independently from the flames. That means that you can choose whether or not to turn on the heater, and it won’t affect your enjoyment of the fire. The better-quality electric fireplaces have heaters with thermostat control, which makes them more energy-efficient. You set the thermostat to your preferred temperature and the fireplace takes care of the rest, turning the heater on and off to keep you at that level. Because the heater is only running when it’s needed, you save on electricity. And because you can use an electric fireplace to warm up just the room you’re actually using, you can turn down the furnace, which also saves you money. Because these heating features are common to most modern electric fireplaces, you can focus on finding the most realistic flames in a size and shape that works for your space. Below, we’re sharing the best features of the latest electric fireplaces, so you can narrow your search.
Deeper is better
For many years, the focus has been on making electric fireplaces as slim as possible. As linear fireplaces developed, there was a desire to mount them on the wall, possibly below the TV. No one wanted the fireplace to protrude into the room by more than was necessary, so manufacturers made them slimmer and slimmer until a 6-inch depth has become the norm. Along the way, we moved to having electric fireplaces built into the wall to create a feature. As homeowners replace their gas fireplaces with electric, there’s an expectation for modern electric fireplaces to be as realistic as possible. There’s also less concern over the depth of an electric fireplace, because they are replacing much bulkier gas fires. That brings us to the present, where the most exciting new linear electric fireplaces range in depth from 12 to 15 inches.
Dimplex Ignite Bold + Dimplex Ignite Ultra – From the moment it was introduced over a decade ago, Dimplex Ignite has been a top-selling slim linear fireplace, known for reliability and realistic flames. Now, Dimplex has added Ignite Bold and Ignite Ultra to the lineup, with framing depths of 11.625 and 15 inches respectively. With added depth comes bigger, more realistic logs, and flames that are pushed back from the glass, for more authenticity. The extra depth of the Ignite Ultra actually accommodates logs that are plugged in so they glow and pulse as if they are on fire. Both the Ignite Bold and Ignite Ultra are also 3-sided, which is another trend that is here to stay. (More on that, below.)
Napoleon Astound Built-in + Astound Flexmount – Napoleon has been known for electric fireplaces that are big on features, while not necessarily offering the best flames. Today, they are stepping up to meet the demand for more realistic, more luxurious modern electric fireplaces, with bigger, bolder linear models called Astound. The Astound built-in has a framing depth of 13-inches, allowing for an enhanced media package with some of the best-looking logs in the industry. Flames have been completely updated, too. While the Astound Flexmount is much slimmer, with a framing depth of just 7.5 inches, it is still slightly deeper than other slim linear electrics, and has bolder logs and media. Did we mention that Astound Flexmount is also 3-sided?
Multi-sided is multi-functional
There has been a steadily growing increase in demand for 3-sided, or multi-sided, electric fireplaces. We believe this is due to more open floor plans, where the fireplace is visible from all sides. Initially, homeowners purchased a multi-sided fireplace when they wanted to see glass on 3 sides. Now, we are finding that many folks choose multi-sided electric fireplaces for their extra depth and frameless installation, and they install them as single-sided fires. In fact, side panels are included with all of our multi-sided modern electric fireplaces, to facilitate various installation configurations.
Amantii has long been one of the front-runners in multi-sided fireplaces, with their Tru-View series. Tru-View is offered in various depths and viewing heights, in a huge range of sizes from 30 to 88 inches wide. This is in addition to all of their single-sided electric fireplaces. The latest 3-sided electric fireplace from Amantii is Tru-View Bespoke, which has a framing depth of 13.25 inches and a viewing height of 20 inches. It also has crackling sound effects and comes with a choice of premium media packages.
Until now, Napoleon has had a small family of 3-sided fireplaces called TriVista, with just 2 sizes. The new video-flame Luminex model is a big, bold multi-sided fireplace. The style of the LCD flames can be changed from gas to wood-burning, so it’s like having 2 different fireplaces. With a framing depth of 12.5 inches, there’s room for full-size realistic logs and deluxe media to enhance the flames. As with the Astound, Luminex is a step up for Napoleon electric fireplaces.
New traditional
For over a decade now, the focus has been on linear electric fireplaces, with their long slim profiles that work with large TVs above. More recently, as homeowners swap out their bulky gas fireplaces, some electric fireplace makers have raised their traditional fireplace game. Better acceptance of deeper electric fires is a huge benefit for more traditional styles, as it makes space for realistic logs and better flames.
Napoleon has introduced an electric version of their gas Elevation X series of fireplace inserts. The electric Elevation inserts come in 36 and 42 inch sizes, and may be substituted for their gas counterparts in any project where electric fireplaces are mandated over gas. Its framing depth of 16-inches accommodates a triple-layer flame that emerges from the logs from front to back.
Amantii has also taken an existing traditional fireplace model and tweaked it to create the BI-TRD-38-SIG Signature insert. They’ve added a Dimplex Optimyst CDFI500-Pro to their TRD-38 insert, combining LED flame effects with water vapour flames. When you add one of their premium log sets, the impression is very realistic.
Summary
As you can see, modern electric fireplaces have come a long way and now offer lots of great alternatives to gas.