If wintery weather outside reveals cold spots inside, you may be looking for an electric fireplace with heater. It’s an attractive way to take the chill off of those cooler rooms. However, not all electric fireplace heaters are created equal. As with many things, there’s a wide range of quality among electric fireplaces, including their heaters. There are also a few things that most electric fireplaces with heaters have in common:
- On 120 volts, an electric fireplace heater can produce about 5000 BTUs, which is enough to warm up an area up to 400-500 square feet. On 240 volts, an electric fireplace heater can produce about 10,000 BTUs, which is enough to warm up an area up to 800-1000 square feet. In other words, an electric fireplace with heater has the right amount of heat for most rooms in the average home. And, there are models that are dual-voltage, so they can connect to either 120 or 240 volts – it’s your choice.
- Heater output is not determined by the size of the fireplace. Most 120-volt fireplaces will produce the same amount of heat, regardless of size. Likewise, most 240-volt fireplaces will produce the same amount of heat, regardless of size.
- When the heater is on, the blower is on, pushing the heat into your room.
- An electric fireplace with heater should be connected to a dedicated electrical circuit, whether it’s hardwired or plugged in. This means that the fireplace is the only appliance on that circuit breaker – if you turn off the breaker, only the fireplace goes off. Without a dedicated circuit, the heater could overload the circuit and cause the breaker to turn off for safety. Anything else on a shared circuit will also turn off.
- You can operate the flames with or without heat. That means you can turn on the fireplace any time of year, without the discomfort of overheating your room. The heaters operate independently of the flames and are controlled separately.
Controlling an electric fireplace with heater
Beyond the basics, what differs between different electric fireplaces is the amount of control we have over the heat. The most basic controls are on/off, high/low. A less-expensive, lower quality electric fireplace with heater will be operated in this way. When the heater is on, you can choose a high or low setting, and the heater will run until you turn it off. This is the least efficient way to operate an electric fireplace with heater, because you run the risk of forgetting to turn off the heater when the room warms up. There’s also a greater chance that you will overheat the room.
A better way to control your electric fireplace heater is with a built-in thermostat feature. This will allow you to set the fireplace heater to the preferred room temperature, which will cause the fireplace to turn the heater on and off to keep you at that temperature. This is more efficient than low/high controls because the heater will only run when it’s needed to bring the room temperature up. This system also keeps you from overheating the room.
Some electric fireplace manufacturers have improved even more on the basic thermostat controls, by allowing the blower fan to modulate itself along with the heating element. This means that the fan will adjust to the difference between the temperature you want and the actual room temperature. The bigger the difference, the harder the fan will work to get you to that temperature. With a modulating fan, you can also have settings like Eco and Boost. Eco is a preset that puts the fan at its lowest level, while allowing the heater to keep working until the desired temperature is achieved. This saves energy and therefore costs less to operate. The Eco setting also causes the blower to run more quietly, so it’s a great feature when you’re watching TV. On the other end of the spectrum is the Boost feature, which puts the fan and heater at their highest level, bringing the room up to the desired temperature more quickly. This is a timed feature and when the timer runs out, the heater returns to normal settings. This is a great feature for cold basements or rooms over the garage.
Which electric fireplace with heater will warm up my room the best?
As already noted above, heat output on an electric fireplace is determined by the electrical connection, and whether it’s 120 or 240 volts, so any electric fireplace with heater will offer the same basic amount of heating. However, electric fireplaces with more sophisticated heating controls will do a better job of warming up your room. Here are a few electric fireplace models with better heating controls:
Dimplex Ignite dual-voltage linear fireplaces with Comfort$aver
Ignite XLF is a slim linear fireplace that fits into a 6-inch depth: XLF50, XLF60, XLF74, XLF100
Ignite Evolve is an updated version of XLF, with new flames and enhanced media options: EVO50, EVO60, EVO74, EVO100
Ignite Bold is a 12-inch deep 3-sided built-in: XLF5017-XD, XLF6017-XD, XLF7417-XT, XLF8817-XD, XLF10017-XD
Ignite Ultra is a 15-inch deep 3-sided built-in with lighted logs: ULT50, ULT60, ULT74, ULT88, ULT100
Dimplex Revillusion dual-voltage insert series
Revillusion inserts feature a Mirage panel that puts the flames in the middle of the logs, in a range of sizes and just 12-inches of depth: REV30, REV36, REV36P, REV42
Napoleon Astound dual-voltage series
Astound is a 13-inch-deep extra-tall built-in linear fireplace: NEFB50AB, NEFB62AB, NEFB74AB, NEFB96AB
Astound Flexmount is a 7.25-inch-deep version of the Astound, with more flexible installation options: NEFL50AB, NEFL60AB, NEFL74AB
Napoleon Elevation series dual-voltage traditional inserts
Elevation is a big, bold traditional insert made to the same dimensions as Elevation gas fireplaces: NEFB36H-MF, NEFB42H-MF
Elevation X has the same dimensions as Elevation, with LCD flames: NEFB36LCD-MF
Napoleon Cineview series traditional inserts
Cineview is a smaller insert series, with optional trim kits for inserting into masonry fireplaces. It offers both Eco and Boost features in a 120-volt fireplace: NEFB26H, NEFB30H
Amantii deeper, taller dual-voltage linear fireplaces
Fireplace models that are 12-inches or deeper will come with dual heaters in sizes of 60-inches or greater. When wired to 240 volts, they will produce up to 10,000 BTUs.
Symmetry Extra-Tall: SYM-60-XT, SYM-74-XT, SYM-88-XT, SYM-100-XT
Symmetry Bespoke Extra-Tall: SYM-60-XT-BESPOKE, SYM-74-XT-BESPOKE, SYM-88-XT-BESPOKE, SYM-100-XT-BESPOKE
Tru-View 3-sided: 50-TRU-VIEW-XL, 60-TRU-VIEW-XL, 72-TRU-VIEW-XL
TRV-XT 3-sided: 60-TRV-XT-XL, 72-TRV-XT-XL, 88-TRV-XT-XL
TRV-BESPOKE 3-sided: TRV-55-BESPOKE, TRV-65-BESPOKE, TRV-75-BESPOKE, TRV-85-BESPOKE
Panorama Deep XT: BI-60-DEEP-XT, BI-72-DEEP-XT, BI-88-DEEP-XT
Summary
There are many options to add an electric fireplace with heater to your home. From the most basic to the most sophisticated, all of them will add warmth to your room on demand. If heating is the main reason for adding an electric fireplace, look for those with better controls.