The Best Electric Fireplace Reviews & Buying Guide
With your home getting more automated and tech-oriented with every waking moment, it is no surprise that the fireplace has evolved with it as well. An electric fireplace brings a sense of elegance to your home while still performing its primary objective: to heat your home.
Depending on your decor and style, you can find an electric fireplace insert to suit your need, whether it is wall mounted or set on the ground. One characteristic that almost all the best electric fireplaces share is that they do not produce any dangerous gasses when burning, and you can regulate heat settings. This means that you are safer from coming into contact with any dangerous pollutants that make traditional fireplaces and fire hazardous.
You can also regulate the temperature very easily to the exact fire you want in many of the best electric fireplaces. Hence, you can get the right temperature in the room for comfort and warmth. Unlike traditional fireplaces, where cleaning up can sometimes be tedious with the best electric stoves, there is no residue; hence cleaning up is much easier.
An electric stove needs little to no installation or fuel to burn. Consequently, this makes it cheaper, environmentally conscious, and visually appealing all in one.
Like the best electric fireplaces, let us make you all warm inside by listing five of the best devices in the market.
Klarstein Bormio Electric Fireplace
The Klarstein Bormio is one of the best electric fireplaces that focuses on realism. With so many people looking for elegance while realistic looking, this insert for electric fireplace offers exactly this. It has a compartment at the bottom, which you can place wood adding the authentic look. At first, glance, if you are not keen, you could actually think that it is a wood burner.
The electric fire is fitted with smart features. It automatically regulates itself according to the room temperature, easily warming a 400 square feet room. Fitted with Open Window Detection technology, this modern electric fireplace will switch off automatically when there is a rapid drop in temperature. As a result, you save power and fire with this electric stove.
The casing is made of some of the best heavy plastic. This outer layer is a great insulator, only directing the heat to the desired direction. At the same time, making it safer for you to touch while this fire device is on. The insulation casing also means that you will need less electricity to heat your home quickly and effectively.
The old school 70’s compact design allows the Klarstein Bormio Electric Fireplace to fit in any room without distorting the home ambiance or decor. In fact, it can easily become the best centerpiece of the room, bringing all the furniture and decor together.
Pros
- Compacts and fits well in many rooms
- Light and easy to move
- Great design and authentic look
- Simple and practical
Cons
- The plastic glass door may be a bit brittle and can get scratched easily.
- The plastic glass panel can become foggy on the inside, making it difficult to see the flame effect.
Unionline Recessed Mounted Electric Fireplace
This wall mounted electric fireplace is one of the best options if you do not have a lot of floor space. It adds an amazing wall piece that brings with it functionality to the overall design of the room.
This fake fire, the electric stove, also has one of the best feel-good factors about it.
By this, I mean it has 9 fire colors that you can switch to as you please. Depending on your mood or just wanting a change, the ability to change the flame colors gives you various options even without heat.
The feel-good factor also spills over to the 6 different flame brightness levels, which can easily illuminate a 400 square feet room. The lowest brightness can change the scene of your home to a more cozy or romantic setting.
What this wall mounted electric fireplace focuses on are comfort and technology. The display screen is a touch screen, meaning you can interact with the electric fire as simple as you do your phone screen.
If you do not want to use the touch screen functionality, the Unionline Recessed Mounted Electric Fireplace comes with remote control. This gives you the ability to control the electric fireplace from anywhere in your home.
This fireplace also gives you the ability to set a timer on how long you want it to be on. If you want to warm your home first to find it warm and cozy later on, this functionality would be perfect for you. You have the option to set the timer from 1-8 hours, giving you flexibility on this front.
Suffice the notion that a wall mounted electric stove is hard to install; the Unionline Recessed Mounted Electric Fireplace is surprisingly fast and easy. You can either insert it in the wall or have it wall mounted. Such an option ensures that the electric fire fits exactly to your liking.
Pros
- Can operate via Touch screen or remote control
- Wall-mounted option to fit in the wall
- Beautifully designed for your home
- Variety of color changes and brightness options
Cons
- The remote control looks cheap.
- The buttons on the remote can wear out easily.
- Has a two heat settings
Warmlite York Ivory Electric Fireplace Suite
If you are looking for an electric stove that is sturdy and has a compact design, then the Warmlite York Ivory Electric Fireplace Suite may be a good fit for you. Its size makes it ideal for smaller rooms less than 400 square and can fit perfectly next to any wall in the room.
This is one of the best electric fireplace because it uses a fan to heat the room. As a result, your home can quickly be warmed up as the air is circulated faster.
This electric fireplace comes fitted with an adjustable thermostat controller, which allows you to regulate both the fan’s speed and the heat produced. This electric fire stove comes primarily in an ivory color, which is their best seller, giving it an exquisite look. You have the option to choose from a wide range of colors to suit your needs.
You can also choose from various fire LED flame effects, which allows you to switch up the room’s ambiance. Coupled with the LED experience, the Warmlite York Ivory Electric Fireplace Suite also comes with decorative pebbles for that authentic rich feeling of a traditional fireplace.
If you want it to just act as a decorative piece, this electric fireplace allows you just to put on the lights without heat emission. The reverse is also true as you can switch off the LED fireplace and have the heat emission working alone. Such a feature is a great addition because it shows how diverse and practical this electric fire is in a room.
This device is one of the best electric fireplace because of its safety cut off feature built in the heat settings, which gives you the peace of mind that you have added precautions to keep both you and your family safe.
There is no installation needed for this electric fire. All you need to do is plug it in and switch it on. Such a feature adds to its versatility as you can move it around in the house to heat any room you would like. While the compact design makes it more portable and practical for use in different parts of the house.
The two heat settings allow you to adjust the electric fires to your liking easily. This feature makes this one of the best electric fireplace as it is easy to operate. Additionally, the fan spreads heat across evenly, given all the square feet of the living room a uniform temperature.
Pros
- Compact fireplace design for easier portability
- The fan system heats the room faster.
- The ivory color gives it additional elegance.
- Compact and portable
- Adjustable LED flame effect.
Cons
- The electric fire fan can be noisy.
- The air blown by the fan can be irritating for some people.
- Heavy and may be difficult to lift or move around in the room
- No remote control
HOMCOM Electric Wall Fireplace
If you are looking to warm a bigger living room, then the HOMCOM Electric Wall Fireplace is one of the best heat device options for you. This electric fireplace is specifically designed for larger square feet rooms because of its relatively bigger frame and better electric fires properties to heat the room.
Its heat outlet is located at the top of the frame instead of many other electric fireplaces inserts, allowing the heat to spread over a larger area quicker.
This wall mounted piece has a beautiful rectangular shape with an LED flame effect screen with 7 color options. What is unique about the LED flame effect on the HOMCOM Electric Wall Fireplace is that they look more like dancing colors than flames. This gives it a unique feel for looking for a change from the conventional LED flames.
The LED flame effect design is topped up by artificial pebbles giving it a lovely illusion of fire burning. Since the LED display does not look like a real fire, the artificial pebbles make this fireplace stand out.
This electric fireplace is also fitted with an overheating thermal cut for safety. Whenever the electric fire overheats, it will automatically switch off. Such a feature not only keeps you and your family safe but may also help reduce the possibility of the electric fireplace from getting spoilt.
It also has a timer that allows you to put the fireplace on and off whenever you want. If you are coming home from work, you can set the timer so that the electric fires go on and pre-warm the living room for you one hour before your arrival. In the same way, you can set the timer to go off at a particular time just before you go to bed. Such a feature makes this fireplace practical and safe.
Pros
- Can warm a big room quickly
- A variety of dancing electric fires flame effect
- Artificial pebbles give it a unique look.
- Beautifully designed remote control
Cons
- LED does not display like a real fire
- Can be bright for some people
- Too big for some rooms
- Needs a little installation before use
Warmlite Rochester Electric Fireplace Heater
This fireplace was designed to look like a real fire in a fireplace. The plastic log is merged with LED giving it a lovely glowing effect that flickers like a realistic flame. You can adjust the brightness of the LED flame effect to fit the ambiance of the living room.
The old school rustic look can work perfectly in a variety of rooms. It is mostly made out of hard plastic, but you would think it was made from cast iron from a glance.
One of the best features of the Warmlite Rochester Electric Fireplace Heater is that the grill doors open up to 180 degrees, much similar to how a traditional log fireplace would function. This adds to the realism and detail put into this fireplace.
With remote control, you can easily control both the brightness and the electric fires heat emission from the comfort of your seat.
This electric fireplace requires minimal installation. In fact, all you have to do is to screw in the legs, plugin, and enjoy the heat and comfort.
Pros
- Has a realist look: resembles a traditional fireplace
- Looks like a traditional log fireplace
- Remote control option
Cons
- The heavy plastic can give you the impression that it is made from cast iron.
- The electric fires can be a bit noisy.
What you should look for when choosing an electric fireplace
With so many of these devices in the market, there are a few things that you should look at to make the best purchasing call.
Size: depending on the room’s size, you would like to place the electric fireplace, you should also pick one that is the right size for the living room so that it does not overpower the decor or heat the room too much or quickly.
Installation: if you are not the best with tools, you should go for one that requires little or no installation. Installation costs can add to the overall cost of the fireplace quite significantly. And if done wrongly can damage your furniture or walls in your home.
Safety: even though fake fireplaces do not produce actual fire, they still produce heat output. By ensuring you purchase one with the necessary safety precautions in place, you can rest assured that you and your family are safer.
FAQs
Does an electric fireplace use a lot of electricity?
If you use just the realistic flame and no heat output, the cost per hour will run at about $0.01 of electricity per hour in your home. But if you have the electric fires is on, the cost would range to about $0.19 of electricity per hour. This is still cheaper than using the best gas devices to heat your house.
Do you need vents to operate an electric fireplace?
No, since there are no emissions, you do not need any vents for many of the best electric fireplaces.
Can you leave the electric fireplace insert on all night?
Yes, you can. Many of these devices are fitted with a heat thermostat that would turn them off if they overheat. But just because you can leave them on does not necessarily mean you need to.
Our number one pick
Through our research, we would recommend the Klarstein Bormio Electric Fireplace. It has some of the best features merging the traditional fireplace with the LED lights’ modern feel. Its fireplace electric insert is also easy to use. The log compartment further adds to this modern- old-school synchronization. The Klarstein Bormio Electric Fireplace really does stand out as both an economical and beautiful electric fire.