If your home has a wood burning fireplace, and you cannot remember the last time that you used it, you may want to think about switching it over to an electrical fireplace insert.
If you do not like to go to the trouble of chopping, stacking and hauling wood for your fireplace, but you love the ambiance of a roaring fire, you may want to think about converting your fireplace to an electric one.
An electric fireplace insert may also be an appealing option if your fireplace is in disrepair, because you can simply plug in an electric insert and you have a fire with no worries about chimney repair.
Whether you want to include an electric fireplace in your home for ambiance, convenience or cost, this little unit will keep you warm without the entire hassle of a wood burning fire.
How to Pick the Best Insert Like anything, there are many different models of electric fireplace units from which to choose.
An electric fireplace unit is easy to install by simply inserting it into your firebox and plugging it in.
The unit is fully enclosed in a metal box with glass doors.
The doors can be used to regulate the heat emanating from the unit.
When you are deciding which unit you want to install, a unit that completely fills the firebox will look the most realistic.
You may prefer a unit that is ornate and adds to the style of your overall room design, or may choose a modern streamlined model.
After you decide how plain or ornate you want the unit to look on the outside, make sure that it is high quality so that its flame looks realistic.
The better units have flames that are so real looking that even upon close inspection it is hard to tell whether the fire is real or not.
Simple to Install and Use These electric fireplace inserts are so easy to use that you have virtually no prep work before installing them.
If your chimney is in disrepair, do not worry, because you can just leave it as is.
The electric fireplace does not need a chimney at all.
As a matter of fact, you can install these units in any room in your house.
All they need to work is an electrical outlet.
While a lot of heat escapes out of a chimney, these electrical units offer the advantage of retaining the heat in your home, because they do not use a chimney at all.
They let you regulate the heat levels, and you can turn the flame on or off.
So the unit can operate as a heater without the ambiance of the flames if you wish.
Electric fireplace are also safer than gas inserts because there are no gas lines involved that could cause carbon monoxide emissions.