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Providing heat in a living space is an important task. Whilst radiators and heating fans are one option, for the living room or bedroom, people often like to have an attractive fireplace feature to add décor as well as heat. There are a great many electric fireplaces to choose from, allowing you to fill an unused real fireplace if desired. You could even choose a useful fireplace that has additional shelving and storage for ornaments and media devices. There are many different types and styles so look at these best electric fireplace reviews to make a decision about which one is best for you.
Contents
- 1 Top 9 Best Electric Fireplace In 2020 Reviews
- 1.1 1. Dimplex DFI2310
- 1.2 2. SEI Narita Media Console with Electric Fireplace
- 1.3 3. Duraflame DFI021ARU Freestanding Electric Log Set with Heater
- 1.4 4. Southern Enterprises Claremont Convertible Media Ivory Electric Fireplace
- 1.5 5. Moda Flame Houston 50″ Electric Wall Mounted Fireplace
- 1.6 6. Dimplex CS33116A Compact Electric Stove
- 1.7 7. Duraflame DFS-750-1 Large Stove Heater
- 1.8 8. SEI Elkmont Salem Electric Fireplace
- 1.9 9. Dimplex GDS29-1262BW Thompson Opti-Myst Electric Fireplace with Heat
- 2 What Is an Electric Fireplace?
- 3 Electric Fireplace Buying Guide
- 4 Bottom Line
Top 9 Best Electric Fireplace In 2020 Reviews
1. Dimplex DFI2310
For a top rated electric fireplace, the Dimplex DFI2310 fits comfortably into most existing fireplaces. It measures 23 inches and has a 1375-watt heat output. If you have an unused real fireplace, why not choose this electric fireplace to fill the space? It looks just like a real fireplace, with realistic faux logs and a dancing flame backdrop.
Our Rating: (4.5 / 5)
There are three settings so that you can use this fireplace all year round. Choose from half flame, full flame or flame only with no heat. A quiet built in fan disperses heat around the room without causing an annoyance.
For ease of use, this fireplace comes with a remote control so you can alter the temperature of the fireplace or even switch it on or off from the comfort of your sofa. It is also easy to install. As long as there is a power outlet close to where you want to position this fireplace, you can comfortably plug it in and it’s instantly ready for use.
2. SEI Narita Media Console with Electric Fireplace
With a realistic flame and logs, this beautiful electric fireplace is the perfect appliance to use if you have an unused fireplace in your home. It is 48 inches wide and is perfect for larger fireplace spaces.
Our Rating: (4.5 / 5)
This fireplace features a surrounding mantel. This mantel consists of shelving that is adjustable so that you can fully customize the fireplace surround. You can use the mantel surface to support a flat screen television of up to 50 inches. It’s easy to put together and can be in use in no time and without having to spend a lot of money on workmen. You will only need to make sure that there is a power outlet nearby so that the fireplace can be plugged in.
An adjustable thermostat makes sure that you can control the temperature of this fireplace. For your convenience, a remote control is included. The brightness of the flame can also be controlled with ease.
3. Duraflame DFI021ARU Freestanding Electric Log Set with Heater
Instead of having to put up with the smell and smoke from natural logs in your fireplace, why not consider the Duraflame DFI021ARU Freestanding Electric Log Set? This appliance can provide all the aesthetics and the heat that you require for your home without the smell and smoke that you’d get from a real log fire. You can even avoid having to clean your chimney or real fireplace when it gets filled with ash.
Our Rating: (4.2 / 5)
This heater is fan assisted and can comfortably warm a room of around 400 square feet. It also has a gentle glow that can give your room the ambient light that you would expect from a real fireplace.
The logs look realistic and are enclosed in a wrought iron effect holder. It would make a stunning centerpiece for a room. Because this is only the log element of a fireplace, it is lightweight enough to move around and can be easily put in place. A remote control allows for simple and convenient operation.
4. Southern Enterprises Claremont Convertible Media Ivory Electric Fireplace
This stunning media fireplace is just what you need when you want a useful media stand that will save space in your home. When you don’t have the room to have a separate fireplace and a media stand too, this Claremont Convertible fireplace from Southern Enterprises is a winning choice. It has a beautiful ivory gloss finish and features shelves to either side of the fireplace with a large mantel that can comfortably support a wide screen LCD television that is a size of up to 50 inches.
Our Rating: (4.4 / 5)
The fireplace itself features a realistic flame display with natural looking logs. The flame effect is produced with the use of energy saving LED lights, which are long life and durable.
You can easily set up and install this fireplace media stand yourself and as long as there is a standard electrical outlet nearby, you wont need to worry about powering the fireplace.
5. Moda Flame Houston 50″ Electric Wall Mounted Fireplace
For a great space saving fireplace, look no further than this 50” wall mounted option. The Moda Flame Houston 50″ Electric Wall Mounted Fireplace is a stunning fireplace that provides a lifelike visual effect without taking up the floor space that you’d expect a fireplace to require. As well as providing the appearance of a real burning fireplace, this appliance also emits enough heat for a medium sized room without needing wood or any other fuel. As long as there is an electrical outlet nearby, this fireplace will always be available.
Our Rating: (4.5 / 5)
For your safety, this wall mounted fireplace has an overheat protection feature built in and the unit will switch itself off. The thermostat also ensures that the fireplace will only heat the room to a specified temperature.
You should be aware that placing an electrical item over a fireplace could cause issues with the appliance so you should ensure that the fireplace isn’t set to too high a temperature.
6. Dimplex CS33116A Compact Electric Stove
This beautiful faux stove has a compact size and wont take up too much space if you have a smaller room. The 3d flame technology gives the illusion of a real fire whilst the powerful heater needs no ventilation.
Our Rating: (4.1 / 5)
This is a versatile electric fireplace that can be used as decoration as well as for practical use. If it’s warm enough not to require heat in your home, then you can choose to use the fireplace without the heat function. The flames will still operate for decoration but you will be able to conserve energy by not using heat.
This electric fireplace is adequate for being the only heating appliance in a small room. You can turn off your central heating or lower the temperature on your home’s thermostat and use this heater on its own to save energy.
This electric fireplace is a great alternative to a real stove that requires ventilation to safely operate.
7. Duraflame DFS-750-1 Large Stove Heater
This stunning electric stove style heater from Duraflame features durable metal construction with a black finish. It has an opening door to the front for an even more realistic look. Installation is simple as a power outlet point is all that is required.
Our Rating: (4.1 / 5)
Due to its larger size, this fireplace is great for filling a space where an unused real fireplace may be built into a room. It would also make a great freestanding electric stove. It can provide heat to a room that is around 400 square feet.
You can easily control the temperature of this large stove heater with the use of the supplied remote control for added convenience.
A realistic backdrop with illuminated flames gives a homely look to this large electric stove heater. If it is warm weather and you don’t need to use the heating function of this stove, you can still use it as part of your décor by simply turning off the heat.
8. SEI Elkmont Salem Electric Fireplace
If you are looking for an ornate and traditional looking fireplace, then the SEI Elkmont Salem Electric Fireplace is the perfect choice. The fireplace features an amazing lifelike flame feature. The flames are produced using a special technology that produces crackles and snaps like a real fire, but you don’t need to contend with the smoke and smell that a real fire emits.
Our Rating: (4.6 / 5)
Surrounding the fireplace is a stunning mantel that has a strong surface. This surface can support a television of up to 24 inches. The mantel is made from china oak and is a beautiful accent for rooms with traditional décor. It doubles up as a useful media storage facility. It would be perfect in a living room, bedroom or dining room.
No ventilation is required for this electric fireplace and it requires very little assembly. Installation involves simply plugging the fireplace into an electrical outlet.
9. Dimplex GDS29-1262BW Thompson Opti-Myst Electric Fireplace with Heat
This amazing fireplace features a contemporary design that is bond to create the wow factor in your home. A black and cinnamon finish makes it suitable for most home decors.
Our Rating: (4 / 5)
Care has been taken to make the animated fire as realistic as possible and if desired, you can create a see through fireplace by simply removing the back from the fireplace. The ability to see the flames even without the back of this fireplace is made possible by OptiMyst technology. OptiMyst cleverly creates the illusion of flame and smoke to give this fireplace a realistic look. It’s so realistic that it will be mistaken for a real fire! A white rock ember bed gives the Dimplex OptiMyst Electric Fireplace a modern and clean look.
Operation of this fireplace is simple and a remote control on/off switch allows you to control it from the comfort of your sofa. For instant use, simply plug this fireplace into an electrical outlet.
What Is an Electric Fireplace?
An electric fireplace is a great alternative to a real fireplace. You can avoid the problems that come with real fireplaces such as having to clean up ashes and ensuring that smoke and waste gas from the flames are properly vented. Electric fireplaces don’t usually require any special installation and only need a regular electrical outlet to operate.
There are a variety of fireplaces to choose from to suit your individual needs. You can choose from different types, styles and even electric fireplaces with special features. With many modern electric fireplaces having remote controls, you can enjoy even more convenience. Safety cut offs with some fireplaces can give the user added peace of mind.
Electric Fireplace Buying Guide
1. Type
You’ll be pleased to learn that there are a lot of electric fireplaces to choose from. Built in electric fireplaces are great choices for renovation or construction. You can also find electric fireplaces that have a low profile and do not take up much of the room. There is a type of electric fireplace for every home’s décor.
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Wall Mount
Wall mounted fireplaces are attached to the wall rather than needing to stand on the floor. This can be a good way to save floor space and is also a safe alternative if you have small children. They have a realistic flame display and expel heat around the room. They usually come with a remote control so that controls on the fireplace don’t need to be reached or on display.
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Freestanding
Freestanding fireplaces are the easiest kind to install. You simply need an electric outlet near where you want the fireplace to be located. No special brackets or assembly is required so you can enjoy your fireplace in the shortest amount of time possible. They are suitable appliances to replace an unused real fireplace and give a realistic look.
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Corner Electric Fireplace
If you only have a small room and would like a corner appliance, then a corner electric fireplace is the perfect choice. Similar to the freestanding fireplaces, they are easy to install and don’t require any special setting up. They have a narrow profile that is designed to fit into a corner and save space.
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Electric Fireplace Insert
Electric fireplace inserts are intended to allow the user to retrofit a new fireplace into their existing fireplace area. Realistic looking log displays and entire fireplace inserts give the impression of a real fire, but without the smoke, ashes and gases that need to be vented. You’ll also benefit from the heat that these fireplace inserts provide.
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Electric Fireplace with Mantel
If you don’t have an existing fireplace for a real fire, then you can create the illusion of one with an electric fireplace with mantel. A realistic looking electric fireplace forms the center of this feature. Around the electric fireplace is a mantel frame. Some of these frames are strong and large enough to support a flat screen TV.
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Electric Fireplace TV Stand
For a truly space saving option, an electric fireplace TV stand is an ideal choice. A realistic looking electric fireplace provides the main centerpiece of the TV stand. You will usually be able to control the temperature and brightness of the flame with a remote control. Around the fireplace is a TV stand that will consist of shelves down the sides with an upper shelf that can hold a TV. You should ensure that the TV stand would be able to support the size of TV that you wish to use.
2. Size
It is worth shopping around when it comes to fireplace size. There are plenty of choices as far as size is concerned with electric fireplaces, and some are designed to fit perfectly in standard real fireplaces so that you can bring your unused fire to life. Corner fireplaces are smaller and are built to be space conserving. Media stand fireplaces are a little larger as they need to be large enough to hold a TV. If you don’t want your fireplace to take up any floor space in your home, you should consider a wall-mounted option as these can be placed as high as is required and take up very little space whilst still providing heat.
3. Heating Power
An electric fireplace serves the purpose of being both decorative and practical. In the winter months, you can turn up the heat and enjoy the warmth provided, whilst in the summer months, you may choose to still use the fireplace as purely decoration with no heating on and the flames on display instead.
When you use the electric fireplace for decoration with no heating on, the fireplace will consume very little power. Usually when you use the fireplace on half-power, it will consume about 3 times as much power in comparison to no heat. Running at full heat capacity, the fireplace will use double the power that the fireplace uses on half heat.
4. Available Features
Most electric fireplaces have multiple features and your decision may depend on which features the fireplace has.
To control the heat that is being given off, the electric fireplace will give you a range of settings to choose from. Whilst being able to control the amount of heat that is produced, you can often turn off the heat output altogether and use the fireplace purely for decorative purposes. This allows you to use the fireplace all year around.
A thermostat feature on most electric fireplaces allows you to set a temperature and then leave the fireplace on without having to worry about how hot the room will get. The fireplace will detect when it has sufficiently heated the room and will turn itself off. When the room temperature has dropped again, the fireplace will start producing heat again.
In addition to the thermostat setting, electric fireplaces often have safety features in place. Some fireplaces will automatically shut off if they are tipped, whilst other fireplaces have an overheat protection safety control built in too.
The fireplace is often controlled with switches and dials on the fireplace itself, but for added convenience, many modern electric fireplaces also come with a remote control. With these fireplaces, you can stay comfortable on the sofa or an armchair and control the fireplace from where you’re sitting.
Electric fireplaces are much more eco friendly than log, coal or gas fireplaces. They use less energy to run and produce no dangerous gases. To conserve energy, you can easily reduce the heat output of an electric fireplace, which you can’t do with a log or coal fuelled fire. You don’t need to worry about cleaning the fireplace in any special way or maintaining parts of your home. If you used a log or coal fireplace, you would need to find a chimney sweep, who can be difficult to find, and this can be costly too. Electric fireplaces can simply be polished and dusted along with the rest of the furniture in your home.
Bottom Line
There are many great electric fireplaces to choose from regardless of what you’re looking for in your search. These top 10 best electric fireplace reviews has given you a quick guide to just some of the fireplaces that you could choose from.
It’s important that you choose the right type of fireplace for your needs. For complete portability, choose a smaller fireplace, but if you’ve got a large TV that you’re unable to mount on a wall, you should check out the mantel and media stand fireplaces.
To save floor space, you can purchase wall-mounted fireplaces that give the ultimate contemporary look to your room. They’re not just for decoration either as they can produce enough heat to adequately heat an entire room too.
Electric fireplaces are cost effective to run and eco-friendly. They also require very little assembly and installation so you can use them instantly and move them around with ease if you want to rearrange your room layout.
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