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Electric Fireplaces

By Ben Shabat

Changing trends and new technology make fireplaces a possible option for every home. Whether your home is large or small, a house or a condo, you can now choose to install a fireplace in your home without expensive renovations. Thanks to new innovations electric fireplaces become almost an upscale furniture piece that can be assembled with ease and turned on for both warmth ambience, and beauty.

While up until not so long ago, fireplaces required chimneys, venting, plumbing, and masonry work, today fireplaces become simple to install and do not require permanent installations and fixtures. Electric fireplaces are simple and do not involve complicated holes in walls, flue pipe, or even wood.

Options and Features

When designing electric fireplaces today, Manufacturers try to create them as similar to the traditional fireplaces, offering both the ambiance and warmth. Electric fireplaces include logs that glow when turned on, simulated flames flicker, and heat, pushed into the room by a fan.

There is a variety of options to choose from. From flame only fireplaces to heat only, and heat-and-flame combinations. Some models even combine all features and can be remotely controlled.

Keep in mind that electric fireplaces are not intended to replace a heat source and cannot be a substitute for heaters. They are mainly designed to provide comfort and beauty and many home owners treat these fixtures as a piece of furniture.

Safe and Mobile

Unlike traditional fireplaces, electric fireplaces belong to the owner not the house. They can be installed anywhere, providing flexibility to renters, that can, later on, uninstall them and take them to a new place as they are simple and quick to install and can be packed and moved like any piece of furniture.

In addition, electric fireplaces are safe. Unlike gas or wood fireplaces that generate extreme heat, electric fireplaces are low-heat and send their heat through a blower, making them a safer choice, especially for small rooms or for owners with kids.

Inserts

Some models are simply inserts that can be installed for use in an existing fireplace. These models require a surround that fits around them to fill in the gap between the firebox and the mantle or cabinetry.

Ben Shabat is a senior project manager for Remodeling California Inc., a leader in the Home Improvement industry. For more information about House Remodeling, feel free to Email Ben Shabat or call (800) 724-9946.