How to Compare Electric Fireplaces

Look to see if the electric fireplace actually produces heat or if it is just an image on a screen. Some electric fireplaces recreate the illusion of fire without generating heat. Most new televisions have a screen saver feature like this, so if you just want the image of a fireplace, you may want to opt for a new television instead.

Inspect the amount of electricity the fireplace uses. On the exterior of the box, the electrical cost per hour is printed. The lower the amount, the cheaper it is to run the fireplace.

Electric fireplace logs easily allow you to convert your wood-burning fireplace to an electric fireplace. Set the electric fireplace logs into the.
How to Compare Brands of Electric Fireplace Logs. Electric fireplaces do not require gas lines or chimneys, so they are ideal.
How to Compare Electric Fireplaces. If you don't have a built-in fireplace in your home, and don't want to pay for an.
An electric fireplace can provide the look and feel of a traditional fireplace without the need for logs or a chimney. These.
One of the best things about an electric fireplace is that if you do not like the way it looks in the.
How to Compare Brands of Electric Fireplace Logs. Electric fireplace logs easily allow you to convert your wood-burning fireplace to an electric.

Class Flame and Dimplex fireplaces are both electric fireplaces. These are inserts and each come with different features. When comparing the different.
An electric fireplace can be a welcome alternative to a traditional fireplace or electric heater. Electric fireplaces can be used in a.
Mantel Clearance for Fireplaces. How to Build an Electric Fireplace Mantel; Comments. Related Ads. View Photos Fabulous Fireplaces for Any Style.
Gas fireplaces can help provide heat to your home, and they bring the look of a wood burning fireplace into your home.
Electric fireplaces do not require gas lines or chimneys, so they are ideal for condominiums and apartments. Many of them offer fan-forced.
Electric heaters cost about three times more to operate than a traditional natural gas heater, but electric heaters are the most common.
Fuel gel fireplaces and electric fireplaces are both alternatives to the more common gas-powered fireplaces. They both use cleaner sources of energy.
Fireplaces are as homey as it gets. The biggest drawback about fireplaces is the mess created by burning wood. Keeping the fire.
Both gel fuel and electric fireplaces are simple alternatives to traditional or gas fireplaces. Neither require a vent leading to outside air.
Fireplaces are structures designed to contain fire for heating or cooking purposes. Most fireplaces today are wood, gas or electric fireplaces. Does.
Having a fire at the click of a switch is the best of both worlds. You can have the ambiance of a.
How to Compare Brands of Electric Fireplace Logs. Electric fireplace logs easily allow you to convert your wood-burning fireplace to an electric.
If you live in a deregulated state, you have the option of choosing your electricity provider and an electricity plan that meets.

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I did a little research on the Dimplex DFI2309 Electric Fireplace Insert and here's what I came up with: The manufacturer is Dimplex North America Limited a world leader in electric heating. The company has invested heavily in product R & D and has come up with some pretty innovative and interesting products. Dimplex North America Limited is a member of the Glen Dimplex Group of companies of Dublin, Ireland and employs over 8,500 people worldwide with sales in excess of $3.0 billion.
The fireplace insert distributes an even heat over a wide area by means of a silent fan-forced heater. It will produce approx 4692 BTU's of heat. The flames and heater operate independently of each other so you can have just flames or flames and heat. The fireplace is 100% efficient (like any electric heater). All of the energy supplied to the unit is converted into heat, which stays in the room to keep you warm. Many gas fireplaces advertise 70-80% efficiency. This means that 20-30% of the energy supplied to the unit is vented outside. The fireplace insert operates for pennies a day. The flames use slightly under 120 Watts of power with flames only. With an average electricity rate, the unit operates for a remarkable 2ў/hr. When you choose to activate the heat feature along with the flame, the unit uses approximately 1500 Watts. The total cost to operate the flame and heater is approximately 8ў/hr* (gas fireplace manufacturers regularly advertise running costs of 17ў/hr or more)! *Electricity rates vary. 8ў/hr based on the heater cycling at 50%. Unlike gas fireplaces, which require venting, fuel pipelines, the Dimplex fireplace just needs to be plugged in. When you need a change, you can move it to a different room and when you move to a new home you can take your investment with you.
The fireplace insert distributes a warm, gentle, even heat over a wide area by means of a silent fan-forced heater. Since it will produce about 4692 BTU's of total heat, when working in conjunction with the home's primary heating system, the fireplace is capable of taking the chill off just about any size room, when required. Most gas fireplaces produce over 20,000 BTU's of heat in a single room while the average size home requires only 90,000 BTU to heat the entire house. So there's a good chance you will be heated right out of the room your in with a new gas unit even when it's set to low heat. And what about conventional wood-burning fireplaces? As most of us already know, most wood fireplaces are difficult to start, smoke, create unpleasant cold drafts, and cause a number of other unseen problems. In most homes, they are between -10% and +10% efficient. They supply little if any heat to the house, particularly with cold outside temperatures. Bottom line: Conventional wood-burning fireplaces are extremely inefficient. They can lead to indoor air quality problems, and can result in life-threatening situations. Hence they are incompatible with modern housing, or with housing which has undergone energy retrofit/renovation
The fireplace insert plugs into any standard 120-volt outlet and does not require a dedicated circuit. It is as easy to install as plugging in a lamp! In addition, the fireplace does not require any venting pipelines for fuel or expensive professional reconstruction to your home. The fireplace has full electrical certification throughout North America and no combustible energy sources are used to produce the flame. This means that you never need to worry about oxygen depletion or carbon monoxide poisoning in your home and the unit employs an over-heat safety cut out with reset control as a back up safety feature. The only maintenance involved is done every 2 to 3 years by changing a couple of light bulbs, readily available at any hardware store and you can do this easily yourself. Most gas fireplaces require ongoing, costly maintenance, which must be performed by a qualified service technician on an annual basis. Figure on paying up to $300. dollars a year for this required service.
My personal experience with the Dimplex DFI2309 Electric Fireplace Insert came about some time after my wife and I moved to our new house. Soon after, she decided she had to have a gas fire log like we had in the old house. So, in order to keep the boss happy, I decided to go all out and buy one of the new efficient models that not only looked great, but also give off tons of heat, the only problem, the price. They wanted more than $6,000. for the log set including instillation. Ouch! I then stumbled on to the Dimplex DFI2309 Electric Fireplace Insert. For a price of under $200. I was a little skeptical that this thing could even come close to the expensive gas one, but after reading so many rave reviews on Amazon, I decided to go for it. I figured if it ever turned out to be a mistake, I could always return it anyways. Since I was saving a ton of money, I also splurged on the optional trim kit (Dimplex DFI23TRIMX Expandable Trim Kit for Electric Fireplace Insert) for an additional $160. bucks.
My next job was getting the existing fireplace cleaned out and prepared. I stuffed fiberglass insulation up against the flue door and cut a piece of Styrofoam board to fit the damper opening slanting to the rear of the firebox underneath the insulation so any possible water entering down the chimney would flow away from the unit. At the time, I was surprised at how poorly the damper closed and actually had been designed with a few open holes in it. I had to be losing all kinds of heat right up the flue before the fix. In less then a couple of days the unit arrived and within minutes I had it out of the box and set up in the center of the fireplace. I measure the cord of the unit to be almost seven feet and just made it to my electrical outlet, but a little elevated off the floor, so I purchased a heavy duty six foot 14 gauge extension cord to give it a little more length. The directions only call for a 16 gauge cord, so I'm way ahead of the game. Be advised, the cord runs from the right side of the unit (as you face it). Now the trim package is a little different story and took a little more than a few minutes to put together. It's kind of a one size fits all type thing. (Make sure it's big enough to fit the measurements of your fireplace opening). There are 15 pieces and a whole bunch of screws involved, but the finished product was very much worth it, for me. It frames off the insert and I think makes it look more realistic and complete. My fireplace opening is surrounded by a one of a kind type tile and I did not care to cover it, but the trim unit framed it exactly without any blockage. My only gripe, the screen is not designed to completely close and leaves a 3 inch gap or so in the middle. . I got around this by only closing the screen quarter way or so on either side which kind of looks pretty good and makes it symmetrical and frames it very nicely. Update: After studying the mechanics of the closing mechanism for a couple of weeks, I finnally solved the problem and I can now close both screens completely in the middle. I intend on leaving the screens fully closed as it really does look more realistic this way. Says something about the terrible directions that come with the trim package. If you already have a fireplace screen or glass doors, though, I'd probably stick with them as this unit is pretty pricey and time consuming to put together. By the way, the boss loves her new electric fire log and thinks it looks just like the real thing!
Update: Yes, I still love my electric fireplace insert and the longer I own it the more realistic it seems to get.
I have read in a few other reviews, some were disappointed with the mirrored half moon shape at the rear of their insert unit. Well, I finally figured out what it is designed to do. It reflects the back of the front logs with their reflective embers with the flames between the two sets of logs giving a pretty good holographic 3d effect and the grayed out portion of the mirror simulates smoke. Altogether, it makes for a pretty realistic looking fire. I guess you could call it the use of "smoke and mirrors" to get the desired effect.
Update: I have found that this 3d/holographic effect can be increased by placing ambient light near the front of the fireplace insert. I have two lamps, a table and a floor lamp, with one placed on one side and one on the other side of my fireplace about four feet away from the center of my fireplace opening. This extra ambient light helps illuminate the rear reflected log that creates the 3d effect. Though one light is sufficient, I have found that two low watt lamps works even better. (one a 40 watt bulb and the other a 3-way 60 on low)
I would like to address some reviewer complaints regarding the remote control. The first being that the remote has something to do with the plug. Readers are lead to believe that if the plug is blocked by something (furniture) the remote will not operate. Not so. The remote will turn the unit on and off from anywhere in the room regardless of whether the plug receptacle is blocked. For what it's worth, the remote turns the insert unit on and off from anywhere in the house-the remote reception is that powerful. I suppose you could always turn it on while in the bedroom in the morning and get up to a warm living room when you finally decide to get out of bed?
Which leads me to complaints regarding the remote not controlling the heat function. This is only partially true. Once a heat setting is chosen with the switch (high or low) on the insert unit, the remote will turn that heat setting on or off along with the fire display. Yes, it would be nice to make all the heat changes with the remote, but this is not a problem for me. Basically, in the warmer months you would turn off the heat setting at the insert and in the colder months you would turn the heat setting on at the insert unit. No big deal hitting the switch either way.
Finally, to make the simulated fire "feel" even more realistic, I've added the additional senses of sound and smell. First, I ordered a sound effects download from Hypnosis Health Care (on line for $6.95) to my laptop and then copied it to a 512 MB SD card I already had. I then purchased a Satechi SD Mini Portable Pocket Speaker Mp3 player from Amazon for around $29. and I put it in the fireplace. The Satechi unit is the size of a golf ball and is black which makes it very easy to hide and it puts out excellent sound and it has great battery life. It plays for more than ten hours on a full charge, so no interruption in the mood. Additionally, it works great with the Kindle Fire too. Second, I purchased some pinon pine incense from Amazon and also hid it in the fireplace. Now with the look, feel (heat), smell, and sound of a real fire, all that's left is to enjoy!