Just like many other industries, the first lockdown hit the fireplace sector pretty hard. Most people had to start working from home while building sites implemented social distancing procedures, which forced many to close as a result temporarily. 

By around the 25th March 2020, up to 1,803 building sites had been suspended, 60% being for the private housing sector. It was only from mid to late April when non-essential retailers started to open up again. Many building sites opened from 12th May.

Despite a Devastating Start, UK Searches for ‘Fireplace’ Increased 28% (source: Google Trends)

It wasn’t until the second and third lockdowns when searches for fireplaces started to pick up. However, the reason for this is likely to do with the change in weather. 

During this time, many people were furloughed at home yet were keen to make use of their outdoor spaces despite the cooler temperatures. After all, there are many health benefits to being outside and being surrounded by nature. So, installing some kind of fireplace enabled this.

Pubs were also capitalising on this, preparing themselves for an outdoor winter with items like fire pits, chimineas and outdoor heaters. 

More Specifically, UK Searches for ‘Gas Fire’ Increased 76% (source: Google Trends)

This could be attributed to the fact that some councils, including Brighton, discouraged homeowners from using wood-burning stoves during the lockdown. This was mainly because such appliances can potentially accelerate respiratory conditions. The perfect alternative to keep warm during a lockdown? A gas fire!

Other reasons why the term ‘gas fire’ was being searched more frequently could be that people were looking for outdoor grills, an ideal way to keep food warm and reduce the number of trips in and out of the home. As well as the fact that a gas fire is a perfect backup in case the electricity fails and a tradesperson is unable to come out quickly.

Searches for ‘Electric Fire’ Increased 45% (source: Google Trends)

We witnessed this in the first lockdown and after the third lockdown was announced (a steady increase occurred). During these periods, people were staying at home more often and not travelling as much. 

For some, it was the perfect opportunity to either spend more time with family or reconnect with nature in their back garden. As such, items for back gardens proved popular, like decking, gazebos and arches. However, due to the cold weather, fires were also proving popular. 

During lockdowns, people were spending more time indoors as well. When working from home, some people might not want to warm the entire house with central heating. So, an electric fire is an excellent alternative for saving money. It also acts as a backup if central heating fails and an engineer is unavailable. 

Here are the UK Cities that Experienced the Most Searches for Fireplaces (source: Google Trends)

They include Sunderland, Liverpool and Belfast, which have high populations and a more significant number of people working from home. Interestingly, these cities are also located next to the sea. So they will have been cold during the second and third lockdowns.

Smaller towns like Stockton-on-Tees and Bolton are less affluent. So many residents there would be keen on saving money on their heating bills by only heating one room.

Why were Fireplaces Such a Popular Search Term During Lockdowns? 

Despite people not wanting to invite tradespeople into their homes during the first part of the initial lockdown, this soon changed. The government advice made homeowners realise this was safe, as long as they followed specific rules. 

Most people were also keen to spend as much time outdoors as possible during the subsequent lockdowns, despite the cold weather. Outdoor fireplaces, whether at pubs or in back gardens, were an ideal way to achieve this. 

For those happy to remain indoors, it’s clear they were making use of both gas and electric fires as a cost-effective way to warm their home working space. It was also a way of avoiding some potential health issues associated with things like log burners.

While fireplaces were mainly being searched in larger cities, this was also the case for smaller, less affluent towns like Bolton and Stockton-on-Tees, where cost was a particular concern.