When it comes to heating a room in your home, you may well think the decision is a super straightforward one. However, there are a number of options that you could take, each of which comes with its own levels of efficiency, cost and thermal performance, depending on your specific usage patterns.

In short, the best-fit method of heating varies considerably from home to home. So, to determine the most cost-effective and high performance solution for you, you’ll need to do a bit of research.

To help you decide whether to invest in an electric fireplace or keep using your central heating, our experts have shared their advice for choosing the mode of heating that unlocks the best benefits for you.

Is an electric fireplace a better way to heat a room than central heating?

Central heating is designed to heat the entire property in a thermally and cost-efficient way. So, if you are using the entire property, then central heating is a great solution. However, if you only need to heat a single room, then an electric fireplace is the most efficient option.

Electric fireplaces are advancing all the time. Today’s models have achieved the very highest standards of energy efficiency and performance, and are optimised to be ideally suited for heating single rooms. So much so that, for many properties, electric fireplaces present a fantastic alternative to turning on the central heating.

In most situations, if you are staying in the room where the fireplace is located, it will be cheaper to use an electric fireplace than it will be to use your central heating.

The other benefits of using electric fireplaces over central heating include a far lower installation cost (if your property doesn’t already have a central heating system); higher convenience; and generally higher safety standards (as electric fireplaces do not produce carbon monoxide, unlike some central heating systems).

Are electric fireplaces energy efficient?

For the majority of models, electric fireplaces are extremely energy efficient.

This is because electric fireplaces convert 100% of the energy that they receive into heat. So, when you pay to heat your electric fireplace, you know that none of that money is being lost to heat your chimney.

Beyond this, electric fireplaces are also highly energy efficient because of the increased control that they give you. With these models, you can switch them on and off almost instantly, giving you complete control over how long you want to heat the room. Some electric fireplaces even come with thermostatic controls, which enable you to set a specific temperature for the room. This is a great way to keep your energy consumption to the minimum.

How do you calculate the energy efficiency of a fireplace?

The energy efficiency of a fireplace tells you how much energy is wasted when it converts the energy input into heat.

This is represented by a formula, with the heat input divided by the heat output:

• Energy efficiency% = (Input (kW)) / (Output (kW)) x 100

If you don’t know the input or output of a model, you can usually find the energy efficiency rating in the model’s manual. Alternatively, speak to your fireplace installer, and they will be able to provide this figure for you.

How much heat can electric fireplaces produce?

This depends on how much energy you input into your fireplace.

But, electric fireplaces convert 100% of the energy that they receive into heat.

This means that absolutely none of the energy is wasted, because they do not need to burn fuel to produce heat. In comparison, gas fireplaces have an energy efficiency of around 90%, and open fireplaces (that burn solid fuels) only achieve around 5-15% efficiency.

What’s more, as most electric fireplace models come with built-in thermostatic controls, you have complete control over how much heat you want the fireplace to produce.

How expensive is it to run an electric fireplace?

The cost of running an electric fireplace varies considerably from home to home. It depends on how often you use it, how high you set its temperature to, the cost of electricity in your area, and the type of fireplace that you are using, alongside a number of other factors.

But, to give you a general sense of how much it costs you to run your fireplace, complete the following calculations:

• Energy input (kW) x hours using your fireplace per day = kWh (Kilowatt hours)
• kWh x your energy costs (in pence per kW) = the cost of running your fireplace (in pence)

It is important to note that this figure can keep changing over time, particularly as global conflicts cause electricity prices to rise.

But, given the fact that these situations are also affecting oil and gas prices (often at an even more accelerated rate), electric fireplaces can still represent the most cost-effective heating method for homes.

Can a gas fireplace heat a room?

Yes, gas fireplaces can also heat a room.

In fact, they are also far more energy efficient than conventional fuel-burning fireplaces. Gas fireplaces have a 90% level of energy efficiency, compared to just 5-15% efficiency for open fireplaces burning solid fuels.

So, if gas fireplaces offer a more suitable solution for your property and its requirements, you can be rest assured that these also offer an extremely efficient heating solution.

If you would like to find out more about the best ways to help keep your heating bills down, or to receive specialist advice about the most energy efficient electric fireplaces available on the market, The Fireplace Studio is here to help.