Electric Fire 2019

john_doe.

Hi

I was looking at getting a inbuilt stove to replace my open fire but my wife has started asking would an electric fire be better.

She is thinking we don't go to sitting room till evening time and it's just hastle with starting a stove and cleaning out ashes etc. The electric would just be swittch on.

Gas is not option as I don't have gas line . I've heard mention of lpg but not sure how this could work.

So I was wondering what are people's opinion these days, are wood burning stoves still worth it , or with both myself and wife working and with family life now - is it just convenient to switch on an electric fire.

Thanks

Lex Luthor

Are you just not replacing like for like with the stove for the open fire?

Both need lighting and cleaning

We have an open fire and light it occasionally mostly at Xmas time

You could always get one of those plug in units for about 200eur and put in on the hearth and switch on the flame effect only if you want the “fire” look

If you need a blast of heat you could switch on for a few min but I presume you have a radiator in that living room anyway?

Lex Luthor

https://www.woodies.ie/heating-fuels/heaters/electric-stoves-suites-insets/elbe-2kw-optiflame-stove-1154053

Cheaper than I thought

Something like this?

MrFireCoalMan

We've just done this change last winter and find that as we're burning much less fuel than in the open fire, sometimes cleaning out can be left until every second or even third day. Loads more heat also.

What we got.
http://www.stoveshop.ie/7-9kw/1148-boru-500i-inset-stove.html

john_doe.

Lex Luthor wrote: »

Are you just not replacing like for like with the stove for the open fire?

Both need lighting and cleaning

We have an open fire and light it occasionally mostly at Xmas time

You could always get one of those plug in units for about 200eur and put in on the hearth and switch on the flame effect only if you want the “fire” look

If you need a blast of heat you could switch on for a few min but I presume you have a radiator in that living room anyway?

Ya that's what I'm thinking. Still have to do the clearing out etc
The stove would be more efficient , however your still left with ash etc , getting the logs.

The gas fires look great , but don't have a gas line.
Electric fires have come along a bit took and look bit better these days.

The room itself needs bit of heat in winter. I'm stuck between the warmth of a real stove and cosiness it brings vs the simplicity of an electric fire

Ubbquittious

3-4 times less ash and logs with a stove than open fire. Electric heater will be very costly if it sees frequent use

Sleeper12

Unless you have excellent insulation in the house you'll find electric heating expensive to run

LenWoods

I took out the fireplace few years ago had it bricked up,
Changed the living room window to triple glazed and had a letter box vent fitted in it,
Which then ment I could block up the 4" vent in the wall as theres no fire in the room,
I then upgrade the radiator and fitted a Celsi Electriflame fire purchased from the uk via parcelmotel there 120cm wide look much better than the usual 80cm available in Ireland at the time.
I've also capped the chimney
It's all documented here if you like to have a look
I've saved on the heating as theres no heat escaping from the room
https://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/80864-living-room-project/

john_doe.

LenWoods wrote: »

I took out the fireplace few years ago had it bricked up,
Changed the living room window to triple glazed and had a letter box vent fitted in it,
Which then ment I could block up the 4" vent in the wall as theres no fire in the room,
I then upgrade the radiator and fitted a Celsi Electriflame fire purchased from the uk via parcelmotel there 120cm wide look much better than the usual 80cm available in Ireland at the time.
I've also capped the chimney
It's all documented here if you like to have a look
I've saved on the heating as theres no heat escaping from the room
https://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/80864-living-room-project/

This seems good approach, convenience of flicking on heater.
How do you find electricity bills ?

LenWoods

john_doe. wrote: »

This seems good approach, convenience of flicking on heater.
How do you find electricity bills ?

It also has a remote control,
The screen itself is LED so costs almost nothing and I rarely use the heater due to the radiator being in the same room and theres no heat loss through the chimney anymore,
I've noticed saving around 5-600L of kerosene per year more than an increase in the electricity
I've changed all Lighting in the house to LED and fitted a TimeGuard immersion switch which has balanced everything out really,
Around €100 per month but theres three kids and four televisions

Lex Luthor

We have a really nice cast iron fireplace and surround that I would be gutted to have replaced by a wood burning stove but if I hadn't got it I would have probably got the stove ages ago

Lex Luthor

LenWoods wrote: »

I've noticed saving around 5-600L of kerosene per year more than an increase in the electricity

Is that saving just from one room?

My whole house would use typically 1500l per annum

LenWoods

Lex Luthor wrote: »

Is that saving just from one room?

My whole house would use typically 1500l per annum

Yeah the living room is the mainly used room in our home; since blocking up the fire we were able to block the 4" vent aswell,
We also upgrade all radiators to steel banister style design by Milano which increased the surface to air contact;
We now use around 1,000 litres per year

Muahahaha

OP Id probably say think of how many nights you are likely to be using the electric fire during the heating season. Is the room already well insulated, good radiators and little heat loss? If so and you're just using the electric heater occassionally on really cold nights then electric might be the way to go.

But if you went electric and switch it on for 4-5 hours every night for 120+ nights throughout the winter then that could get very expensive over the long term. You should take note of the KW the model is and you can figure out running costs from that. But if its going to get heavy use then a wood burning stove burning hardwoods which create less ash might be better cost wise if you plan to have a fire on a lot.

whizbang

The main point of a stove is to seal the room from the chimney. Which works 24/7, even when the stove is not in use.
It will better the BER of your house also, if you ever came to sell.

As above, don't even consider using anything else without sealing up the chimney.