Electric fireplaces

[SquishTheWhale]

Ok hear me out, sounds nuts to be thinking about this in the current heat but I figured buying out of season is always best!

Thinking of getting an electric fireplace for the living room on the grounds that it might be cheaper to run than the central heating. Not to use it instead of, but in winter if we get cold we can pop the fire on rather than the heating. I'm really worried about the rising costs of fuel going into winter as I'm sure most of us are.

Can anyone who has an electric fire let me know about running costs- is it cheaper than central heating to heat a room?

[Tinks2014]

We have an electric fire but we only use it for effect. It was a good time going to have when our boiler went and we hand no other heating in the house . I couldn’t tell you what it would be cost wise .

[soooexcited!]

I've had an electric fire years ago but only really ever turned it on for the flame effect. Correct ne if I'm wrong someone but I thought they were quite pricey to run. Big outlay but I had a log burner installed earlier this year. Im planning on lighting that this year and keeping the heating to the bare minimum.

[pinkbelle]

Money saving expert have some questions and answers about saving energy and I saw this on there.

Is it cheaper to use radiators or electric heaters?
The Energy Saving Trust says electric heaters are one of the most expensive forms of heating. It says the cheapest way to heat your home is by using an efficient gas central heating system, with a full set of thermostatic radiator valves, a room thermostat and a timer.

[Fluffypenguin]

I have an electric fire in my current house and we’ve only ever used the heat function once or twice as it’s so expensive.

We’ve found the most cost effective way is to set our gas boiler thermostat so that the heating comes on when the house is below a certain temp. This ensures the house keeps the heat and it isn’t having to heat from freezing like it would if we turned it on and off manually.

[SquishTheWhale]

Ah okay thank you all- not a cheap option at all then! So maybe not.

Good tip about setting the central heating

[Nimbus]

An electric fire is expensive to run, although handy if you want a bit of (almost) instant heat in one room. Central heating is generally more efficient.

The rising cost of fuel also impacts electricity bills. The primary source of electricity comes from gas power stations, so as gas prices increase so does the cost of electricity.

[mariechez]

I have just ordered an electric blanket for the front room for when the heating goes off so I don't have to run the electric fire.

[waiting4disney]

If you can afford a system like Hive/Honeywell systems it might be worth it (although initial cost is high) We got it a few years ago and it is efficient as can set different temperatures for each room. So we have the heating on in the room we are using and then have it set for the bedroom to come on a little while before bedtime.

[SquishTheWhale]

Originally Posted by waiting4disney

If you can afford a system like Hive/Honeywell systems it might be worth it (although initial cost is high) We got it a few years ago and it is efficient as can set different temperatures for each room. So we have the heating on in the room we are using and then have it set for the bedroom to come on a little while before bedtime.

See more...

That's very interesting thank you I'll look into it.

We would really just want something to boost the warmth in the living room in the evening. We have a rear extension that gets very cold so often feels like a losing battle truing to heat the whole house!