I was hanging out at the local pub the other night when a friend told me he was thinking of buying an electric fireplace for his house. He inevitably asked me about his heating capabilities. Like many people, he was thinking of putting the unit in his bedroom and using it as the main source of heat, and turning down, or even turning off, the heat in the rest of his house.

Now, as you know, I’m a big fan of electric fireplaces. I love the Dimplex and Classic Flame fireplaces, with ChimneyFree quickly becoming my ‘best value’ choice. But as a primary source of heat in a house? Well, that’s a good question… but… here’s some data…

To get this right, if you’re thinking of heating your whole house with electricity, we should take a look at a couple of different sized models to see how they compare. We’ll be looking at the 33″ Classic Flame Augusta Antique Mahogany Electric Fireplace, a larger, higher-end model (pictured left) and the 23″ ChimneyFree Ashbury Premium Cherry Media Console Electric Fireplace, a beautiful, real cherry, medium size. medium size medium model, pictured on the right.

ChimneyFree Ashbury has fan-forced heat with up to 4,600 BTU/hr (1,350 watts) of heating power. I don’t think I need to say any more, as I note that the ChimneyFree sales materials state that this model “provides additional heat for up to 400 square feet” with the keyword being ‘supplemental’. Therefore, the manufacturer does not say that this must be a primary heat source. As for a 400 square foot room, it’s a 20 x 20 space, so it’s not small, but remember, ‘extra’.

As for the Classic Flame Augusta, interestingly enough, the sales literature also says that fan-forced heat quietly provides up to 4600 BTU/hr for “supplemental” heat for up to 400 square feet.

Frankly, salespeople in the fireplace business don’t seem to have much of an imagination…

But I’m getting sidetracked… the bottom line is that the manufacturers of these fireplaces don’t even market them as a primary heating source. And with good reason. Electricity is the most expensive way to heat a house. You should estimate that you will spend at least 10 cents an hour for a unit, and that would be for a room. You still have to heat the rest of the house, at least where I live in the Northeast. So 10 cents an hour, every hour, for a month, you go out for… hmmm… take the 2… $72… not bad except it only heats one room… put one in every room and you’re paying more than you pay the oil company… well…

Final comment from the electric fireplace reviewer: one large, one medium, but both with the same heater size. Fireplaces like the ChimneyFree Ashbury Electric Fireplace and the Classic Flame August Electric Fireplace are beautiful and functional furnishings, but they simply aren’t primary heaters. Still, they provide enough warmth and great ambience, and, with such realistic and long flames, they make it worth every penny.