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Close your eyes and think of a cosy living room on a cold mid-winters day, what does it look like? It will most likely include a fireplace with flames giving off a flickering glow across the whole room. Is that a coal fire or is it gas or electric?
Energy efficiency has become something of a hot topic in recent years with rising bills and choosing between solid fuel fires and alternatives can certainly affect your quarterly energy bill. If you are in the process of investigating heating as a whole it is worth having your home tested for energy efficiency and learn what would ideally need to be done to improve matters.
Fireplaces are less of an absolute necessity like they used to be in past times where if you were lucky your house would have one in every room - much like radiators or portable free standing fires can be today if you wanted. Fireplaces are now that cosy addition and focal point to an interior so unless it is a critical to your home heating - it is worth looking at fireplaces from the point of view of style and simple functionality than anything else.
Going for a Gas Fire
An inset gas fire has all the benefits of a wood/coal burning fireplace with the exception that it is much cleaner - there is no smoke or ash to worry about. Use them to replace an old inset fire or be the focal point for a new fire surround set. This clean energy can easily be connected to your existing gas line and will need to have a flue to ensure some ventilation.
Meanwhile for homeowners who lean more towards the modern interior, then wall mounted gas fires are just the thing. Being slightly elevated on the wall and without the need for a chimney or flue, they give the room clean lines and there is a sense the fire is framed on the wall in a slightly surreal sense.
Simplicity with Electric Fires
Going for electric is the easiest option for a quick solution, especially if you have a fireplace structure already more or less in place. There are some great designs for electric fires that all look as if they were solid fuel fires - just cleaner.
Go for the traditional fireplace suites with the full mantel piece and hearth for the more classical interior look, or opt for a standalone electric stove which usually come in black but also available in white. Mimicking the solid fuel version and adding plenty of character to a room these are usually made of heavy wrought iron and kick out serious heat, electric ones might lack the roasting capacity of solid fuel fire, but give out reasonable warmth and look the part.
Economising on Fuel
Rising energy bills are on most people's minds at winter time, if you are choosing your fuel type for a fireplace - then research prices and match your preferred fuel to more practical aspects of installation and the space you will be heating. Sizeable spaces and rooms with big windows can take more to heat, in which case going for gas or solid fuels might be a good option. Your choice further depends on whether you will be using central heating as your main source - in which case a fireplace might be of a focal point and a luxury to be used on less frequent occasions.
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