Electric Fireplaces - the "Green" Choice

Now more than ever, people seem to be gravitating towards becoming more “green.” Green lifestyles encourage protecting the environment and can be easy solutions for any size family, home or office space. One of the simplest ways to make the transition to a more “green” lifestyle is by selecting an energy efficient heating product, like an electric fireplace or heater.

A More Energy-Efficient Option

It is proven that an electric fireplace uses less energy and materials than traditional wood-burning and gas fireplaces, making electric fireplaces a very smart, very worthwhile green investment.

Electric fireplaces create a realistic flame effect that gives off the appearance of a real fire, without any actual burning taking place. By doing this, electric fireplaces use 90 percent less energy than gas fireplaces do to produce visual flames. Because electric versions simply plug into a standard electric outlet, the flames are from electrical energy, not fuel-based energy. This means no actual combustion takes place with electric fireplaces and no greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere as a direct result of the "fire".

To compare, wood and gas fireplaces use a lot more energy and money to produce heat. Up to 50 percent of their heat energy is lost to the atmosphere and wasted. On the other hand, electric heaters convert 100 percent of their input electrical energy into heat so no energy is lost along the way.

No Combustion, Pollution, or Harmful Emissions

Because electric fireplaces do not use natural resources like gas or wood to produce a fire and because no combustible byproducts are released into the atmosphere, electric fireplaces are a reliable and efficient way of avoiding air pollution. The lack of greenhouse gas production is a significant reason why an electric fireplace insert is one of the greenest heating options available on the market. By installing an electric fireplace into your home, you can have a supplemental heat source that takes very little electricity to run and adds only pennies per hour to your electric bill.

Both wood and gas fireplaces produce carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas that can be deadly in areas with poor ventilation. If a chimney hasn't been cleaned or cleared out properly, carbon monoxide can back up into the surrounding living areas. Injury or death could result from breathing these toxic fumes, especially if exposed to these overnight. With electric versions, however, you won't have to worry about this danger because electric fireplaces do not produce any harmful gases.

Electricity-powered fireplaces have additional benefits over gas or wood fireplaces. Gas fireplaces run the risk of gas leaks, whereas a fireplace powered by electricity avoids this risk altogether. Of course, wood-burning fireplaces require wood to operate as well. Trees are an important natural resource that should be preserved, and an electric fireplace doesn't require any wood to be consumed.

Efficient New Technology and Zone Heating

Many electric heaters now make use of the latest advancements in technology to make them super energy efficient. There are many models that now use LED (light-emitting diodes) technology to create the realistic flame effects. These LED bulbs have an average life span of over 75,000 hours, while the incandescent bulbs that were previously used have a life span of about 2,000 hours. LED's are also exceptionally efficient to operate because they draw only 10 percent of the watts that equivalent incandescent bulbs use to produce the same light.

Some brands have taken things a step further. On several Dimplex electric fireplaces models, an additional air purification system has been added. These models actually improve the indoor air quality by filtering air as it is drawn through the fireplace. These Dimplex electric fireplaces with the Purifire filtering system clean the air of an average room four times per hour and is the world's first integral air filtering electric fireplace.

Electric fireplace inserts also are ideal for zone heating. This heating method is energy efficient because it allows you to heat select rooms within your home. An electric powered fireplace can warm a room that's up to 20 feet by 20 feet while keeping your central thermostat lower so that, once again, no energy is wasted heating unused areas.

Without using fossil fuels like gas or natural resources like wood, electric fireplaces are 100 percent energy efficient. When combined with their lack of carbon monoxide production and select air purification systems, electric fireplaces aren’t just a way to create a green lifestyle—they’re a way of carving out the future in home safety and heating.