We’ve come a long way
For those of us who are over 40 years old, we may have memories of visiting Grandma and Grandpa. These visits very likely included carrying in real wood for the fireplace. Why is this? The first half of the 20th century was almost entirely heated by wood-burning or coal-driven stoves. Those days of messy inefficient heat slowly morphed toward other methods such as propane, natural gas, and ultimately, electric heaters. In those days, a woodstove often appeared to be the best – and sometimes only – heat source for a person’s home. This says nothing about the eyesores that some of these monsters resembled, sitting in the middle of the living spaces. They emitted plentiful heat but were messy, laborious, and dirty. Worse than that, they were dangerous, and many homes were lost to a treacherous fire.
Fast forward to the 21st century; we are blessed to have a combination of eclectic traditional fireplaces, typically fueled by natural and propane gases, wood, and pellets. As time moved on, clever engineers designed modern electric fireplace inserts that were not only very attractive but also heat and energy-efficient.
Can an electric fireplace heat a house? Is this an option for you?
As mentioned, the previous side effects of wood shrapnel, splinters, and charcoal smudges are gone now! If you live in a cold climate, you no longer have to worry about carrying wood from subzero temperatures. The sophistication of electric-powered appliances has assimilated into the fireplace market and is an excellent fit. Better yet, numerous payment plans and financing are almost always available at your fingertips!
Flooding your living space with soothing heat and a beautiful ambiance can be as easy as a simple flip of a switch. These electric fireplaces are powered by a 110-volt cord attached to a wall outlet.
If this catches your attention, and if you prefer to own an electric fireplace above and beyond the turn-of-the-century faux fireplaces that are adorable but don’t provide much heat, read on to learn more. The previous electric fireplace insert and freestanding metal fireplaces with an attached flue are certainly pretty to look at but almost always demand significant supplemental heat — and that’s in addition to their untidiness and occasionally dangerous lack of venting. It is now possible and even affordable to have your own energy-efficient fireplace.
Although many traditional wood-burning fireplaces have previously morphed into gas-driven fireplaces and have been successful choices for many years, the emergence of the electric fireplace cannot be ignored. Monoxide poisoning, unfortunately, has occurred with some gas heaters due to the real flames. Your home can easily and affordably be equipped with an electric fireplace that has removed the mess and inefficient heating components.
Read along to find out how you can avoid the hassle of an outdated heater and easily have this productive way to heat your home today.
This a great place to begin your search for an effective electric fireplace
Let’s start by learning the MagikFlame story:
In 2015, an individual by the name of Howard Birnbaum was casually shopping at a local Costco when he ran across a fascinating concept: an electric fireplace. At that point, that he decided he wanted to secure one for his own home. He enthusiastically sought a model that would fit his design.
Unfortunately, when he examined the available models up close, he was unhappy to see how the flames weren’t what they could be. He found that most of the options on the market featured a satisfactory mantel, firebox, and insert, but the lack of the flames’ reality bothered him. He continued his search at other retailers and online to no avail; they all lacked a certain quality. You see, Mr. Birnbaum had a background in special effects in the film industry, and perhaps this aptitude for a perceived reality drove him to design his model that was not to be outdone by other engineers.
Ironically, Mr. Birnbaum had not been a child who grew up with the ambition of designing and owning his own electric fireplace business. It was one of those instances where the opportunity was plopped into his lap and later became the amazing MagikFlame story. This company is the brainchild of Howard Birnbaum and is located in La Vergne, Tennessee, outside of Nashville. The company now designs, builds, and sells some of the highest-quality electric fireplaces on the market. Much of their success hinges upon educating potential customers about their products and ensuring their satisfaction after the purchase.
How MagikFlame is built
MagikFlame prides itself on manufacturing the most realistic electric fireplaces ever manufactured. You see, the state-of-the-art — and patented — holographic flames that Birnbaum designed, using his special effects expertise, use projection technology similar to that used in those Michael Jackson postmortem concerts where people could not believe their eyes. For your fireplace will feature the most realistic visual flame effect that might leave you reeling.
However, it doesn’t stop with just great visual effects. The fireplaces also feature accompanying sounds just like you would experience with real-life flames. To treat your olfactory senses, the company offers a scent module to make you think you are in the middle of a fresh-cut pine forest. Ultimately, you will support the good old USA when you buy one of these amazing electric fireplaces, as it is American-made. Free technology updates will be provided for the life of your fireplace.
All MagikFlame electric fireplaces come with built-in Bluetooth, which means they have an impressive remote control that uses a smartphone app to control the fireplace. This Wi-Fi technology is an open-air highway to import updates to your fireplace for free, with advanced touchscreen displays to adjust the flames remotely in that dimly lit room. If you want to take it further, you may have already gotten rid of that outdated TV stand and opted to mount your flat-screen television above your new electric fireplace in the bedroom. Do you have that all pictured? Good. Now be sure and bring the popcorn and drinks with you so you won’t have to get up for those.
What various kinds of heaters provide the practical element in these electric fireplaces?
You’ve heard about the scientific and visual benefits of the MagikFlame electric fireplace. Electric fireplaces’ capacity to effectively heat your home is obviously based on how many square feet you are seeking to heat, the BTUs, and the voltage of your selected model.
Following are the basic heating units that power the heat production of the fireplaces:
- Fan-Forced Coil-Based Heaters: Fan-forced coil heaters are the most common heat-producing elements found in electric fireplaces because of their ease of production, maintenance clarity, and low cost to produce. As the name implies, the coil generates the heat, and the fan blows out the warm air.
- Infrared Quartz Heaters: This heating apparatus is also called a “radiant heater.” This type of heater operates differently than fan-forced coil heaters because it works much like the sun by generating actual UV rays that heat surfaces. This type of heating element is more efficient at heating larger spaces up to 1,000 square feet. They are generally found in high-end infrared electric fireplaces that are superb at heating the air without drying it out.
Various options to meet your every fireplace need
MagikFlame knows that not all consumers are looking for the same model and design of electric fireplaces. Therefore, they offer an impressive variety. The following are some of the options available:
- Complete wall-mounted electric fireplace with mantels and surrounds in various designs, all with an Alpine white finish.
- Electric fireplace insert, sized to fit the most common firebox sizes. This allows for a total change from the traditional wood fireplace to a contemporary electric fireplace, requiring less upkeep and cleaning.
Can an electric fireplace heat a house?
Each MagikFlame fireplace contains a 5,200 BTU, 1,500-watt electric heater. This power source will very efficiently provide plentiful heat for a room up to 400 sq. ft. Still, these calculations can be extended to 800-1,000 square feet if the unit is given enough time on its maximum heat settings. The home’s structural design, such as one-story homes with low ceilings, are more quickly heated than those with designs such as cathedral ceilings. Ultimately, the MagikFlame is best used as a supplementary heat source that complements your primary heating system. If your living space is mainly limited to one room, this fireplace will undoubtedly warm the room you’re in with zone heating. A fireplace thermocouple sensor is also used to measure the temperature. This should bring a definite reduction to your electricity or gas bill.
Although an electric fireplace does not have quite the heating capacity that a central heating system, many of these units can heat up to 1,000 sq. ft. Hence, they are more efficient than many space heaters, wood-burning, or gas fireplaces that may be on the market today. Much of the trick to keeping the warm air circulating throughout any house involves the strategic use of open doors. This encourages the movement of the warm air throughout the rest of the house. There is also the use of ceiling fans to push the warmer air back down toward the floor where it is needed the most. Hence, to answer whether an electric fireplace can heat a house is yes, if it is done strategically.
How cost-effective are electric fireplaces?
It’s very likely that energy conservation was a concept as early as your elementary school years. Moving into your teen years, your parents probably scolded you about keeping the air conditioning thermostat set at a specific temperature and may have even threatened you with punishment if you cranked the heat up past a reasonable temperature in winter. Now that you are an adult, and a homeowner in the “trenches” paying your own utility bills. Furthermore, you are likely to continue the tradition with your children.
Before making the change to an electric fireplace, you will want to visit MagikFlame’s impressive website to use the tool, where you can easily calculate how cost-effective an electric fireplace would be in your household. It’s as simple as visiting the utility cost calculator tool.
How does this calculator work?
To use this calculator efficiently, you will need your average daily energy use based on kilowatts (kW). Determine the energy costs of running the fireplace by finding how much electricity you use each day by kilowatts (kW). Enter the kilowatts as watts in this particular calculator. Your calculations will be based on the specific electric fireplace unit you are contemplating for your living room. The calculator will calculate your energy use based on the time period you choose to enter on the website. This likely sounds more confusing than it is. Visit the link above, it will all make perfect sense. The calculator does all the math for you! Compare your calculated amounts with what you currently pay for your current heating system to make a well-informed decision.
Making a comprehensive decision about purchasing a fireplace?
Consider these points before you make the decision that can put you in the scenario above:
- The initial purchase price of your chosen unit
- The running and energy consumption costs of that particular unit
- Delivery and/or installation costs of your selected unit and potential removal of the previous unit, if necessary
- Projected future maintenance costs involved for that unit
Another great resource to help you select the electric fireplace or electric fireplace insert that will work for you can be found when you check out our photo idea gallery, flame gallery, and the MagikFlame Electric Fireplace Buying Guide.
