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This article covers a few considerations when looking for an electric fireplace heater. Modern electric heaters come in a wide range of models, pricing, and warranties. However, once you settle on a specific type of electric heater, it can seem like the range of options is limited.

Pricing
General consensus seams to be that the cost of the heating elements (the raw function your electric heater is supposed to perform) should be around $250. Anything above this amount that you pay is for craftsmanship, included warranty, brand name, features, or marketing. One of nice things about an electric fireplace heater (or just general electric heaters) is that an apples to apples comparison is easy to do. An expensive, ornate 1500 watt heater is going to put out the same heat as a 1500 heater at 1/10th the cost. Heat output is heat output.

A Model for Every Taste
The second most important thing that you’ll pay for beyond heat output is functionality. Electric heaters come in all shapes, sizes, and mounting locations. They range from extremely realistic looking fires (in the case of electric fireplace heaters) to discrete plastic space heaters. Many newer electric fireplace heaters come in a form factor similar to a large flat-screen LCD TV, and can be mounted with many of the same mounts. They can be placed on a shelf, the floor, or mounted to the wall. The first step in considering an electric heater is to figure out what you want it to look like. Once you narrow this down, you’ll be able to seriously compare price, warranty, and features.



When considering an electric fireplace heater, they come in two main flavors: fireplace inserts and portable electric heaters. If you are considering a portable electric heater, they further break down into those with wheels and those without. Obviously, the bigger and heavier the fireplace, the more attractive the wheels become.

Warranty
Be sure that your fireplace heater comes with a warranty! If it doesn’t automatically come with a warranty, be sure to factor it the cost of an extended warranty when comparing price. Unlike traditional fireplaces, there is rarely an obvious degradation over time. When an electric fireplace heater breaks, they will often go from working perfectly to not working at all – with very little indication as to where the source of the problem lies. Read customer reviews online and you’ll see this is a common experience. One of the primary reasons for purchasing an electric heater is the ease and lack of hassle in operating them. In that case, having a good warranty is even more important to ensure hassle free use.

These are just the main considerations to take into account when looking at an electric heater or an electric fireplace heater. Like most electrical appliances, they are use specific and you need to think about how it is going to look and where you are going to use it. You’ll waste money if the heater works great but you can’t stand to look at it. Similarly, an electric fireplace heater is pretty useless if it looks good but fails to heat your home properly.