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As summer draws to a close, many homeowners’ thoughts turn to keeping warm during the longer, colder, nights. Electric fires provide a great warm glow and plenty of warmth in any home in winter, and they’re a more practical choice than a conventional fire. If you’ve ever wondered, read on to find out more – and to learn how to make a good choice in electric fire heating for your home this winter.

The technical side

To explain things simply, an electric heater converts electric energy into heat energy. To explain the process in detail, it’s necessary to get a bit more complicated. Electric fires use a system called Joule Heating. The appliance uses an electrical resistor, and this resistor transforms electric current into heat as the current flows through it. This process is able to heat the room thanks to the natural convection phenomenon: as the air near to the heater warms up, it rises, leaving the cooler air near to the heater to be heated and move upwards in turn. This continuous process works to warm a whole room, and keep it that way.

In preparation

If you’re considering installing an electric fireplace, the first thing to do is to make sure that the room can handle the extra electric load. An average unit should draw about 8 amps of electricity, and should ideally have its own electric circuit – you might want to get an electrician to check if all of this is workable, and deal with the problem if it isn’t.

Making your choice

Once you’ve determined how much electricity your electric fire can use, the next factor to consider is where you’ll be putting it – based on this, you’ll be able to choose its size and shape. The rest of your decision will be based largely on personal taste – what you think looks best, and how large an area you need to heat – but remember to consider energy efficiency, and choose from good-quality models like B&Q fires. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice.

Tags: fireplace