The 6 Best Electric Fireplaces of 2024, Tested by PEOPLE

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With flames that look like the real thing

In This Article

Henry Wortock

There’s nothing cozier than curling up in front of the fireplace on a chilly winter day. Even if you don’t have a chimney in your living room or bedroom, you can get the same ambiance — plus extra heat — with an electric fireplace. These gadgets offer supplemental warmth on cold days, much like a space heater, and recreate the warm glow of a real fire — and there’s no need to worry about rogue sparks or chopped wood.

To help you find the best electric fireplace for your home, we tested more than 20 top models in our lab, and we took our favorites home to test them in our living rooms over two months. These are the best electric fireplaces that PEOPLE tested this year.

One of the most affordable options on our list

Lightweight design

Flames move and look realistic

Impressive heat output

Not ideal for warming large rooms

No noticeable change between heat settings

This freestanding fireplace has an attractive design and impressive heating abilities (especially given its compact size), and it’s one of the most affordable fireplaces we tested. It weighs just 17.5 pounds, making it easy to move around your home as needed, and the fireplace is certified by the CSA Group for safety and will automatically shut down if it ever overheats.

In our testing, we found that you can feel this fireplace's warmth radiating from up to 4.5 feet away, and it was able to raise the temperature of objects around it by more than 10 degrees in around 15 minutes. We were also impressed by the appearance of its faux flames, which have a pleasant orange color and realistic movement.

This fireplace has a temperature control knob that allows you to select four settings between 68 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit, but we didn’t notice a huge difference between the various heat levels. In terms of other benefits, the product has a three-sided panoramic design and a cool-touch exterior, meaning you can safely display pieces of decor on top of it.

Even after two months of home testing, we still found ourselves cuddling by this electric fireplace, never experiencing a decline in performance or warmth.

Dimensions: 23 x 11 x 20 inches | Weight: 17.5 pounds | Wattage: 1,400 | Type: Freestanding | Heat Output: 4,777 BTU | Room Size: 700 square feet

Large heat output

Easy assembly

Five heat settings

No flame-only setting

Not the most attractive design

The Pleasant Hearth Sheridan electric fireplace delivers the most bang for your buck when it comes to sheer heating power. This moderately-priced option delivers an impressive 5,200 BTU, which the brand recommends for spaces up to 1,000 square feet. This CSA-certified fireplace has a mantel design that’s available in four finishes, and it even has optional caster wheels that allow you to move it around easily.

This fireplace offers five heat settings, with a noticeable difference in the amount of warmth produced on the different levels. We were able to feel the heat from up to eight feet away, making this fireplace an efficient option to heat a whole room. However, keep in mind that this unit doesn’t have a flame-only setting, so it can’t be used solely for ambiance. Additionally, its flames and logs aren’t the most realistic — they definitely look better from far away than up close.

We never noticed a decline in heat production, even after months of testing, but we do think we'd be wary of letting little ones get close to the heating element.

Dimensions: 31.75 x 12.76 x 27.25 inches | Weight: 55 pounds | Wattage: 1,350 | Type: Freestanding | Heat Output: 5,200 BTU | Room Size: 1,000 square feet

Similar to space heaters, most electric fireplaces use around 1,500 watts of power on their highest settings. The average price per kWh in the US is $0.16, which means it will cost around $0.24 to run an electric fireplace on high for one hour. If you keep the fireplace on for 12 hours a day, it would cost $2.88 at this rate.

Functional and attractive design

Supports TVs up to 65 inches and 150 pounds

Handy cord management ports

Can feel heat from more than 7 feet away

Heavy to move

Complicated assembly

Only one heat setting

For a fireplace that’s easy to integrate into your living space, we recommend the Walker Edison Glenwood Highboy Fireplace TV Stand. This piece can support a TV up to 65 inches and 150 pounds, and it features two enclosed cabinets and two open shelves with cable management ports where you can store entertainment devices. The electric fireplace kicks out up to 4,600 BTU of warmth.

This fireplace was one of the most cumbersome options in terms of assembly: It took two hours to put it together, even with two people working on it. The fireplace is quite sturdy — and CSA-certified for safety — but unlike many other options we tested, it only features one heat setting. Despite this, we were able to feel the fireplace’s warmth from more than seven feet away from the stand, and overall, we thought it was a very attractive piece of furniture.

After two months of using this fireplace multiple times a week for many hours, we have nearly no complaints about this stand-meets-fireplace combo. It adds style, storage, and warmth to our home — what more could you want?

Dimensions: 32 x 15.75 x 58 inches | Weight: 120 pounds | Wattage: Not listed | Type: Removable insert | Heat Output: 4,600 BTU | Room Size: 400 square feet

Attractive and durable

Wide range of settings allows you to adjust temperature, flame, brightness, and color

Large heat output

Comes with remote control

Only one blower speed

If you’re looking for an attractive fireplace that will be the focal point of your living space, this model is worth the splurge. The Real Flame Silverton electric fireplace earned a near-perfect score in our testing thanks to its high-quality construction, a wide range of settings, and above-average heating abilities. It has a mantel-style design that gives it the appearance of a built-in fireplace.

This CSA-certified fireplace doesn’t just look good, either. Using the remote or control panel, you can adjust the temperature, flame height, brightness, and color, as well as set an automatic shut-off timer. After testing it in our homes, we can affirm that this feature works well, shutting off at exactly the allotted time that we've set it for. During testing, we could feel the fireplace’s warmth from more than 11 feet away, making it a top choice for larger rooms. Our only real complaint with this beautiful fireplace is that it doesn't have multiple blower speeds, a feature offered on other high-end models.

Dimensions: 41 x 48 x 8.75 inches | Weight: 101 pounds | Wattage: 1,500 | Type: Freestanding | Heat Output: 4,780 BTU | Room Size: 1,000 square feet

It’s not advisable to leave an electric fireplace on overnight. While these devices are considered to be safe for home use, there’s always a small risk that they could start a fire, which is why most brands only recommend using their products with proper supervision.

Easy to set up

Compact, lightweight, and easy to move

Can control heat and flames separately

Flames look unrealistic

Doesn’t push heat very far

If you don’t want to spend a lot, this electric fireplace is a compact option that’s extremely budget-friendly. Its freestanding design weighs just 13 pounds, and it’s small enough to tuck in the corner of any room — we compared its size to that of a small space heater. The fireplace arrives fully assembled, making it quick and easy to set up, and it’s safety-certified by the CSA Group.

Because it’s so small, this little heater isn’t the most powerful option out there. In testing, we found that it only pushes heat out 32 inches in front of the unit, so you have to be quite close to it to enjoy the warmth. The fireplace has four temperature settings that you can control via a dial on the side of the unit, and you can operate the flames and heat separately if desired. While it functions well to heat up small spaces, the Turbro Suburbs didn’t score well in terms of its appearance. The fireplace does give off a cozy orange glow, but the flames don’t look real at all.

After a few months of testing, a space heater is exactly something we'd liken it to, due to its small stature yet warm heat output.

Dimensions: 18 x 15 x 9 inches | Weight: 13 pounds | Wattage: 1,400 | Type: Freestanding | Heat Output: 4,777 BTU | Room Size: 400 square feet

Electric fireplaces are not meant to heat your entire home, as they provide enough heat to warm smaller areas. They also use electricity as a power source, so they will not work during a power outage. And like any fireplace, they can dry the air inside your home, so consider using a quality humidifier.

Most realistic flames of all the products we tested

Quiet

Impressive heat output

Complicated to install

No remote

The Real Flame Foster has an attractive wood stove-inspired design, complete with a faux stove pipe that connects to the wall for an authentic appearance. This CSA-certified design has a powder-coated steel frame and glass windows on all three sides. In fact, we thought that it had the most realistic flames we'd ever seen on an electric fireplace.

This freestanding fireplace has four heat settings that range between 68 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and we found there was a noticeable difference in heat output between settings. The warmth can be felt around 4.5 feet in front of the unit, and the controls are very simple and easy to use (though there’s no remote control).

Our biggest struggle with this fireplace was assembly and installation. It required two people to put together the stove pipe, and the screws provided didn’t seem to be quite large enough to provide a stable connection.

After two months of testing, we still found ourselves happy with this antique-looking fireplace and liked toying around with the features and adjustable visuals that this heater has to offer.

Dimensions: 56.5 x 25 x 15 inches | Weight: 42 pounds | Wattage: 1,400 | Type: Freestanding | Heat Output: 4,700 BTU | Room Size: 1,000 square feet

There are a few different styles of electric fireplaces that you’ll likely encounter as you shop, and it’s important to understand the difference between them to select the best option for your needs.

Because electric fireplaces are designed to heat your home, it’s important that they have been properly designed and certified as safe to operate indoors. Otherwise, they could become dangerous to your family and home.

“You want to make sure that it’s [safety] rated, so at least you’re starting with a baseline safe product,” says Larry Campbell, master electrician. He recommends looking for a UL, ETL, or CSA testing badge on the product. These certification programs test all types of products, such as ovens and washers and dryers, to ensure they meet North American safety standards, and certified products generally have important safety features like overheating and tip-over protection.

If you want your electric fireplace to be a source of supplemental heat, you’ll want to look at its heat output, which is measured in BTU or British Thermal Units. In general, 3,000 to 6,000 BTUs are needed to heat 100 square feet, but factors like your local climate, your home’s insulation, and other heat sources will affect how many BTUs you need. If you live somewhere cold, you’ll likely want a fireplace with a higher BTU rating, such as the Pleasant Hearth Sheridan Electric Fireplace.

Most electric fireplaces use between 700 and 1,500 watts of power during operation. Campbell explains that standard 120-volt electrical outlets can only handle around 1,500 watts, which is sufficient to handle average household appliances like a good microwave. If your fireplace has higher wattage, you may need an electrician to install a new circuit — otherwise, you may find it trips your circuit breaker during use.

Electric fireplaces have long lifespans, often lasting between 10 and 20 years. You’ll probably need to replace its light bulbs every two or three years, but as long as you follow the manufacturer’s maintenance guidelines, your fireplace should last for a long time.

Henry Wortock

There is a wide range of electric fireplaces available, and we chose 23 popular models to put to the test in our lab.

After running these tests on all the electric fireplaces, we rated each product on its setup, performance, design, safety features, and overall value. The average score for all fireplaces we tested was 3.7, but the Costway Freestanding Electric Fireplace had a perfect score, securing its place as our top pick.

Henry Wortock

Camryn Rabideau is a freelance shopping writer for PEOPLE and a product reviewer specializing in home, kitchen, and pet products. She has covered a variety of helpful home products, including electric leaf blowers, lightweight vacuum cleaners, doorbell cameras, and electric scrubbers. In her more than six years of experience as a product tester, she's reviewed hundreds of items firsthand, and her work appears in publications such as The Spruce, Home & Gardens, and more. For this guide on electric fireplaces, she reviewed the detailed insights from our expert team of testers to determine the very best models you can buy to keep your home warm all winter.

Larry Campbell is a licensed electrical contractor with 36 years of experience in residential and light commercial electrical wiring.

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