Electric Flame Effect?

portchieboy

Any one any good recommends please for Electric, flame effect fires.

I am replacing an old Gas Fire, but really don't want the huge expense of fiiting Gas. I wonder if it would be better spending the dosh on a decent electric?

virgin_moneysaver

we are in the same quandry- went to a local shop that was called gas care but also sold electric fires - the elec fire he showed us was very quiet, living flame & 100% efficient as opposed to the gas inset that was 86% & dearer - the elec was a creative fires 'quanta' at £599 - but I noticed that online I could get it for £381

economiser

Electric heating is several times more costly than gas. Make sure that saving a bit on the new fire is not quickly offset by energy costs.

hardpressed

If you're going to buy a flame effect electric fire make sure the replacement bulbs can be easily bought locally. I've got a brilliant fire, really realistic flames but and this is a big but, it has a red tube bulb which I cannot get locally and have had to order from the manufacturers. I recently found somewhere on line where I can get them, ordered a job lot of 10 a couple of weeks ago but they haven't arrived yet!! I seem to be getting through 2 each winter.

virgin_moneysaver

economiser wrote: »

Electric heating is several times more costly than gas. Make sure that saving a bit on the new fire is not quickly offset by energy costs.

when the chap showed us the literature the elec looked cheaper - plus your not paying for installation & annual servicing that gas entails

across

this is my fire (below)in my back room :legend firestrata
it always looks nice and has a coloured bulb that looks pretty normal! i say shop around to get price knocked down playing one shop off against the other until it goes no further and is affordable! good luck

portchieboy

Question please for hardpressed.....what type of fire is it?

Thanks!

hardpressed

I bought it from Currys probably 5 years ago, the make is White Knight, never seen it anywhere else so could be their own make.

economiser

virgin_moneysaver wrote: »

when the chap showed us the literature the elec looked cheaper - plus your not paying for installation & annual servicing that gas entails

Of course their are a variety of suppliers quoting slightly different rates but my gas supplier charges 2.8p/kWh and electricity is 7.2p/kWh.

Of course there one has to take into account that the gas fire will only be about 75% efficient which would make the cost 3.7p/kWh of useful energy. Still making electricity twice the price.

Thus if your gas fire costs you say £250 a year to run the electric will cost about £500 which would probably wipe out the installation savings in the first year.

I had a gas fire for some years back in the 1970's and the only servicing it got was to vacuum out the burner now and again perhaps the regulations are different these days but I can't see what else you could do.

Be_Happy

When buying electric fire, try to hear the noise it makes, if possible. We are all electric and have had various focal point electric fires over the years. We have had to move one from the sitting room to the dining room as the noise of the electric motor nearly drowned out the TV.

It's not easy to judge noise in showroom, but at home it seems much louder.

economiser

I have looked at this a bit further and find that the efficiency of these flame effect gas fires varies enormously. Most enclosed fires seem OK but some with open flames marketed for aesthetic effect only can be very, very low. Check very carefully the efficiency before you buy. I found one or two suppliers very reluctant to say (or they just didn't know).