If cold and snowy winter weather makes you long for a new fireplace, you’re not alone. More and more often, that new fireplace will be electric. And since almost all electric fireplaces have heaters, you may be wondering which are the best electric fireplaces for winter. In addition to physical warmth, the best electric fireplaces can also be compared on the basis of appearance, including the most impressive viewing areas. Below, we’ve curated our picks for the best electric fireplaces for winter, based on heat output and visual presentation, as well as tips on finding a fireplace with sound effects, and even a few that add much-needed moisture to your dry, winter air.
Best Electric Fireplaces for Winter Warmth
Almost all electric fireplaces have built-in heaters, and all of those heaters can run on 120 volts, which is your regular household current. On 120 volts, the maximum heat output is 5000 BTUs, which is enough heat to warm up a 400 square foot area, as a complement to your central heating system. While that’s a comfortable amount of heat in most situations, there are spaces that are larger or cooler than average, and they might require more supplemental heat. In Canada, this might include a basement or a room over the garage. For those spaces, there are electric fireplaces that are dual-voltage. That is, they can connect to either 120 volts or 240 volts. On 240 volts, an electric fireplace can warm up an area up to 800 square feet, or it can warm up a smaller space more quickly.
Dual-voltage tends to be a feature of premium electric fireplaces, so all of our major manufacturers make at least a few models that can connect to 240 volts, and styles range from traditional to contemporary. From Dimplex, the entire Ignite family is dual-voltage, include IgniteXL, IgniteXL Bold, Ignite Evolve, Ignite Ultra, and Ignite Aspire. Dimplex Revillusion traditional electric fireplaces are also dual-voltage. Amantii offers dual-voltage on Symmetry Extra-Tall and Tru-View Extra Tall. Napoleon offers dual-voltage on both value-priced and premium electric fireplaces: Luminex, Astound built-in, Astound Flexmount, Trivista Primis, Elevation, and Element. Modern Flames offers dual-voltage on Landscape Pro Multi and Orion Multi linear fireplaces.
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Best Electric Fireplaces for Winter Style
In winter, more than any other time, we are drawn to big fireplaces, reminiscent of ski lodges and chalets. There are several electric fireplaces that fill this niche, by offering oversize dimensions and large viewing areas that are not cluttered with grilles. These models are further enhanced with impressive logs.
Amantii TRD-48 offers an almost square 4-foot wide viewing glass, with flames that fill the backdrop. You can work with the included logs, or upgrade to one of Amantii’s impressive optional log sets, like split logs or birch.
Napoleon Elevation electric fireplaces have been sized to match their gas counterparts, in 36 and 42-inch widths that look even larger, thanks to clean viewing areas. The overall effect is greatly enhanced by the triple-layer flames set amongst 3 layers of oak logs. These are also dual-voltage fireplaces that may be connected to 120 or 240 volts, as noted above.
If you prefer a more linear fireplace design, then the Napoleon Astound built-in has the tallest viewing glass in this category, with a big, bold picture frame around the viewing area. The included logs are extremely realistic, and the flame effects are warm and cozy. This is another dual-voltage electric fireplace, capable of heating up 800 square feet. Likewise, the Amantii Symmetry Extra-Tall series of linear fires have a taller viewing area, and extra depth to accommodate more realistic logs. These are also dual-voltage fires, with extra heating capacity on 240 volts.
The Best Electric Fireplaces with sound effects
Sitting next to a wood fire is a multi-sensory experience, including the sight of the flames, the sound of crackling and the smell of the burning wood. All the best electric fireplaces offer the sight of realistic flames. However, not all can replicate the crackling sound. The best sound effects come from the newest video fireplaces, because the video of a real burning fire also captures the sounds of the fire. Modern Flames Orion fireplaces, with Heliovision, have natural wood-burning sounds in the Orion Slim, Orion Multi and Orion Traditional. Likewise, Napoleon’s Luminex video fireplace also offers crackling wood sounds to accompany the wood flames, with the sound of gas jets accompanying the gas flame video.
Among LED electric fireplaces, Amantii’s Bespoke models all have crackling sounds. Bespoke upgrades are available on Symmetry, Symmetry Extra-Tall, Tru-View, and TRD models. Dimplex has added crackling sounds to the newest Ignite models: Ultra linear fireplaces and Aspire traditional fireplace inserts.
Last, but not least, Dimplex Optimyst models also have crackling sound effects to accompany the water-based flames: CDFI500-Pro, GBF and OLF models. Optimyst is also part of Amantii’s Signature insert.
In all cases, the crackling sound effects also have volume control, so you can control the intensity of the crackling, or turn it off completely.
The Best Electric Fireplaces for Indoor Air Quality
Living in a cold climate means living with dry air all winter, as our furnaces and heaters slowly evaporate all the moisture indoors. Many of us have humidifiers to help compensate. If you need a little added moisture in your interiors, an Optimyst with water-based flame effects may be the best electric fireplace for you. While Optimyst can’t replace a humidifier, it does add a small amount of moisture to the air around it, because it’s turning tap water into a fine mist that is then lit up to look like live flames. You can get this effect with the traditionally styled Amantii Signature, the Dimplex Optimyst Linear, Dimplex GBF, or Dimplex Optimyst Cassettes.