Residential home developers are going green! We see municipalities around the country implementing laws and restrictions on wood burning and gas fireplaces in favor of more eco-friendly electric fireplaces.

For example, Vancouver, Canada, is planning to transition to all zero-emissions new home builds by 2030. Part of that includes installing electric fireplaces and fireplace inserts into new homes, rather than gas. 

In this article we’ll look at why electric fireplaces are expected to be the preferred choice for homeowners and home builders in the coming years.

Electric vs Gas vs Wood Fireplaces

Before we discuss the benefits of electric fireplaces, let’s look at the environmental impact of the three main energy sources used for supplementary heating fireplaces:

• Wood: Wood fuel sources create toxic fumes contributing to carbon emissions and global warming. When using wood-burning fireplaces to heat your home, you must be mindful of harmful fumes (including nitrogen oxides and chlorinated dioxins) entering your home. Wood is a renewable resource, but it’s not as renewable as other energy sources as it requires many years to regrow new plants for harvesting. 
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• Gas: Natural gas is a non-renewable fossil fuel. It burns clean but releases harmful greenhouse gasses (including methane) into the atmosphere. Your home must have a working carbon monoxide alarm to avoid any toxic exposure. 
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• Electric: Electric is a renewable resource in many municipalities and doesn’t have any harmful off-gasses, making it a cleaner, greener option for residential fireplaces.  

The future of fuel-burning vs electric fireplaces

The Paris Agreement on climate change urges the world’s nations to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. To help achieve these goals, we've seen communities around the world implementing bans on supplemental heating sources like gas and wood:

• Denmark banned oil-fired burners and natural gas heating back in 2013.
• Norway has turned nearly 100% of homes to fully electric heating. 
• New York’s ban on fuel-burning home heating systems comes into effect in 2023.
• Many US states have adopted or approved similar gas-fireplace bans. 

With climate action goals in mind, here are the top benefits of choosing electric fireplaces and fireplace inserts:

Benefit: No fumes

Electric fireplaces do not emit harmful fumes. This is because no real flames are created. The fireplace is powered by electricity, which turns on realistic flames and turns on the heating element to heat your space.  

Benefit: Low maintenance

Gas and wood fireplaces require regular cleaning and maintenance for optimal and safe operation. With an electric fireplace, no more annual cleaning of soot in the chimney or sweeping out ash after a burn.

Benefit: Lower operational costs

Some municipalities hike natural gas rates in the winter when you’re more likely to use your gas fireplace, which increases your home heating bill. Wood-burning fireplaces require wood to operate, which can be expensive if you don’t have your own wood supply. 

Benefit: Flexibility

When you light a wood or gas fireplace, you’re creating heat. If you want the ambiance of the fire but with no heat, you can do that with many electric fireplaces. This is great when you have guests and don’t need the extra heat. 

Benefit: More energy efficient

Using a fireplace to heat your home is often a supplementary heating method, as you usually have duct or baseboard heating in your home already. Electric fireplaces can be moved to any room you need and will heat that room more efficiently than gas and are more economical on your heating bill. Electricity is also a more renewable resource compared to wood and natural gas. 

Benefit: Easy installation

Installing an electric fireplace only requires mounting on the wall (or recessing) and plugging it in. You can install it anywhere you have wall space, without requiring a vent for fumes or smoke like a gas or wood fire. Gas fireplaces require the installation of a gas line and a venting system. Similarly, a wood-burning fireplace requires building a chimney for venting. 

In many jurisdictions, electric fireplaces don’t have specific regulations regarding size, ventilation, clearance, or non-combustible materials around the fireplaces. They also don’t require any permits to install, unlike gas or wood fireplaces. They can be installed nearly anywhere you want, whether in your family room, bedroom, or kid's playroom.

Benefit: Cool to the touch

If you have children or pets, you might worry about keeping them away from the hot fireplace or open flame when you have a gas or wood-burning fireplace. Electric fireplaces give off heat, but the glass and fireplace frame don’t get hot enough to burn you if you touch them. 

The verdict on electric fireplaces

As building codes evolve around our communities, we expect the demand for electric fireplaces to increase in the coming years. Demand will likely also be driven by the ease of use of Electric fireplaces (they can be turned on with a remote or smart phone app and begins heating right away). 

JR Home carries a wide variety of surface mount, stand alone, and recessed electric fireplaces for more eco-friendly home heating.