Electric Fireplaces on Carpet or Rugs
Electric fireplaces are getting more and more popular, and it’s easy to understand why if you’ve ever seen one.
They’re so cozy, warm, and safe to use compared to a wood-burning stove.
There’s little to no work. You just have to sit back and relax and get cozy.
Related: Best Freestanding Electric “Fake” Fireplace Heaters
Can electric fireplaces safely be placed on the carpet, or do they get warm underneath and cause a fire hazard?
Electric fireplaces can sit on carpet or rugs without causing any danger.
There is no actual fire in an electric fireplace.
It’s just like a space heater with a fake firebox on top or underneath.
You can often see where the heater sits, and this heater is always placed where it won’t cause any danger to the surface it’s sitting on.
All you have to make sure of is that the surface is stable.
You don’t want to knock over the fireplace if you bump into it, because that would hurt!
You can sit down, relax, and have a warm drink next to your electric fireplace, even if it’s sitting on the carpet or a rug.
Do Electric Fireplaces Produce Heat?
Yes, electric fireplaces have heaters built into them.
They produce heat just like a regular heater, but there’s also a fun flickering fire for added coziness.
Some electric fireplaces have a setting that only turns on the fake fire part.
This allows you to add a little extra mood lighting without having to run the heater.
How Big of a Room Will an Electric Fireplace Heat?
Most electric fireplaces will have the recommended room size listed on the box or in the manual.
But a good rule of thumb is small electric fireplaces for small rooms around 200 square feet.
Medium for medium sized rooms that are around 400 square feet.
And large fireplaces for larger rooms that can be up to 1000 square feet.
One great thing about portable electric fireplace heaters is they can be moved to the space that you are occupying.
That means you don’t need an extra large heater for a big room.
You could just have a smaller electric fireplace near your favorite chair to heat the space you are in.
Do Electric Fireplaces Use a Lot of Electricity?
Electric fireplaces are pretty much the same as regular space heaters. They just have a light that flickers behind a fake fire scene.
The light doesn’t take much electricity, so you can directly compare the heaters in fake fireplaces to those in regular space heaters.
The average space heater usually draws a maximum of 1,500 watts.
That’s because a standard household wall outlet can only output a maximum of 1,800 watts.
So 1,500 watts is a safe energy draw for a heater that will be plugged into a regular wall outlet.
The 1,500 watts will be the power draw at the highest setting.
So you could use a lot less electricity if the electric fireplace is set on low.
If you have it on the highest setting, you can expect to use 1.5 kilowatts an hour.
The average household in the USA pays around 15.42 cents per 1000 watts. The price does vary, but I’ll use the average for this example.
Take the kilowatt price of 15.42 and multiply it by the max kilowatts used per hour (1.5).
If you have an electric fireplace on the highest setting for 1 hour, you can expect to pay around 23 cents.
Can I Leave an Electric Fireplace On Overnight?
A quality electric fireplace that you have tested throughout the day can be left on overnight.
It’s recommended to leave it on a low setting so it will turn off periodically to give it time to cool off, but should be fine to run overnight.
The same precautions used for space heaters should be used for electric fireplaces.
Never leave them on around unattended children, don’t cover them, don’t place flammable objects in front of them, and don’t make the heater run 24/7.
Make sure to always give it a break.
One thing you can safely leave on is the light for the fake fire.
Some electric fireplaces allow you to turn on the light without having to turn on the heater.
If you just have the light on, there shouldn’t be any fire hazards.
Have any more questions about electric fireplace safety? Leave a comment below.
