Electric FireplacesSaving Money & Energy
How to Save Money on Heating Bills with an Electric Fireplace
Do you like to stand over your kitchen sink at home and light $20 bills on fire for fun? If for some reason your answer is no, you might be one of those types that actually likes SAVING money. Which means you should probably learn about using an electric fireplace or space heater as part of a supplemental zone heating strategy. Keep reading and we’ll explain how an electric fireplace, log set, stove, or space heater will can lower your monthly heating costs.
Step 1: Learn all about supplemental zone heating
What is supplemental zone heating you ask? Simply put, it’s a way to save money on heating bills by not spending money to keep empty rooms warm and toasty. To go a little deeper into this idea, think about it like this…
Let’s say you work from home and spend most of the time in your home office while your kids are at school. You might venture into the kitchen or the bathroom for a few minutes at a time, but you won’t be spending any significant time there. All the other rooms of your home remain empty during this time. Do you need to keep the thermostat for your whole home set to a toasty 70 degrees? Or is it really just the room you’re in that should be the perfect temperature and the rest of the house could remain a little more brisk? Or maybe everyone congregates in the family room to watch TV together (while playing on their phones, of course) and the rest of the rooms sit empty.
When you use an electric fireplace to add the perfect amount of heat to the room you’re in, you can keep the thermostat a little lower and let the empty rooms remain a little less toasty. And with many products from Twin Star Home® you can enjoy the benefits of infrared heat for rooms as large as 1,000 square feet. Plus, unlike traditional electric heat, infrared heat doesn’t reduce natural humidity in the room, for comfortable heat that won’t dry out the air. Therefore, you and your family will appreciate cozy heat that is kinder to your skin, nasal passages, and helps to reduce static electricity.
Step 2: Figure out the rooms that are used most
Every home has certain rooms that get used more than others. Figuring out the first rooms where you want to add heat with an electric fireplace or space heater is probably not that tough.
However, the most-used rooms in your home may change depending on the time of day. In the mornings and evenings, it’s probably the kitchen or family room. Although, warming up the bedrooms at night before you slide under the sheets is a big deal. That’s why space heaters and electric fireplaces make life easy. You prioritize where to add heat. Then, you turn down your thermostat by 8 to 10 degrees to save as much as 15 percent on your electric bill.*
Step 3: Find an electric fireplace (or space heater) for those rooms to save money on heating bills
How can you go about finding an electric fireplace or electric space heater that will be the right fit for your room? You’ll want to consider factors like space and room style.
Space
The size of your room definitely has an impact on what kind of electric fireplace or electric space heater you’ll want to get. If small space living is your reality, the amount of floor space your heater takes up will be a big factor. That’s why a wall-hanging model, like the ClassicFlame® PanoGlow® Wall Mounted Electric Fireplace (seen at the start of this blog) is a great way to save money on heating in winter. It offers supplemental zone heating for up to 1,000 square feet, and takes up no floor space. It’s perfect for smaller places or for anyone who wants to keep their brand new fireplace off the floor and away from forces of destruction like toddlers and puppies. And, it makes a beautiful focal point in any room, with three-sided viewing of the most realistic dancing flames, and the exclusive patented 3D Flame® Effect from ClassicFlame®.
Another great option for small spaces is an electric stove heater, like the one shown below. These little babies are the answer to the question, ‘What does a space heater want to be when it grows up?’ They offer the heating power and portability of old school space heaters with beauty and charming style that you may even design a room around.
Room Style
Whether the style that speaks to you is modern farmhouse, contemporary, mid-century, or something else entirely, you can find an electric fireplace that dovetails with your style completely. A piece like the TV stand with electric fireplace pictured below is the perfect solution to adding some farmhouse style to your space.
With a variety of wall mantels and TV stands with electric fireplaces, there is something to complement every style. If a little glam feels more like you, something like the white TV stand with electric fireplace pictured below could be right up your alley. If classically traditional elegance or casually coastal comfort are more your style, you can find these and many other styles at Twin Star Home.
Step 4: Turn down your central heat, get cozy, and save money on heating bills
Now that you’ve identified where and when to add heat and what kind of heater you would like, it’s time to put this plan into action. Turn down that thermostat and cozy up in front of your new electric fireplace. Maybe this can even serve as a way to get everyone together for a little family bonding. One of those “under-the-radar” kind of strategies, like sneaking vegetables into other foods when your kids are little.
Step 5: Feel good about saving green
A supplemental zone heating strategy is the perfect way to save money on heating bills, but that’s not the only reason why it’s a great idea. If living greener this year is important to you, then using an electric fireplace or space heater for zone heating is a great way to achieve that, as adding heat only where it’s needed is more energy efficient.
And they’re more efficient than traditional chimney fireplaces that allow heat to escape. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “most traditional open fireplaces lose over 90 percent of the fire’s heat out the chimney, and much of the heated air in the room goes with it.” And, on top of that, drafts then come in through the chimney, bringing down the temperature of the room you just heated.
Another reason our electric fireplaces are better for the planet is that they use LED bulbs, which consume less energy than incandescent bulbs. The normal lifespan of an LED bulb is 50,000 hours and contains no mercury, which helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and costs less to operate.
And, to boot, electric fireplaces don’t burn wood. So, no trees need to be cut down to fuel these fires!
Get Ready to Fall in Love with Saving Money on Heating Bills
If this sounds like an idea you can’t wait to try, visit twinstarhome-beta.kingandpartners.com to see how products from our family of brands, including ClassicFlame® and duraflame® Electric, can help you get started today.
*Depending on rates where you live, turning down the your thermostat 10 degrees during the winter months, and running an alternative heat source in the room you use most can save up to 10% on your energy bill.
