Your electric fireplace will probably be a core part of the room! Most people have it in the communal or living room, and want everybody to gravitate towards it. This means you will want things near it.

A prime example is your TV. Many people like to be able to watch TV and keep warm by the fireplace at the same time. Many adverts have been created of people cozily huddled by the fireplace while watching a movie together!

This is fine – generally, all electric fireplaces are safe to install under TVs. However, the distance between the top of the fireplace and the bottom of the TV needs to be at least 12 inches. Check that the dimensions of your room allow this.

If you want to be practical, you can actually get a free-standing fireplace that doubles up as a media cabinet. Essentially these are TV stands with an electrical fireplace, and as they have to follow the correct standards, the minimum 12-inch gap mentioned above will always exist.

If you are having a TV nearby, it’s best to select a fireplace with a bottom or front heat. This reduces the chance of the heat blowing towards the TV.