When buying an electric fireplace there are a few main things that you should look for and take into consideration, including:

• How power will be supplied to the electric fireplace (either plugged in or hard-wired).
• The flame effects and how realistic you want them to be.
• How powerful you need the heater to be and what size room the electric fireplace needs to heat.
• Maintenance of electric fireplaces.
• Added features such as thermostatic control or remote control.

  An electric fireplace is an electrical appliance and usually requires a source of mains electricity in order to work.

  The majority of electric fireplaces will come with a power cord and plug as standard. They generally work straight out of the box and you simply need to plug an electric fireplace into one of the standard electrical outlets in your home and they can be used immediately.

  Types of electric fireplace that are designed to be more of a permanent feature in home, such as built-in fireplaces, may need to be hard-wired into your home electrics.

  However, many of these types of units can come with a plug-kit as standard that allows you to plug them into an electrical outlet instead. If not, these plug-in kits can typically be bought as an optional extra.