How much does it cost per hour to run an electric fireplace?
With the heater on, an electric fireplace uses about 1.5 kilowatt-hours per hour, so your cost is roughly one and a half times your electric rate per kWh — a modest, predictable amount you can read right off your power bill. Running just the flame effect without heat costs only pennies, since the LEDs draw so little.
Do the math with your own rate
We won't quote you a flat dollar figure, because your cost depends on your utility's rate, and that changes over time. Here's the simple formula instead: a plug-in electric fireplace's heater draws about 1,500 watts, or 1.5 kWh per hour. Find the price-per-kWh line on your electric bill and multiply. Because that number is usually a fraction of a dollar, an hour of full heat lands squarely in the small-change range — and you only pay it while the heating element is actually running, not the whole time the fireplace is on.
Flame-only costs almost nothing
Most electric units, including the Dimplex line we show in the showroom, let you run the flame effect with the heater off — a summer-mode look with no warmth. In that mode you're powering LEDs and a small motor, a few watts total, so the flames cost next to nothing to run all evening. That's a genuine advantage: you get the glow of a fire 365 days a year for pennies, and you flip the heat on only when you actually want it, keeping the meaningful power use to real heating hours.
Cheap to run, but know its limits
Per hour, electric is inexpensive and hassle-free — no fuel to buy, no venting, no chimney, instant heat at a switch. But it's supplemental heat for one room, around 5,000 BTU, not a whole-house solution, and it can't heat at all during a power outage. In the mountains, where Helene reminded everyone how long the grid can stay down, that's the real tradeoff: electric wins on simplicity and low running cost, gas and wood win on outage-proof heat. If you'd like help deciding what fits your room and your priorities, we install all three across Western North Carolina. Call (828) 545-0525.
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Related questions
- How much electricity does an electric fireplace use?
- Does the flame effect alone use much electricity on an electric fireplace?
- Does an electric fireplace draw electricity when it's switched off or in standby?
- Can an electric fireplace plug into a standard household outlet?
- Do electric fireplaces come in 240-volt versions, and do they put out more heat?
- How do I know if my house has natural gas or propane?
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