CHOOSE A FABULOUS FIRE

If you like the idea of a fire rather than a stove in your living space, you will need to consider your fuel options as well as the style of fire you prefer. Fires are generally fuelled by gas or electricity, but you’ll also find bioethanol fires on offer. A further option is an open fireplace.

Why pick a gas fire?

If your home has a mains gas connection, a gas fire can prove economical to run. Gas fires can produce a good heat output, plus they’re very efficient. Fire efficiency is expressed as a percentage, and a fire that’s 80 per cent efficient, for example, loses just 20 per cent of its heat up the chimney with the remaining 80 per cent being used to heat the room.

Don’t have mains gas? Don’t count one of these out. There are also LPG versions, which can be fuelled by an outside tank or bottled gas.

Generally, a gas fire needs to be connected to a chimney to operate correctly and, vitally, safely: these designs are called conventional flue gas fires. However, don’t despair if you don’t have a working chimney: there are also balanced flue gas fires available. These are vented through an exterior wall. Their pipes bring the air for combustion into the room, and remove the combustion gases to the outside. Bear in mind that if you choose a balanced flue gas fire, it will be a glass-fronted design; conventional flue fires can have a glass front or just be open.

A further option is a flueless gas fire. As the name suggests, neither chimney nor flue are required with one

of these, and it also gives you the flexibility to install the fire on any wall of the room.

Speak to a qualified installer about the options suitable for your room, and remember that a gas fire has to be installed by a registered gas safe engineer (gassaferegister.co.uk). It will also need maintenance by an expert, and any chimney will need cleaning.

What are the benefits of an electric fire?

An electric fire can be a lower cost choice for your home than a gas fire or a stove, although running costs are higher when you use electricity as a fuel rather than gas, so you’ll need to factor in the effect it will have on your energy bills.

You won’t get as much heat from an electric fire as you can from a gas model or a stove, although this may be sufficient for a smaller room, or if your fire choice is primarily about the cosiness and the look as your home is warm in any case.

Electric fires are 100 per cent efficient, so all of the heat ends up in your room. Fitting is quite straightforward, too: an electric fire just needs to be plugged in.

How about bio-ethanol fires?

You won’t find the same number of bio-ethanol fires to select from as you will if you settle for one that runs on electricity or gas, but there are some fabulous contemporary designs on offer. They can be a more expensive choice than either gas or electric fires, although that’s not always the case.

Bio-ethanol fires can have high heat outputs, and are 100 per cent efficient: there’s no chimney taking heat away from your room.

They are also easy to fit, and you can position your fire where you want. On the downside, the fuel itself does cost compared to both gas and electricity.

Could I go for an open fire?

There are attractive period-style and modern open fire designs on offer. Such fires gives off radiant heat rather than heating the room via convection as well, but it is possible to opt for an open fire with a convection chamber to circulate the warm air. This chamber can help cut the amount of heat lost up the chimney with an open fire – rather than it going into the room – reducing it from about 80 per cent to around 50 per cent.