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Modern fireplace options

Whaleblue said:
We’ve freed up some funds to consider sorting out the lounge. Currently there’s a sideboard in front of the existing fireplace, with 65” TV atop. Small stand-mount speakers either side, and the HiFi rack in the corner.

Seating consists of large sofa opposite the above, with my armchair in front of the sliding door that leads to another room and next to the rack, with another, smaller sofa at the other end, in front of doors that open into the dining room. It’s all a bit crowded as although the room is a decent size, it’s not huge at 5.2x4m approximately.

To the real question.

The room is centrally heated. We’d considered one of three options for the original 1950s fireplace.

Keep it (it’s probably functional, just needs checking out).
Replace with something smaller, but still a real fireplace.
Remove it. This option primarily to be able to keep the TV in that position.

A Google reveals all sorts of modern options. Given the way things are going I’m open to an attractive electric option. Clean, and can use renewable energy as the world moves in that direction. Significantly, these seem to come in low wide variants to allow the TV to happily sit at a sensible height above.

Has anyone any experience with these? Any advice or thoughts appreciated.
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Buy a wood burner while you still can.
 
PaulMB said:
Get rid of that huge TV, put a smaller one somewhere else, bedroom, maybe? The whole room will look better.
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Or get some far bigger speakers - it’ll look in better proportion then. :D

personally, I’d get rid of the fireplace, the room doesn’t need it aesthetically, or functionally. It’ll look better without it and gives you a good opportunity to wall mount the TV and hide all the wires..
 
We have had a Jetmaster double-skinned box in the wall open fire which I installed when we first moved here. Brilliant visuals but noisy if you live anywhere windy. Efficient for an open fire as air is drawn in between the skins and projected into the room as well as the direct heat. Closed is quiet and more efficient. Decent wood is expensive and of such variable quality we now burn compressed chipping.
In our old Victorian house I restored it with an original fireplace that had been ripped out. Lovely to look at but you had to practically sit in the thing to get any effect.

Without getting Armageddon-ish it’s handy to have a little something that doesn’t depend on your utilities. We replaced our gas cylinder to heat water/cook food just before Eunice. Now I’m tripping over it. But heh ho….
 
Whaleblue said:
We’ve a wind farm off the coast here, and I’d like to think that at least sometimes our home was being heated by its efforts.
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Don’t get too excited. The wires go directly to Bolney and north from there IIRC. But a good sentiment nonetheless.
 
No, Whaleblue is correct, in that the output will get used locally first - wherever there is demand.

The Grid was/is only designed to transfer the difference in demand between areas, not carry the whole output [... & that is one of the great challenges already being addressed in the pivot to renewables, very esp. huge & variable contributions from offshore wind. Of which UK already has about 25GW installed wind capacity, and right now, about half of such, is providing <checks> 41.5% of current UK demand :) ]
 
I do realise others think differently but I see a fireplace in practical terms only. If wood or gas then it's something that can provide heat in a power cut. Otherwise I'd remove it and let the TV be the actually-useful-focal-point.
 
Cav said:
Buy a wood burner while you still can.
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Wood burner here. We get a lot of power cuts….

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We have a fairly inexpensive coal-effect gas fire. It works as a focal point in the room, and as a useful source of cosiness (heat and light) in the colder, darker months. Even though it forces some compromises for the hifi (system in an alcove, long runs of cable running in front of the fireplace) I don't think we'd want to be without it, even though the central heating is capable of warming the room by itself, because of that cosiness factor. Also, we can just heat the sitting room to be toasty, and leave the thermostat down a notch or two for the rest of the house.
 
Whaleblue said:
Thats pretty much exactly the style we like. Looks great.
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Well it's lit now and roaring away :D

We've just had our email from Shell Energy to say the household electric & gas bills will go up around £750; so we'll be using more wood & coal.

Sorry; but at this moment in time I give no shits re the climate; if we're going to be rear-ended over the energy costs; I'll do what I want to keep us warm and if that means hardly using the central heating then so be it!

FYI @Whaleblue - ours is a 1954 house; the original back boiler was still in situ when we moved in; ripped that out, had a coal fire firebox fitted; cast iron plate fascia and black granite hearth; and the flue lined etc...

Around £2k if I remember correctly
 
Kitchen fireplace has had it's chimney swept so we'll be using that tonight.

Goes up through the middle of the house so it provides enough background heat for the two bedrooms either side of the stack.

Originally there was a Rayburn facing the opposite way so i bricked that up, cut a hole in the back and lined the fireplace with refractory bricks.

Simple and effective, saves sawing too as i can get 3' logs in.
 
hifilover1979 said:
Sorry; but at this moment in time I give no shits re the climate; if we're going to be rear-ended over the energy costs; I'll do what I want to keep us warm and if that means hardly using the central heating then so be it!
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Yes, I feel it’s a case of needs must at the moment. However, as I said upthread, if you’re buying fuel in, it’s not a cheap method of primary heating. Fortunately, spring is around the corner (the first house martins returned at the weekend).
 
Ponty said:
Yes, I feel it’s a case of needs must at the moment. However, as I said upthread, if you’re buying fuel in, it’s not a cheap method of primary heating. Fortunately, spring is around the corner (the first house martins returned at the weekend).
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Yup; get that

But for us, for the needs we have, it's still cheaper than using the central heating...

Not being skin-flints, we're not short of £££ that we can't pay bills; it's just paying through the nose doesn't sit with us right... The fire heats the whole of the downstairs; so the wife's in the lounge working & I'm in my office at the back of the downstairs working and it's nice & warm :) Upstairs is frigid!

Had the fire going last night; but all day the house was wide open, all doors & windows as it was glorious here, like mid Spring & the sun was beating down; it's the complete opposite today and cold / lashing it down!

The weather will pick up soon enough...
 
With the tightening of restrictions on what you are allowed to burn in a woodburner/fire etc. it won't be long until those fuels are taxed into oblivion - another reason to think long term.
 
myles said:
With the tightening of restrictions on what you are allowed to burn in a woodburner/fire etc. it won't be long until those fuels are taxed into oblivion - another reason to think long term.
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I did try some old LPs once, very toxic. I suspect come of the Chlorine and Hydrogen joined up to create HCl.

We certainly recycle a lot more at home when the open fire's going.
 
dweezil said:
I did try some old LPs once, very toxic. I suspect come of the Chlorine and Hydrogen joined up to create HCl.

We certainly recycle a lot more at home when the open fire's going.
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I'm not sure if you misunderstood my comment, which wasn't anti open fire. All I'm saying is that I can see a time, soon, when they'll be outlawed.
 
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