Should I Purchase A Cheap Gas Or Electric Fireplace?
Answer: Depends on what you need the fireplace to do At Creative Fireplaces we often get asked if a gas fireplace is better than an electric fireplace and the advantages of each alternative. Essentially most homeowners that have had gas fireplaces in the past know that the fire is rarely used and hence can see the distinctive advantage of being able to flip a switch and get a lovely flame effect without having to burn gas. If your fireplace is used purely as a decorative feature then many industry experts would argue that electric fireplaces are far better alternatives than gas 
What you should know:
* If you have a plug socket nearby, then you can fit an electric fireplace yourself (provided you do not have to disconnect existing gas and other obvious factors). Electric fireplaces are simply designed to plug into a standard 13amp socket. This means you simply fit the fire surround and connect the electric inset fire to a conventional socket. * With experience our fitters can fit a electric fireplace in under 30minuites as there really is nothing to it. If you are doing this for the for your own home, then the entire installation process should take no longer than half a day and will save considerable amounts of money (fitting charges are typically £200) 
* Gas fireplaces need to be connected to a standard piped gas supply by a Gas Safe Engineer. Typically installation costs are £250 depending on what is involved. Gas fires have a higher heat output, but are more expensive to run if you simply want the effect without the heat, because unlike electric fires, the flame effect cannot be used independent of the heater. * If you do not have a regular gas supply or a chimney then you will need a specialist LPG fire (works on a bottle of gas), flueless fire (works without a chimney/flue) or balanced flue fire (vented through exterior wall) . These specialist fires are much more expensive than conventional gas fires (typically double the price for something of reasonable quality) 
