You may have noticed a growing trend, with more and more people opting to use electric fires in their homes.
What's behind this increase in usage? We look at some of the key factors contributing to the popularity of such fires.
With most modern homes being constructed with integrated central heating, it seems strange that many home owners should look for alternative forms of heating.
Surely the point of central heating is that it's simple to use and relatively inexpensive to run? A number of issues have cropped up in recent years which have changed the way in which people look at heating.
One is about costs and the rise of fuel and energy prices.
With energy prices rising, many home owners have started to look at ways of cutting their fuel bills.
It's difficult to know whether gas or electricity prices are likely to rise fastest, so some people have decided to hedge their bets.
By making use of gas central heating but with electric fires in some rooms of the houses, it's possible to regulate the amount of each fuel that you are using.
In effect, you can alter you energy needs to take into account the cost involved in using each type.
This is just one reason why many people have opted to purchase new electric fires.
Another factor is that many people like to have a real fire.
It's certainly something that attracts attention and can create a real feature.
The only problem is that having a real fire is not possible in all properties.
There are particular difficulties if you live in a relatively new property that does not have a chimney.
In such situations, an electric alternative can be cheaper to install and will mimic the effect that's created by a real fire.
This is possible thanks to technological advances that have made modern fireplaces look so much more like real fires.
Once advantage over a real fire is that an electric option will actually be much cleaner.
What other reasons are there for installing a modern electric fire? If you don't like the look of radiators then installing a fire means that you can get rid of them.
This is great news if you find radiators to be ugly and wish that you had a more attractive alternative to turn to.
Fortunately electric fires tend to be much easier to fit that many other options.
This not only makes things easier for you but also helps to keep costs down.
The varying options available ensure that you should be able to find an electric fire suite that is perfect for any home or room.
It's hardly surprising that electric fires have become so popular.