Installing stoves has been a growing trend over the last fifty or so years throughout rural areas. Their growth has largely come at the expense of fireplaces, as they offer improved fuel efficiency and produce a cleaner burn. Even so, fuel stoves are still not that common in suburban and urban environments, and for good reason. In such areas, chimneys are far less common, which makes the installation of a fuel stove a far more laborious and expensive process. In some cases, there are also restrictions on the amount of fires that you are allowed to run within city limits, as fires can reduce air quality significantly, which is something cities will often struggle with regardless due to the high concentration of vehicles and people. Fuel stoves are also very demanding of resources in order to maintain in the long run, and without a steady and freely available supply of fuel, it can be difficult. As a consequence, electric stoves are an incredible product that many find preferrable to a fuel stove.
Electric stoves are installations that can be placed in a home to give a similar appearance to a normal fuel stove. They usually have glass windows that contain an image of a flame that is very difficult to distinguish from a standard flame produced by fuel. The main method for identifying whether or not it is an electric stove or a variety of fuel stove is whether or not the stove is connected to a chimney. As electric stoves don’t burn fuel, they don’t give off fumes that require a chimney flue.
The main advantage of fuel stoves, and in particular wood burning stoves, is that so long as you have a freely available source of fuel for the stove, its upkeep is very affordable and generally an excellent source of heat for your home. In comparison, an electric stove is essentially a physically and aesthetically appealing electric heater, and as a result is generally less efficient than relying on central heating. However, electric stoves are an excellent option for those without a steady and free supply of fuel for their stove, and in particular those who are a fan of the idea of having a fire, but don’t want to have to maintain the fuel supply.
Electric stoves also benefit from the ability to modify the heat output of the device with the use of a thermostat. Whereas with fuel stoves, the amount of heat output of the stove is determined by how much fuel you have burning at any point in time, an electric stove can produce its maximum heat with the turn of a dial. It is also useful that the flame image that electric stoves have can be adjusted too, with the ability to display a lightly smouldering fireplace, or a raging inferno with a simple adjustment of a control panel. Both the heat output and the size of the flame displayed in the electric stove are disconnected as well, which means that you can easily display a ranging fire when the actual heat output is relatively low, or vice versa.