Six of the best alternatives to wood burners
With prices ranging from £110 to £11,200
1. ACR Malvern Electric Stove
Offering instant heat and available in a range of styles, electric fires can offer much of the cosiness of wood burners. This ACR Malvern is free-standing and portable. Weighing 21kg, it has a flame effect and 2kW heater. No flue needed.
2. Olympus electric fire baskets
These fire baskets fuse ultrasonic technology to create a fine mist that is illuminated to produce realistic flames and smoke, coupled with authentic-looking logs and a glowing ash bed. They don’t need a flue, but nor do they give off heat.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. Gyrofocus
This ceiling-suspended 13.5kW gas fire is based on a woodburner design patented decades ago, and is available in two colours. It has realistic ceramic logs, and can be pivoted by remote control.
from £11,200; focus-fireplaces.com
4. Homcom LED Wall-Mounted Fireplace
Designed for wall-mounted installation, this electric fire has two heat settings (1kW or 2kW) as well as a realistic LED flame-effect display and a choice of seven backlight colours.
5. Stockton Electric Stove
For an electric heater that looks like a log burner, try this Stockton Electric Stove, which has a cast iron door and steel body. Gazco’s “VeriFlame” technology gives an authentic log effect; it has two heat settings and three flame intensity levels. Available in three sizes.
6. Le Feu
This portable bio-ethanol fireplace is made of recycled cast iron and stands on 45cm wood legs. It produces up to 3.5kW of smokeless heat using eco-friendly fuel – 1.5 litres of bio-ethanol fuel lasts up to six hours.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Laura Lippman's 6 favorite books for those who crave a high-stakes adventure
Feature The Grand Master recommends works by E.L. Konigsburg, Charles Portis, and more
-
Book reviews: 'Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream' and 'Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television'
Feature Private equity and the man who created 'I Love Lucy' get their close-ups
-
Can Texas redistricting save the US House for the GOP?
Today's Big Question Trump pushes a 'ruthless' new plan, but it could backfire
-
Laura Lippman's 6 favorite books for those who crave a high-stakes adventure
Feature The Grand Master recommends works by E.L. Konigsburg, Charles Portis, and more
-
Book reviews: 'Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream' and 'Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television'
Feature Private equity and the man who created 'I Love Lucy' get their close-ups
-
Lemon and courgette carbonara recipe
The Week Recommends Zingy and fresh, this pasta is a summer treat
-
Oasis reunited: definitely maybe a triumph
Talking Point The reunion of a band with 'the power of Led Zeppelin' and 'the swagger of the Rolling Stones'
-
Kiefer / Van Gogh: a 'remarkable double act'
The Week Recommends Visit this 'heroic' and 'absurd' exhibition at the Royal Academy until 26 October
-
Mark Billingham shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The novelist and actor shares works by Mark Lewisohn, John Connolly and Gillian Flynn
-
Properties of the week: grand rural residences
The Week Recommends Featuring homes in Wiltshire, Devon, and East Sussex
-
Heads of State: 'a perfect summer movie'
The Week Recommends John Cena and Idris Elba have odd-couple chemistry as the US president and British prime minister