There is something exceptionally nostalgic and cosy about sitting next to a fireplace. It’s a wonderful feeling to feel the warmth envelop the room and keep out the chill of a freezing or stormy night. With a widespread shift to more efficient and safer electric fires and heating systems in the West Midlands, there are worries that watching a crackling fire dance is a tradition that’s now lost to the past.

That is no longer the case, with the increasing rise in popularity of flame-effect fireplaces. These elegant and versatile fire suites provide the warmth and safety of an electric fire with the cracking beauty and comforting glow of watching a fireplace. They come in a range of styles, from rather subdued glowing fireplaces that emulate a rather muted gas fireplace, to roaring suites that emulate a range of different fire types, from coal to wood-burning stoves.

Unlike a traditional gas fire, which needed to be manually ignited and would occasionally struggle in particularly cold or inclement conditions, an electric fire works at a flick of a switch and starts to gradually heat the room almost immediately. They are fan assisted, helping to cascade heat across a room whilst making a comparable amount of noise to a library.

The crackling fire of a traditional fireplace is evidently popular; videos of a crackling fireplace on Youtube have garnered tens of millions of views, so anyone looking for a warm feeling on a cold night should consider a flame effect fireplace.