"Terry" wrote in message
...
Request some opinions/advice re alternatives for our existing fireplace
which lives in an imposing rock wall in our family room.

Thank you to the several people who posted fireplace suggestions and good
information; thank you.
And, good question: I guess the answer is that with other heating including
a basement wood stove and a retirement life style 'we want pretty'! i.e.
less chimney heat loss and less mess in family room!
Regarding the comment about electrical utility cost; in this province of
Canada that is not such a great concern.
Piped in gas is not available at all. Most of the electricity is generated
by water power so that is less polluting and less expensive than electricity
generated by burning coal, gas ,oil and/or atomic energy which seems to be
proving very costly?

Also since the house is (apart from the occasionally used basement wood
stove) all electric, using baseboard heaters, the occasional use of, say, an
electric fireplace, to 'look nice' would merely provide some additional heat
that would cause the room heaters to operate less! i.e. electric heat is,
more or less, electric-heat.

For this 1600 sq foot house with a full concrete in ground but basically
unheated basement the electric utility (total energy) cost is around $2500
per year, including all sales taxes. That includes cooking, refrigerator,
freezer, home heating, washing clothes, daily showers, some workshop
equipment, occasional garage heat, outside lights on at night and two
computers running 24/7. Temperatures in this coastal climate are not that
low but the cold season is long, requiring some heating almost every month
of the year and it is windy.