As with all types of electric fireplace, electric fireplace inserts are electrical appliances and so must be powered by a source of electricity.
Most electric fireplace inserts can be found as plug-in form where the units will come with a standard power cord and plug that you can plug into any of your home electrical outlets.
When it comes to installing an electric fireplace insert in an existing fireplace you’ll therefore need to consider where the insert will plug in.
The most common way to achieve this is to have an electrical outlet installed within the firebox of the existing fireplace, behind where the electric insert sits within the fireplace.
This arrangement also helps to hide the cord from view but requires a licenced electrician to install this electrical outlet for you.
Another way would be to plug the electric insert into a nearby electrical outlet outside of the fireplace. This would require there to be an electrical outlet nearby, the power cord to be the right length and the power cord would need to be hidden out of view for the most realistic experience.
For example, we need to get a professional in to install an electrical outlet inside the firebox of our kitchen fireplace before we install our electric fireplace insert, as there’s no electrical outlet nearby.
With our electric fireplace insert placed within the opening of the existing fireplace, there’s enough space behind to plug the appliance into an electrical outlet.
If we choose to plug this insert into a nearby electrical outlet then we’ll need to consider how we’ll hide the cable out of view, potentially running the cord down the back of the hearth.
It’s typically advised not to use an extensions cord with an electric fireplace but check the owner’s manual for your electric fireplace insert for more information.
With electric insert units that need to be hard-wired into the electrics, you’ll still also need to consider how you’ll provide an electrical supply to near the unit.