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Inspirations and technical information automatic ethanol fireplaces with BEV technology.
A modern fireplace in the living room – what if not a gas fireplace?
If you are thinking about a modern fireplace in your living room, you would most often like a fireplace with a real fire, with beautiful colour, long fire line, no cleaning, always ready to light and framed in a beautiful casing.
Until now, the ideal solution to meet these expectations would have been gas fireplaces. However, in recent times their popularity has fallen dramatically. The declining interest is closely linked to the crisis caused by Russia.
Gas fireplaces have been replaced by ethanol or wood fireplaces – especially as new technologies in ethanol fireplaces have emerged. Currently, the best fireplace for the living room is an automatic ethanol fireplace with BEV technology
Why are gas fireplaces losing popularity?
Due to the political situation and the increasing number of sanctions imposed on Russia, gas has become a very uncertain energy source. Its price has risen sharply.
The situation on the gas market will not calm down overnight. According to experts, it may take at least 2-3 years. The aim of European countries is to eventually become completely independent of Russian gas and oil. The European Union is working on solutions and new suppliers to meet its energy needs. However, we must be prepared for the rising costs of gas and fossil fuels.
Gas prices have reached record levels in most countries. At the Dutch virtual TTF point, the gas price in the contract for 2 March 2022 was €159 per MWh. This compares with €88.3 the day before the war broke out.
Prices are rising and will continue to rise – this is something we must be prepared for. For this reason, it is worth knowing about modern fireplaces that can replace gas fireplaces in the living room.
What are the alternatives to gas fireplaces?
If you want a fireplace with a real flame, a bioethanol or wood-burning fireplace is an alternative. Automatic ethanol fireplaces with BEV (Burning Ethanol Vapours) technology are a state-of-the-art solution. In addition to the natural flame, they offer modern design – the possibility of creating a long line of fire. They are also environmentally friendly according to NET ZERO. Wood-burning fireplaces, although popular, cannot replace all the advantages of gas fireplaces.
Modern ethanol fireplaces.
Recently, a completely innovative proposal has appeared on the market – an automatic ethanol fireplace with BEV technology, which completely replaces gas fireplaces. It gives a beautiful, natural fire, the height of which can be controlled, and many possibilities of arrangement. It has a large tank, so it does not need constant refilling. The fire line is long, which is desirable in modern designs. Like gas appliances, automatic bioethanol fireplaces with BEV technology are controlled by remote control, app or through an innovative smart home system.
Automatic ethanol fireplaces do not require a chimney, gas installation or any building permits. All you need is a structure, usually made of plasterboard or stone, and space for the insert.
The cost of bioethanol is relatively higher than wood (about €5 per liter, which is enough for one hour of burning), but the advantage is that you do not have to pay for the installation of a chimney.
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Note that there are also manual ethanol fireplaces on the market. They are not a modern solution because they have numerous disadvantages. It is true that you can get a long line of fire, but it cannot be controlled remotely, the fuel evaporates when standing still and is in an open tank where it is in direct contact with the fire. You cannot control the height of the fire, it is not stable and can be potentially dangerous when refueling, so they are not a good alternative to gas fireplaces.
Living room with a wood-burning fireplace.
Wood-burning fireplaces will always be popular. They are an alternative to gas fireplaces and have many advantages. They are easily accessible and both the fireplace and the wood are still relatively inexpensive. If you are in the process of building or renovating your home and have a chimney in the design – this could be the right solution for you. Remember, with a wood burning fireplace you won’t get the long fire line effect popular in modern living room designs.
When installing a wood-burning fireplace, always ensure that the chimney is unobstructed, otherwise smoke and soot will leak into the room.
Wood is not a source of green energy and using wood burning fireplaces does not reduce CO2 emissions. In many cities, such as London, Krakow or San Francisco, wood burning is already banned due to its bad impact on the environment and the formation of smog. This type of fireplace is therefore not suitable for people who care about ecological solutions.
If you’re still a fan of the look of this type of fireplace, but haven’t opted for it for environmental reasons, check out the offers of automatic ethanol fireplaces, which can have a similar design.
If you already have a wood burning fireplace and would like to upgrade to an eco-friendly version, you can invest in freestanding ethanol fireplace inserts.
How to design a bio-fireplace in the living room?
Manufacturers offer 3D models that make it easy to design. 3D models can be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website and easily drawn into the design. Thanks to the fact that there is no chimney, installation is simple. The fireplace can be placed anywhere in the living room, even in the middle as a room divider (in a partition wall) or an island. There are 6 product variants to choose from in terms of the number of open sides and application possibilities.
Automatic ethanol fireplaces can be installed in special zero clearance casings, so they can be enclosed in combustible material construction and can be freely finished even with wood. A TV or pictures can be hung above the fireplace.
Automatic ethanol fireplaces with BEV™ technology cost between € 1,500 and € 10,000. The price depends mainly on the length of the fire line. The installation cost is significantly lower compared to installing a wood fireplace, as there are no costs for chimney installation, ventilation or permits.
The price of bioethanol and gas per hour of burning is the same. The cost of a gas fireplace will increase due to the depletion of gas and the geopolitical situation. For this reason, the ideal solution is ethanol, which is produced from renewable raw materials – plants.
Replacing gas fireplace with ethanol burner.
“A story of waking up to a non-working gas fireplace and relaxing in the evening by the ethanol fireplace.
The gas fireplace was a pre-existing element of the estate, but we didn’t know how to connect it to a gas bottle.
In only 3 hours, our engineer – Adam Siedlecki removed the gas stove. His aim was to install a new ethanol burner before the evening event that took place the same day. Implementing a new ethanol burner – FLA3+ took us 10 minutes. After installation, we filled it with the Fanola fuel; purchased in Planika Store on Spanish Amazon.”
Which fireplace to choose for the living room?
Innovative automatic ethanol fireplaces are becoming increasingly popular. This is a completely new technology in the world of bioethanol and they will revolutionise the fireplace market. Wood burning fireplaces are cheaper, but they don’t offer a sense of luxury.
In the past the great advantage of wood as a fuel was its good availability compared to the availability of bioethanol, but today ethanol can even be ordered on Amazon. When buying bioethanol, pay attention to its quality.
In conclusion, both bioethanol and wood fireplaces can replace gas fireplaces. Just consider what your needs and inspirations are and then make the right choice.
