Chimney & fireplace
Electric Fireplace Cost Calculator
Prices an electric fireplace, the one option with no venting and no combustion.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus the appliance and the call-out. An electric fireplace is the simplest installation in this group because there is no flue, no combustion air and no gas: it needs a suitable electrical supply, a recess or surround to sit in, and finishing. The cost is mostly the appliance and the surround joinery. What it does not do is heat a large space, because a plug-in unit is limited by the circuit it runs on rather than by anything about fireplaces.
What moves the number
- Whether a suitable circuit exists or one has to be run.
- Whether it is a plug-in insert or a hard-wired higher-output unit.
- Surround and mantel construction, which is often the larger cost.
- Whether the unit is being fitted into an existing masonry opening.
Where this one goes wrong
Be realistic about heat output. A plug-in electric fireplace on an ordinary circuit produces a limited amount of heat, enough to take the edge off a room rather than to heat a space, and customers who buy one expecting a primary heat source are disappointed. Higher output units need a dedicated circuit and sometimes a hard-wired connection, which is electrical work. On running cost, electric resistance heat converts essentially all the electricity to heat at the point of use, so it is efficient in that narrow sense and often expensive per unit of heat compared with gas, depending entirely on local energy prices.
Before you quote
- Confirm the circuit can support the unit, or price running one.
- Set realistic expectations about heat output.
- Check whether a higher-output unit needs hard wiring.
Questions
About this calculator
Will an electric fireplace heat a room?
A plug-in unit takes the edge off rather than heating a space, because it is limited by the circuit it runs on. Higher output models need a dedicated circuit and sometimes hard wiring. Buying one as a primary heat source is the main source of disappointment with them.
Is an electric fireplace cheap to run?
Electric resistance heat converts essentially all the electricity into heat at the point of use, so it is efficient in that narrow sense. Whether it is cheap depends entirely on local electricity prices against gas, and in many places electricity is the more expensive way to produce heat.
Does an electric fireplace need a flue?
No, which is its main practical advantage. There is no combustion, so no venting, no combustion air requirement and no clearance-to-flue considerations. That makes it installable in places where a gas or wood appliance is not practical, such as an interior wall with no route out.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 2 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $125.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $65.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 2 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $125 |
| Parts and materials | $65 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $410 |
| Labour | $250 |
| Before tax | $410 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $410: $250 of labour, $65 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $63 | $286 |
| $94 | $348 |
| $125 example above | $410 |
| $188 | $536 |
| $250 | $660 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 2 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $125.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $65.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.