Best Electric Fireplace in Canada (2026)

Specs checked November 3, 2026 · Version française

Almost every electric fireplace sold in Canada has the same heater inside: about 1,500 watts on a standard 120 V outlet. A 23-inch insert and a 60-inch linear unit put out the same warmth. What you are really choosing is the installation (insert, wall-mounted, recessed, mantel, corner or freestanding), the realism of the flame, and the controls. Get the installation right and the rest follows.

How we picked, and what we did not do: we have not bench-tested these fireplaces. Every specification on this page is quoted from the manufacturer’s own Amazon.ca listing, checked November 3, 2026, and every unit with a product card was confirmed in stock in Canada that day. Where a listing contradicts itself or leaves a number out, we say so. Links to Amazon are affiliate links; BranchéQC may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We do not publish prices by hand; the Amazon page is what counts.

What 1,500 watts really heats

This is the expectation to fix before you buy. A 1,500 W heater produces about 5,100 BTU per hour (Dimplex lists its 1,500 W log set at 5,118 BTU, which is the exact conversion). Manufacturers sell that as heat for up to 400 sq ft, and the fine print matters: it is supplemental heat, for a room your furnace or baseboards already keep warm. The fireplace takes the edge off and lets you turn the rest of the house down.

As the only heat source, the arithmetic changes. A common sizing rule for electric heat is about 10 W per square foot, which puts 1,500 W closer to 150 sq ft. Real Flame is the one brand on this page that publishes a number in that range: 144 sq ft for its 1,400 W corner unit. Neither figure is wrong; they describe two different jobs.

Every model here also runs the flame with the heater off. In July, that is the whole point.

The types, and who each one is for

Electric fireplace insert: what to measure

An insert is the most searched format in Canada for a simple reason: a lot of houses have a masonry fireplace nobody lights any more. An insert slides into that opening, plugs into an outlet, and needs no chimney sweep and no venting. Before you order, measure the width, height and depth of the opening at its narrowest point, because brick fireboxes are rarely square.

Two cautions. The cord has to reach an outlet, and running it across the hearth to a wall plug is neither tidy nor safe; adding an outlet inside or beside the firebox is electrical work. And if the old fireplace was gas, Touchstone’s own listing tells you to have a licensed professional confirm the unused gas line and vent are properly secured first. That advice applies to any brand.

Wall-mounted and recessed: the most flexible

A thin linear unit is the most versatile choice. The R.W.Flame below is 3.86 inches deep, so it can hang on the wall like a TV, or go into a 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 stud wall for a flush finish. Check four things before you buy:

1. The outlet. Without one directly below or behind the unit, the cord hangs down the wall. Relocating an outlet is a job for an electrician.
2. Where the heat exits. Under a TV, front or downward vents keep hot air off the screen. Respect the minimum gap in the manual: Touchstone recommends at least 8 inches.
3. The width. A fireplace much narrower than the TV above it looks lost. Roughly as wide as the screen, or a little wider, tends to look right.
4. The fixing. A 50 or 60-inch glass unit is heavy. Screw the bracket into studs, never into drywall alone.

With a mantel, TV stand or corner unit

These are the no-tools answer: unpack, assemble the furniture, slide the firebox in, plug it in. A mantel gives the traditional look in a room that never had a fireplace. A TV stand trades some of that look for storage. A corner unit uses the one spot in many living rooms that is otherwise empty. Measure the TV you plan to put on top, check the weight rating, and keep the front clear: the oneinmil listing asks for 3 feet of space in front of the heater.

Freestanding stoves and small electric fireplaces

A small stove that looks like a wood burner is really a portable heater with a flame effect, and that is not a criticism. The HOMCOM below weighs 8 lb and offers 750 or 1,500 W. It is the right tool for a bedroom, a home office, a cold corner of the basement or a cottage you want warm quickly. It is the wrong tool for the main room on a February night.

The seven units, compared on published specs

Every figure below is the manufacturer’s own, from the Amazon.ca listing. Where a listing gives no number, the table says so instead of guessing.

Which one for your room

R.W.Flame 50-inch linear, recessed or wall-mountedWall-mounted or recessed · 750 / 1,500 WThe default living room pick. At 3.86 inches thick it hangs like a TV or recesses into a 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 stud wall, per the title. Touch screen, remote with timer, 12 flame and ember bed colours, rated at 38 dB.Watch out: The listing labels the 3.86-inch figure as width ("W"); it is the depth. A 50-inch flame is wide, but it is still a 1,500-watt heater.Check price ↗

Touchstone Sideline 36-inch recessedRecessed, plug-in or hardwired · Max 12 A at 110 to 120 VA built-in look with a choice of power: a 6-foot cord for a standard outlet, or hard-wire ready for an in-wall install. Front-facing vents, an 8-inch minimum gap under a TV, Wi-Fi with Alexa and Google Home.Watch out: The listing contradicts itself: the title says 36 inches, one bullet describes controlling "the Sideline 50". Check the variant before ordering. Touchstone itself says a 20-amp circuit may be needed if other devices share it.Check price ↗

Innoflame 23-inch electric fireplace insert with logsInsert for an existing firebox · 1,400 WAn old wood fireplace you no longer burn in. It slides into the opening, also fits a mantel or a TV stand, and has a built-in thermostat from 64 to 82 °F, a log set and an 8-hour timer.Watch out: The listing says 1,400 W and 5,000 BTU. Those two numbers do not match: 1,400 W converts to about 4,780 BTU per hour. Trust the wattage. Measure the firebox opening first.Check price ↗

Maxhonor 39-inch electric fireplace with mantelMantel, freestanding · 1,500 WThe look of a traditional fireplace on a wall with no chimney. A 30-inch insert in a white mantel, 12 flame colours, touch screen and remote, heat and flame controlled separately.Watch out: Ships in two packages that may not arrive together, and it needs assembly. The mantel is decorative; it does not change how much the heater warms.Check price ↗

oneinmil 70-inch TV stand with 36-inch fireplaceTV stand · Not stated in wattsA living room that needs storage and a TV base as much as a flame. Thermostat from 62 to 82 °F (17 to 27 °C), an 8-hour auto shut-off timer, CSA and ETL certification.Watch out: The listing never gives the wattage. It also asks for 3 feet (0.9 m) of clearance in front, which rules out a coffee table pushed up against it. Two shipments, about 2 hours of assembly.Check price ↗

Real Flame Chateau 41-inch corner fireplace with mantelCorner mantel · 1,400 WA corner that is wasted space today. Veneered MDF mantel, a replaceable firebox insert, remote and timer.Watch out: It is the only listing here that states a modest coverage figure, 144 sq ft, and that is the more honest number for a room heated by this unit alone. Assembly required, multiple packages.Check price ↗

HOMCOM freestanding electric stove, 750 / 1,500 WFreestanding stove · 750 / 1,500 WThe small, movable option: a reading corner, a bedroom, a basement, a cottage. It weighs 8 lb, so it follows you from room to room, and overheat protection shuts it off if it runs too hot inside.Watch out: A space heater dressed as a wood stove. No thermostat is listed, only the two power levels, so it cycles on your hand, not on the room temperature.Check price ↗

How much it costs to run

The calculation is simple enough that you should do it with your own rate instead of trusting anyone’s single number. At full heat, a 1,500 W unit uses 1.5 kWh per hour. Multiply 1.5 by the price per kWh on your bill.

The two columns are Quebec’s two residential tiers; in an electrically heated house in winter, the higher one usually applies because the base daily allowance is already used. Outside Quebec, swap in your own provincial rate. Two things pull the real cost down: a thermostat cycles the element off once the room is warm, and the flame alone uses only a small fraction of the heater’s draw. None of these listings publishes the flame-only wattage, so we will not guess at it.

The most realistic electric fireplace

Realism is where prices separate. Entry-level units use a flat LED ribbon behind tinted glass; it reads as a flame from across the room and as a screen up close. What makes a premium unit convincing is depth: flames layered front to back, a flicker that does not visibly loop, and logs or an ember bed lit from inside. Colour choice matters less than you would think. The 12 flame colours on a budget linear unit are a feature, but a realistic fire is orange and yellow.

Do not buy on a still photo. Find a video of the exact model in a dim room before you commit.

Dimplex vs Napoleon vs the rest

Dimplex is the name most Canadians know, and its flame technology is the benchmark at the top of the market. The Dimplex Revillusion 25-inch log set plugs into a standard outlet, runs 1,500 W, and is sold on a larger, brighter and more random flame with life-size hardwood-cast logs. For a simpler insert, the Dimplex DFI2309 23-inch log set lists 1,375 W, 4,692 BTU and a high-temperature safety shut-off.

Napoleon is a Canadian manufacturer with a range that runs from wall-hanging units to built-in fireboxes. The Napoleon Allure Vertical 32 is a tall, narrow wall unit (32 inches high, 16 wide, 5 5/8 deep) that hangs and plugs into a regular 120 V outlet, with 1,500 W and four flame colours. The Napoleon Astound 50 SlimMount recesses or wall-mounts and works with Google Home and Alexa.

The honest caveat: on November 3, 2026, every Dimplex and Napoleon unit we checked on Amazon.ca was flagged as limited stock, which is why none of them carries a card above. If one of them is the fireplace you want, also check a fireplace dealer near you. Beyond those two, Touchstone, R.W.Flame and Real Flame cover the mid-range, and furniture brands like oneinmil and Maxhonor build most of the mantels and TV stands.

Plug in or hardwire: the electrical part

• Plug-in, 120 V (most units). Plug it straight into a wall outlet. Never use an extension cord or a power bar: 1,500 W on 120 V draws about 12.5 A, nearly all of a standard 15 A circuit. If the breaker trips when the heater runs, the circuit is overloaded, and a dedicated circuit is the fix.
• Hardwired or 240 V. Some built-in units connect directly to the panel on their own circuit, and some higher-output models run on 240 V. That is a job for a licensed electrician, and it is worth confirming your panel has room for a new circuit first.
• In Quebec, wiring work goes to a licensed master electrician. You can request a quote from a licensed electrician in your region through BranchéQC (Quebec only).

What the American reviews leave out

• Canadian winters need a real heating system. American round-ups often describe a 1,500 W fireplace as a way to heat a room. Through a Canadian January, it supplements a furnace, a heat pump or baseboards; it does not stand in for them.
• Winter loads stack on the same circuits. A space heater and a fireplace sharing one living room circuit is how breakers trip on the coldest night. Know which outlets share a breaker before you plug in.
• Dry indoor air. Heated winter air is dry in a cold climate whatever heats it. A fireplace does not fix that; a humidifier does.
• The cottage. A freestanding stove that warms one room fast is a genuinely good fit for a cottage opened for the weekend, as long as it is never left running in an empty building.

Where to buy an electric fireplace in Canada

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

Need warmth more than ambiance? Our guide to the best space heaters in Canada covers the same 1,500 W limit without the flame, and the best heated blankets in Canada warm the person instead of the room for a fraction of the power. Planning for winter outages? The best portable power stations in Canada explains what a battery can and cannot run. And if the basement is damp rather than cold, see the best basement dehumidifiers in Canada.