Gas and electric fireplaces light up at the touch of a remote.

There are hardcore wood heat enthusiasts who relish all the rituals of keeping warm the old-fashioned way; these are people who proudly view their firewood stack as an outdoor art form, and who eagerly anticipate the heating season as they watch their fuel supply cure to combustible perfection over the summer.

But for the rest of us, the “putting your feet up by the fire” part is what really matters. If you’re one of those who prefer to enjoy this simple pleasure without the heroics of schlepping wood around, you have options.

Modern electric or gas hearth appliances can give you the same warmth and ambiance as a wood fireplace at the touch of a button—without the need for a costly renovation to install a chimney.

Easy electric

For affordability and ease of installation, nothing can hold a candle—or even a match—to the electric fireplace. If this conjures up images of a Halloween-esque orange light bulb barely hidden behind a chintzy plastic log, then you should probably get out and have a look at the electric hearth units that are on the market today.

Great strides have been made in realism, capturing the colours and the seemingly animate motions of a natural fire. And simulated charred wood is no longer de rigueur; many homeowners opt for a more contemporary look, with a firebed of rocks or glass beads.

With electric hearth appliances, heat output and flame height can be adjusted by remote control, and there are programmable options that make it possible to replicate the timeframe of a real fire, building gradually and then burning down slowly, automatically fading to hot coals as the evening  wears on.

The environmental merits of electric heating depend on how the electricity is generated, but electric heating appliances operate cleanly in the sense that they are not a direct source of emissions. For practical purposes, this is advantageous because it means they do not require venting, and therefore can be installed anywhere. In fact, “install” isn’t really the right word. Most models can simply be taken out of the box and plugged in to a standard outlet. It’s easy to move the fireplace to a different room and, if you move to a new house, you can pack it up and take it with you.

These days many new home builds and renovation jobs feature a mid-wall outlet to accommodate a flat-screen television, and this may be an ideal place for an electric fireplace—either mounted on the wall like a painting, or  a mantel at floor level, like a traditional hearth.

If you don’t have space for both, and don’t want to choose one over the other, you might want to consider the popular dual-purpose unit known as a “media mantel,” with a place for the video monitor of your choice above the electric fireplace. You can enjoy the romantic flicker of firelight or the latest action flick (or both simultaneously) with all those pesky wires tucked tidily behind the appliances.

Leaving aside the aesthetic features, an electric fireplace is essentially an electric heater. As such, it’s a good way to increase the comfort level in a room where you relax or socialize during winter.

Gorgeous gas

For more substantial supplemental heat, you should probably consider gas—most likely propane, given the limited availability of natural gas in the Maritimes. (Most gas appliances are designed for use with natural gas, but can be easily converted to propane.)

A gas appliance requires an investment of a few thousand dollars, but it can be a sound investment in terms of comfort and home value.

In terms of aesthetics, a gas flame looks realistic because… well, it’s a real flame. But if a row of uniform blue jets looks a little too industrial for your tastes, there are gas fireplace models that provide a variety of visual effects. The most obvious one is simulated burning wood—and again, there have been great advancements on this front.

Beyond the burning-wood look, there are more artistic firebed concepts featuring stones or even hearth statuary that can add a sense of gravitas to your room.

Some models actually bear little resemblance to wood fireplaces. Rather than being the focal point of the room, these units are intended to be more subtly integrated into the décor. Long, horizontal or tall, narrow configurations allow for installation in rooms that lack an expanse of wall space. Smaller models are well suited for boosting the “cosy” factor in a kitchen, bathroom or nook that might otherwise seem uninviting in the dark days of December.

“Zero clearance” units are the most versatile in this respect, because they do not need to be separated from combustible surfaces, and can therefore be recessed into a wall.

To accommodate this type of flush-mounted installation, new homes are sometimes built with a “bump-out” or “dog house” on the exterior. It can be done as a retrofit but, in light of the cost, many homeowners decide to sacrifice a bit of floor space for a gas fireplace that will project just 15 or 20 inches into the room.

And keep in mind that, despite the modest dimensions of these units, the use of reflective black porcelain panels in the firebox can create the optical illusion of a cavernous hearth that is several feet deep.

Direct-vent technology means that, instead of a chimney, there is a double pipe through the wall or roof, drawing in combustion air from outside, while venting exhaust gases. There’s no drafty flue, and no effect on indoor air pressure. For a gas fireplace on an interior wall, the pipe can be routed to an exterior wall, though it will have to be boxed in if it passes through another room.

An exterior wall that backs onto a deck or patio is the perfect place for a unique indoor-outdoor fireplace—a double-sided hearth that also functions as a window. The same see-through concept is applied in models that have been designed for a wall that divides two rooms.

And where there’s no shortage of floor space, you have the option of installing a two or three-sided fireplace that juts into the room.

It’s even possible to install a free-standing fireplace in the middle of a room, but without a vertical pipe you’re basically defying the laws of nature, and that requires electrically-assisted downward venting. It’s worth noting, though, that in the event of a power blackout, this kind of gas fireplace will not serve as a backup for the primary heating system.

For the same reason, most gas controls have a battery backup. Standing pilot lights—notorious for wasting as much as a litre of propane per day because they are always burning—have largely been replaced by intermittent pilot ignition (IPI) systems, which light the gas electronically when there is heat demand. These draw so little electricity that battery power is sufficient.

Like electric hearth appliances, gas fireplaces are available in sleek finishes with a modern European look, or they can be combined with a mantel assembly to create a more traditional appearance, either ornate or rustic.

Whether your installation is the centrepiece of a radical interior makeover, or a utilitarian add-on that blends in with your existing decor, a fireplace can change the way you use your room.

Do it for the cat, do it for the dog, or do it for a family member who wants to spend more quality time at home.

When it’s this easy, you’ll definitely be more inclined to warm your toes by the fire this winter.