What Is an Electric Stove? 5 Things to Know Before You Buy

An electric stove is a plug-in heater designed to look like a traditional wood-burning stove, complete with a realistic flame effect and log bed. It gives you the cosy focal point of a log burner without a chimney, fuel or ash. Before you buy one, here are the five things that make the biggest difference to how happy you'll be with it.

A quick clarification first: in some homes "electric stove" also means a cooker. This guide is all about the heating kind, sometimes called an electric stove fire or electric log burner.

1. It's a heater and a flame effect in one

Inside the traditional-looking body, most electric stoves have two separate systems: a flame effect and a fan heater. On Dimplex stoves such as the Tango Optiflame Electric Stove, the fan heater gives up to 2kW across two settings, 1000W and 2000W, with a thermostat to hold the room at a comfortable temperature. The heat comes out at the bottom of the stove.

Because the two systems are independent, you can run the flames on their own. That flame-only setting means you can enjoy the glow on a mild spring evening without warming the room at all.

2. You don't need a chimney or flue

This is the big one. A real wood burner needs a flue, a hearth built to regulations and regular sweeping. An electric stove plugs into a standard UK 3-pin socket (BS 1363), and Dimplex stoves come with a 1.8m cable. That makes them a realistic option for flats, new-builds with no chimney, rented homes and conservatories. With nothing being burned, there's no smoke, soot or wood to store, and no worries about the smoke control areas that cover many UK towns and cities.

If you love the look of a stove pipe, Dimplex makes a decorative Fire Stove Pipe that's purely for show, with no flue required. It fits specific models, so check the compatibility list. To protect flooring underneath and give the stove a proper "hearth", there's the slate-effect Electric Fire Hearth Pad at 800 x 380mm. You can also stand a freestanding stove in an existing fireplace opening if you have one.

3. Flame effects aren't all the same

The flames are what you'll look at every evening, so it's worth understanding the two main technologies Dimplex uses:

• Optiflame uses LED lighting to create moving flames over a log bed. It needs no maintenance and appears on most stove designs. The Oakridge takes it further with flames visible from three sides and three flame speeds.
• Optimyst uses water vapour lit by LEDs for a smoke-free, three-dimensional flame effect. Many people find it the most lifelike option. You'll need to top up a water tank through the opening door; the Dimplex Optimyst Stove is a good example.

If you can, think about where you'll sit. Optimyst's depth shines when you're fairly close; Optiflame is the low-fuss choice.

4. Running costs are easy to work out

Electric heating costs are simple: multiply the power in kW by the hours used and the price per kWh. Under the Ofgem price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, electricity averages 26.32p per kWh on direct debit. So:

• Full heat: 2kW × 1 hour × 26.32p = 52.6p an hour
• Low heat: 1kW for an hour costs about 26.3p
• Flame-only: a small fraction of that, as only the lighting is running

The thermostat helps keep bills down by switching the heater off once the room is warm. Using the stove to heat the room you're in, rather than turning up the whole house, can also make sense on chilly evenings. Just remember the cap changes every quarter, so the figures will shift.

5. Controls, safety and the small print

Check how you'll control it. Many Dimplex stoves, like the Jazz Noir Optiflame Electric Stove, come with both a remote and manual controls. The Dimplex Casper Optiflame Electric Stove is manual only, but its compact size suits smaller rooms. The Oakridge adds app control on top of remote and manual.

Look for proper certification too. The stoves in this guide carry BEAB, CE and UKCA marks and come with a 2-year guarantee. Even though there's no real fire, they're still heaters: keep clearances from furniture and curtains as set out in the manufacturer's instructions, never cover the heat outlet, and plug straight into a wall socket rather than an extension lead.

So, is an electric stove right for you?

If you want the look and feel of a log burner without a chimney, fuel deliveries or sweeping, an electric stove is a very easy win. Decide which flame effect suits you, check the size and controls, and do the running cost maths for how you'll use it. Browse the full range of Dimplex electric stoves at shopdimplex.com, with free delivery to the UK mainland.