I'm a little apprehensive today writing about my topic, considering this is April Fools Day, however the topic itself is quite serious.  My wife has brought to my attention a full page ad in our local newspaper regarding an Amish Electric Fireplace.  The add explains how the unit is really a wood fireplace mantle made by Amish craftsmen.  The best part is, the Amish install a very efficient electric heater that they have a monopoly on.  The heater is so efficient that you can save a great deal of money on your heating bills, and also have this great looking fireplace mantle, for only a few hundred dollars.  Buy several to heat your house, and they will pay for themselves in one winter.

 

 

Amish....Electric.  I did a little research, and found that in fact the Amish religion will allow the use of electricity, if the local church dictates that it is OK to do so.  Many times the Amish will allow the use of electricity, if it is to the benefit of their businesses.

 

The electric heater itself.  The idea that the Amish somehow have a monopoly on this special heater is bogus.  The heater, actually made in China, by a company called Heat Surge.  You can buy from the company directly if you like, without even involving buying the rest of the wood mantle, itself costing several hundred dollars.

 

The math behind electric heaters.  The fact of the mater is, there is really no such thing as one electric space heater being more efficient than another.   If you have one 1,500 watt space heater, and you replace it with another 1,500 watt space heater, they will use the same amount of electricity, and warm a room just as well.   If you replace a 1,000 watt electric space heater with a 500 watt space heater, it will cut your electric heating bill in half, but also heat half the amount of space.  In the end, there is no getting ahead by buying an "efficient" space heater over a "non-efficient" space heater.

 

Customers complain.  There are many reviews on the internet regarding broken promises with this space heater, confirming that it's outrageously priced for what you get.  These reviews also indicate that their heating bill actually ROSE due to the fact that heating with electricity is almost always the most expensive alternative.  They also mention how crummy the fireplace looks, because it's much smaller than a "real" fireplace, and also has a cheesy, non-moving picture of flames in an attempt to make it look real.  You can read the reviews Heat Surge Fireplace, What's Up With That, Amish Heater Not A Hot Item, and Amish Heater Surge Electric Fireplace Review for more information.

 

Using electric space heaters is the most expensive way of heating a home.  Heating with electricity is almost always the most dangerous way of heating a home as well, since it can be a fire hazard.  If you have a cold space that has no other way of being heated, you can heat that space with a $25 electric space heater just as efficiently as with a $2,500 electric space heater.

 

Avoid Being Scammed When Buying A Used Cell Phone Save Money With A Amish Electric Fireplace? Find a Mentor For Your Career When it Makes Sense to Pay Off a Zero Percent Loan Paying off Debt vs. Investing Marginal vs. Effective Tax Rate 2008 Tax Planning - Refundable vs. Non Refundable Tax Credits How to Settle Credit Card Debt Myself Your FICO Score Now Counts Authorized Users Wills do not Avoid Probate Court, Where Living Trusts Avoid Probate Completely Taking Out Debt Right Before Bankruptcy 3 Harmless Activities that Will Lower Your Credit Score Obama's Economic Stimulus Package (American Recovery and Reinvestment Program) Contribution Limits for 2008 and 2009 401(k)'s 2 Tips to Lower your Monthly House Payment Tax Stimulus Rebate for 2009 Stop Impulse Purchases (Buying) Chart of Debt Snowball (Affects of Exponential Decay on Debt Snowball) Call Your Telemarketer (Highlights for Children) - Is This How Bad the Economy Has Become? How to Increase Your Credit (FICO) Score in Four Easy Steps Questions to Ask Yourself Before Filing for Bankruptcy Helping Family and Friends (and Protecting Yourself) During the Credit Crunch Refinancing Your Home 3 Great Ways to Pay Off Debt Exponential Decay and the Stock Market 2 Methods for Creating an Effective Budget How to Manage Unpredictable Income