You can put an electric fireplace insert in a wood burning fireplace by providing an electrical supply to the firebox of the wood fireplace and installing an electric fireplace insert that fits into the opening of the fireplace.

Electric fireplace inserts are a type of electric fireplace commonly installed within wood burning fireplaces.

They are large appliances that are designed to fit the entire opening of an existing fireplace and sit neatly within the firebox when placed on the hearth.

Electric fireplace inserts can come in various sizes to suit the size of your wood burning fireplace. However, it’s unlikely that an electric fireplace insert will be an exact fit for an open fireplace and so you can typically buy another surround that will fill the gap between the electric and open fireplace to make it look more built in.

There are two main types of electric fireplace insert that you can install inside a wood burning fireplace:

  • Plug-in electric fireplace inserts
  • Built-in electric fireplace inserts

Plug-in electric fireplace inserts are a type of insert that need to be plugged into a standard electrical home outlet in order to work.

Plug-in electric fireplace inserts also typically require a certain amount of clearance between the back of the unit and the back of the firebox and so aren’t suitable for tighter installations such as in-wall.

These types of inserts are generally the best option when it comes to converting your existing open fireplace to electric as all you need to do is plug the electric fireplace in and it can be used straight out of the box. They can also be removed from your fireplace as quickly as they have been installed.

The only real difficulty is having an electrical outlet installed within the fireplace.

See our guide to the best electric fireplace inserts for your existing fireplace for more information.

Built-in electric fireplace inserts offer a more permanent solution for your wood burning fireplace conversion to electric.

These forms of electric inserts are generally required to be hard-wired into your home electrics, but some models can come with an additional plug kit to allow them to be plugged straight into an electrical outlet, or in many cases one can be bought as an optional extra if it doesn’t come as standard.

Built-in electric fireplace inserts are also typically zero clearance meaning that you don’t need to leave a gap between the back of the unit and the back of the existing fireplace. This can make built-in inserts a better solution compared to plug-in inserts when space inside an open wood burning fireplace is limited.

For more information see our built-in electric fireplace buyers guide.