Warmth That Plugs In, Even at Six Below.

Electric fireplaces are the least expensive hearth option to install, typically running $400 to $2,500 in Excelsior depending on the unit. A simple plug-in insert into an existing fireplace opening or a wall-mounted unit on a dedicated outlet sits at the low end. A built-in electric fireplace that requires framing, a new 120V or 240V circuit, and finish carpentry—common in the lake-view additions and sunroom remodels around town—runs toward the higher end. Because there's no venting or gas line to install, most jobs are done in a single day.

Most electric fireplaces are rated to heat a single room of 400 to 1,000 square feet, which works well as zone heat for a den, sunroom, or lake-facing living room. But with Excelsior averaging a 6°F winter low and a heating season that stretches across nearly eight months of the year, an electric fireplace shouldn't be your only heat source for the whole house—it's a supplement to your furnace, not a replacement, especially in the older lake cottages around town that weren't built with modern insulation. For whole-home backup heat during a cold snap, a gas insert or furnace is a better primary system.

Usually not for a plug-in unit that uses an existing outlet—those are treated like any other appliance. If your installation requires a new dedicated circuit, a 240V line, or any framing changes (common with built-in units), an electrical permit through the City of Excelsior building department is typically required, and the work should be done by a licensed electrician. Local dealers who install built-in units generally handle the permit paperwork as part of the job.

Both are common in Excelsior, and the right choice depends on your home. Gas fireplaces and inserts deliver real, substantial heat output and can serve as backup heat during a power outage, which matters given how cold Excelsior gets—but they require a gas line and venting. Electric fireplaces install almost anywhere with no venting, cost less upfront, and are the practical choice for lake cottages without gas service or for rooms like sunrooms and finished basements where running a gas line isn't feasible. Many homes here end up with gas in the main living area and electric in a secondary room.

Three main styles cover most Excelsior installations: inserts, which slide into an existing masonry fireplace opening and instantly modernize an old wood-burning fireplace; wall-mount units, which hang like a flat-screen TV and need only a standard outlet; and built-in units, which are framed into a wall or cabinetry for a more custom, linear look popular in newer lake-house remodels. A local dealer can tell you which fits your existing opening, wall, or framing plan.

Often, yes. Many of the century-old cottages near downtown Excelsior and along the Lake Minnetonka shoreline have masonry chimneys that are decorative, undersized for a modern liner, or too costly to bring up to code for gas or wood use. An electric insert drops into that same fireplace opening, runs off standard household current, and gives you real flame effect and supplemental heat without touching the chimney at all. It's one of the more popular retrofit paths for the older housing stock in town.

At Xcel Energy's residential rate of roughly 16.98 cents per kWh, a typical electric fireplace running on its heat setting (about 1,500 watts) costs around 25 cents an hour to operate—roughly $6 for a full 24 hours of continuous use, though most households only run the heat setting a few hours an evening. Running the unit in flame-only mode without heat uses a fraction of that, often under 100 watts, which is why many homeowners keep the ambiance on through spring and fall without much cost impact.

Wood-burning stoves and fireplaces are uncommon in Excelsior—most of the housing stock sits on tight, closely-spaced lake lots where wood smoke and firewood storage aren't practical, and the town's updated Victorian-era homes and newer lake houses tend toward gas or electric for convenience and cleaner operation. A handful of rural properties farther out in Hennepin County still burn wood, but within Excelsior itself, gas and electric are by far the more common choices for both primary and supplemental heat.

For most homes in town, electric wins on practicality: no chimney work, no wood storage on a small lake lot, and installation in an afternoon. Wood offers higher heat output and works without electricity during an outage, but it's a rare choice in Excelsior specifically because of the tight in-town lots and the lack of easy firewood storage that rural Hennepin County properties have. If backup heat during outages is the priority, a battery-backed gas insert is a more common local solution than wood.

Yes—with an asterisk. Fireplaces are hot and TVs don't like heat. Either put a mantel between them to deflect rising warmth, or choose a fireplace with heat-management technology that creates a cool zone on the wall above—the wall stays around 125 degrees, barely warm, while the room still gets full heat. If you like clean lines and don't want a mantel, heat management is the answer.

Yes—most put out around 4,800–5,000 BTUs from a standard outlet, which comfortably warms a bedroom, office, or den as a comfort-zone heater. What they won't do is carry a whole house the way wood, gas, or pellet can. Think of electric as ambiance-first with honest supplemental heat: flames on with no heat in July, flames plus warmth in January.

If you're putting a fire in your house on purpose, it's best to work with an expert. Unless you're genuinely experienced in framing, gas line, vent pipe, and the national code on clearances to combustibles, have a professional do it—and ideally the same company that sells you the fireplace, so warranty, service, and liability all live under one roof.

On average, a fireplace adds back to the home about the same amount you spent installing it. Add the monthly savings from heating the rooms you actually use instead of the whole house—often hundreds of dollars a year—and the value case is strong before you even count what a fire does for how your family uses the room.