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Built-in electric fires are fitted into a prepared recess in a wall or false wall, so the glass sits flush or close to it. The flame display becomes part of the room's design, usually as a long landscape shape under a TV. There is no flue, so you can put a built-in fireplace almost anywhere with a nearby power supply, including homes that have never had a chimney.
The appeal is mostly visual: a modern focal point and the ambience of a real fire, with no ash, no fuel and very little maintenance. Heat is optional on most models, so you can enjoy a realistic flame effect all year in any living space.
Shops use these names almost interchangeably, which makes searching confusing. In practice, built-in, recessed and hole in the wall all describe the same style of electric fire: set into a wall with no surround.
An inset electric fire is a looser term. Evonic, for example, keeps its inset range for fires that fit traditional surrounds and sells built-in designs separately, yet "fully inset" is also a common label for a media wall electric fire. If you are searching for an inset electric fire but have no fireplace, a built-in model is usually what you want.
| Type | Where it goes | Depth needed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in / recessed | Recess in a wall or false wall | 10-31cm in our range | Media walls, new feature walls |
| 3-in-1 | Recessed, wall-hung or freestanding | 10-20cm when recessed | Keeping your options open |
| Traditional inset electric fire | Existing fireplace, often a 16 x 22 inch opening | Depends on the chamber | Replacing an old fire in a suite |
| Wall mounted | On the wall surface | None, it sits proud | Rentals, solid walls, quick fitting |
| Media cabinet | Inside a TV unit | None, it is freestanding | No building work at all |
Many fires here are 3-in-1, including the Inmozata 127cm and M.C.Haus Ultra-Thin, so you can hang one now and recess it later if you build a media wall.
These numbers decide whether an electric fire will work in your wall. They are real figures from listings in this collection, narrowest first. Where a maker gives a recess size, it often differs from the outer frame.
| Fire | Overall W x H x D (cm) | Recess W x H x D (cm) | Weight | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M.C.Haus Ultra-Thin 102cm | 102 x 43 x 10.4 | Not listed | 14.5kg | 900W / 1800W |
| Benrocks 127cm | 127 x 45 x 15 | 116-127 x 43-45 x 15 | 22.6kg | 750W / 1500W |
| Inmozata 127cm | 127 x 34.1 x 14.2 | 124.6 x 32.3 x 15.2 | 19.5kg | 900W / 1800W |
| FlameKo Dilton 127cm | 127 x 33 x 12 | Not listed | 15.9kg | 900W / 1800W |
| Ezee Glow Celestial 130cm | 130 x 48.4 x 21.5 | Not listed | 40kg | Up to 1600W |
| Warmiehomy 152cm 3-in-1 | 152.4 x 34.1 x 14.2 | 150 x 32.3 x 15.2 | 28.5kg | 900W / 1800W |
| Flamme Knighton 150cm | 153 x 49.5 x 21 | Not listed | 45kg | 750W / 1500W |
| Dimplex Sierra 183cm | 182.9 x 49.5 x 13.2 | Not listed | 35.5kg | 1300W / 1600W |
| GarveeHome 183cm 3-in-1 | 183 x 43 x 10 | 173 x 41 x 10 | 32kg | 900W / 1800W |
| Endeavour Fires Rosedale 203cm | 203 x 49.5 x 31 | Not listed | 78kg | 1000W / 2000W |
| Acantha Aspire 205cm | 205.4 x 49 x 23.5 | Not listed | 61.8kg | 1000W / 2000W |
Treat these as a shortlist and take the final cutting sizes from the manual for your exact fire. For one width in more depth, see our guides to 50 inch media wall electric fires, 60 inch media wall fires, 70 inch electric fires and 80 inch media wall fires.
The inch figure in a product name is only a rough guide. In our feed, fires sold as 50 inch range from 125cm to about 133cm wide, and one 70 inch listing gives 152cm. Those centimetres matter when you are centring an electric fire on a wall.
Check the height too. The FlameKo Dilton stands 33cm tall and the Endeavour Rosedale 49.5cm, which changes how much flame you see and how the rest of the wall is laid out.
A deeper firebox generally adds realism, because the logs have space around them and the flames have depth behind them. A slim, modern built-in electric fire is simpler to fit and takes less floor space. Dimplex says its own designs run from 14 to 40cm deep, and from 40cm up to 2.5 metres wide, on its built-in fires page.
Weights above run from 14.5kg to 78kg. The frame carries that load, not the plasterboard, so a large fire needs solid support underneath and often two people to lift it.
A one-sided fire shows flames through the front glass only and suits a flat wall. Two-sided suits a corner, and 3-sided gives a panoramic view from across the room. Several let you decide when you fit them: the Kaminio Lea, Endeavour Rosedale and Ezee Glow Celestial all offer 1, 2 or 3 sides. Our three-sided electric fires collection has more.
Most fires here use LED flames with changeable colours: Inmozata lists 12 and Endeavour 13. Dimplex has its own Optiflame flame effect, used on the Sierra and Sense, and also makes Optimyst water vapour designs. To compare the look, see our multi-flame electric fires and electric fires with crystals and logs. Many include both, so you can change the fuel bed to suit your style.
Dimplex describes the job as fitting the fire into a prepared recess, supporting it with framing and connecting it to a mains supply. Installation is simple on paper, but the order matters.
A new circuit is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations, covered in Approved Document P, and smaller additions still have to meet the wiring rules. A registered electrician can handle both. At full power a 2kW fire draws close to 9 amps, and the London Fire Brigade advises one plug per socket for high-powered appliances and warns against overloading extension leads.
Follow the manual for the gap. The FlameKo Dilton lists a 200mm minimum clearance, for example, and Dimplex advises allowing for insulation and airflow between the fire and any electronics. If you want the whole wall ready-made, the Adam Sahara pre-built packages come in sections: Package 5 has a 51 inch fire and a recess for the screen.
These hourly energy costs use the Ofgem price cap rate of 26.32p per kWh for October to December 2026, so check your own tariff.
| Setting | Example | Cost per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Flames only, 8.6W | Dimplex Sierra 183cm | About 0.2p |
| Flames only, 22W | Dimplex Sense 153cm | About 0.6p |
| Low, 750W | Flamme Castello 127cm | About 20p |
| Low, 900W | Kaminio Lea PRO 152cm | About 24p |
| High, 1500W | Flamme Knighton 150cm | About 39p |
| High, 1800W | M.C.Haus Ultra-Thin 102cm | About 47p |
| High, 2000W | Endeavour Fires Rosedale 203cm | About 53p |
A thermostat cuts in and out once the space is warm, so real costs are usually lower than the high figures above.
Heating area figures vary too much to rely on. The 1.6kW Dimplex Sierra 183cm lists 150 sq ft, the 122cm version lists 100 m2 with the same power, and one 1.5kW insert claims 400 square metres. Compare the kW instead, and treat any fire here as a top-up for one room rather than your main heating.
Specialist retailers tend to stock built-in and inset electric fire ranges from brands such as Evonic, Gazco, Celsi, Flavel, Flamerite and British Fires. On Amazon you will mostly find Dimplex, Flamme, Endeavour Fires, Ezee Glow, Kaminio and Flameko. Whichever you choose, look for UKCA marking and an overheat cut-out on the listing.
No. They burn no fuel and produce no fumes, so neither is needed.
If you are confident building a stud frame, the carpentry is a reasonable DIY job. Leave new wiring to a registered electrician, and always follow the manual.
Most we list have a cable and standard UK plug. Some fitters connect them to a fused spur instead, so ask an electrician which suits your wall.
On nearly all of them, yes. Check the listing for flame-only mode or independent heat control.
