duraflame Freestanding Electric Fireplace Stove Heater with 3D Flame Effect for 1,000 Sq. Ft. Room, Black

I have a 3-story, 125 year-old house, and for 5 years I used a similar Lowes-branded heater as my primary source of heat in my office on the 1st floor. There is a curtain separating the middle room from the front room. The middle room is open to the kitchen in the rear of the house. I have insulated curtains in all my rooms. The house has blown-in insulation. I have a smaller heating unit in my 2nd floor bathroom, and bedroom, that I use as needed. The apparel of choice is insulated sweatpants, and an insulated hoodie. This has worked well, except for periods we are experiencing a polar vortex. I have a thermometer down in the basement, and if it ever threatens to dip to freezing- the furnace goes on.I made a preemptory strike and switched out my unit with the same type, as I bought 2 at the same time. Since I like to keep a spare on-hand, just-in-case- the unit I have is no longer made; but there is a similar unit with the same specs at the same price, which had a lot of bad reviews, and I didn't want to take a chance on getting a lower quality unit. So, I began looking for another unit. It had to be at least 5100 BTUs (which is supposed to heat 1,000 sq ft), and have a standard 2-prong cord.I found this Duraflame unit which seemed to fit the bill, and with the recognizable name, I felt confident it would satisfy my needs. It's supposed to be 5200 BTUs, so it may be a tad more effective. It's bigger and more robust than what I have, so it looks nicer. In addition, the digital readout, and remote control are things I didn't have before. The heating element is bigger, and the fan is more effective. I can't really test it because it is June, so I will update this Review if it doesn't perform as expected.However, I will say that the flame effect is not very realistic compared to what I have, but it does set a mood. Here's a tip, don't use it all the time, because the lighting will eventually burn out, and/or the generator drive motor making the flames move will wear-out and need to be replaced. The motor can be replaced, I don't know about the lighting, as the manual doesn't specify. Either way, it will be a pain in the buttocks. So, activate the flame feature sparingly.I'm happy with the purchase, I believe it will work well when I eventually have to use it. And if it does perform as promised, I will buy another.

*UPDATE* 2/2/18Here's a little update. It's been about 5 months now since buying this heater. Our winter was terribly cold & being the first year without central heat the entire house was freezing. I used this heater in the bedroom where me and my 3 year old sleep. It kept us very warm at night even during the coldest of nights (lowest at night was 9 degrees F). What I want to add to my initial review is that using space heaters to zone heat will make your electric bill go up. My electric bill for the entire month it was freezing cold came out to be $280 when normally with central heat (both gas & electric) it would be under $200. I did run 4 space heaters (this one, a Lasko, and a radiator heater, plus one small 1500 watt utility heater) in 2 bedrooms, the living room & the washroom. We are still in some cold weather and I have learned to close off rooms that are not used, also put up curtains to close off rooms without a door (like the hallway that connects to the living room and the kitchen door that goes into the den) which helps to keep the warm air in that certain area without allowing in drafts. Closing off sections of the house we are not using in the cold days and nights has helped greatly to keep the rooms we are in warmer. This heater has worked well since the first day and I think it will last many winters to come. it is one of the best heaters I have and would buy again from this brand.First of all, let me share with you a little bit about why I want this heater for my home.We have an older home (about 75 years old) with hardwood/cement floors (no carpet), older storm windows and 3 interior doors leading to the outside. Last year I had the house 'weatherized' and this year I've put up thermal curtains in all the windows, have added medium size area rugs in most rooms, also have covered one of the doors leading outside with plastic. Winters here the temps drop into the low 20's on snowy nights and highs range between 30's and 50's for December, January and the first part of February. Those are the coldest months for us. Normally we would use a 22-year-old Central Heat/Air unit that sits on top of the house for all our heating but over the last few years that has become unreliable. The last plumber/electrician I called out when the unit stopped working was hesitant to touch the unit because he said it is a 'electrical nightmare' (a handyman of the previous house owner spliced wires and connected them in unsafe ways to repair the unit and now it has become dangerous for electricians and plumbers to repair). This year the unit has gone out again. I would like to avoid paying $300 for another plumber to come out and 'patch' up the unit enough for it to work hopefully the entire winter (last year the plumber said it was iffy if the unit would last the entire winter).For me, the issue is keeping my old home warm this winter without the use of the Central Heat unit. Normally my gas/electric bill for the coldest months range on average $170 combined, so my goal is to stay below that cost per month with Zone Heating using space heaters in the rooms we use the most.I have done lots of research on Zone Heating to warm homes without the use of any other Central Heating units and the cost is supposed to be lower, but that I am not able to say because this is my winter without Central Heating.My reasons for picking this heater is because I wanted something that will stay cool to the touch and is hard to knock over because I have a 3-year-old and cats that are curious about anything in the house and I don't want any of them getting burned. I wanted a heater that would comfortably warm an ice cold room (old house, it gets very cold) both day and night and one that will last not only this winter but the next winter too.I don't want anything with plastic around it because an older infrared heater we had was plastic casing and the control knobs melted off the top of it.I wanted a heater that has a reputable name, is metal, not plastic, will also have the fireplace look to it, because I have always wanted a fireplace and the ability to move it around (has to be light).This heater is light, easy to move from one room to the other. Large enough to heat comfortably and quickly a medium size bedroom and quiet enough to leave on while sleeping. You can hear the fan but it is not much louder than most fan heaters and projects heat at least 3 feet in front of the unit but in a closed room it will comfortably warm the room. Cool to the touch, except a little warm on the top front where the heat comes out, but not hot to burn small hands or an animal. One of my cats likes to lay on top of the heater while it is on. The front door is glass and so are the sides. The unit is all metal, except the legs that are easy to attach.I'd recommend this heater. I am in the process of buying a couple more for the other bedrooms and smaller rooms in my home.