We live in the "northern" part of the  South and contrary to what many think, it gets cold during the winder months.  To take the chill off in the morning we "light" the fireplace and it absolutely churns out the heat.  The thermostat can be set to your favorite temperature.  My husband and I assembled it together and it was just a little tricky, but we got it done.  A nice thing about the fireplace is that it is movable -- I'll be putting it in the garage with a blanket over it during our really hot summers.  Worth the price!