My wife and I have lived in this house for 35 years. When we first moved in we used the fireplace, which is located in the family room only a few times. The room just got too hot with a live fire, plus cleaning up the ashes afterward wasnt any fun either. So we stopped using the fireplace completely. Over the next 34 years it just sat there looking like a big black hole in the wall. We thought about putting in a gas line and gas logs, but we were afraid the room would still get too warm, and that it would be a waste of money. Since we purchased the Dimplex electric insert, our fireplace is on every night. We use it with the heat turned off. The flickering flames and the glowing embers look so real. It has provided us with the ambiance weve been missing for 35 years. We just love it!