Control Your Electric Fireplace with your Smartphone

A room with a fireplace offers a special ambience -- that sense of home, a feeling of warmth and coziness. Curl up in your favorite chair with a good book and enjoy!

Many people have found that an electric fireplace is a sensible alternative to wood-burning fires, or propane gas firelogs.

I have written elsewhere about the advantages of electric fireplace inserts vs. propane firelogs -- electric fireplace inserts cost less to operate, they require less maintenance and attention, and they are safer and healthier as well.

In another article I wrote about the advantages of electric fireplace inserts vs. wood-burning fires -- no ashes to clean up, no firewood to collect and cleaner air in your house.

Both wood-burning and vented propane fireplaces waste valuable heated air up the chimney.

If your favorite sitting room has no fireplace, you can create one with a combination mantel and electric fireplace. There are designs to fit every decor -- like the one shown above..

Did you know that you can control your electric fireplace using your smartphone?

Let's say it's wintertime and you've been away from home on a long trip.

You turned your thermostat down before leaving home to save energy and money on your heating bill.

You know your house will be cold when you arrive home, unless . . .

. . . someone turns the heat up before your arrive home.

You grab your smartphone, connect to your home automation controller, and adjust your thermostat back up to your comfort level.

Next you turn on your electric fireplace in your favorite room using your smartphone.

Since you will arriving home after dark, you switch on a couple of lamps with your smartphone -- one on your porch, the other in your living room.

When you arrive, your home is well lighted, warm and comfortable -- Welcome home!

You sit by the fireside and warm up from the bitter cold outside.

Home automation now-a-days is affordable and easy for do-it-yourselfers. Here's how to set up a simple automation system that you can control through your iPhone. Let's assume you already have Internet service, a modem and router.in your home.

An easy way to start is with an INSTEON Plug-In Starter Kit. It comes with modules that you plug into wall outlets -- a controller, two lamp dimmer modules and an appliance control module. Get the ApplianceLinc - INSTEON Plug-In On/Off Module, 3-Pin appliance module rated at 15 amps. Plug the electric fireplace insert into the appliance module. Then plug the module into a convenient wall outlet.

NOTE: Check the electric current rating of your wall outlet electrical circuit and the electric fireplace unit you plan to buy. Make sure the fireplace rating is below your electrical circuit rating; and that the your fireplace rating is below the 15 amp rating for the ApplianceLinc.

Next, set up your controller. Find a wall outlet near your home network router. Connect the router to the home automation controller using an Ethernet cable. Then plug the controller into the wall outlet.

Add a couple of lamps to your starter system using the lamp dimmer modules that came with the starter kit. Plug the lamp cord into the lamp dimmer module, and then plug the module into a wall outlet.

Download a home automation app for your iPhone, and that's it! After synching and linking your modules together you are ready to go.

Grab your iPhone and pull up the home automation app. With a few touchstrokes you connect over the Internet to your home network. Then you instruct your INSTEON controller to turn on the electric fireplace. Your command is sent to the INSTEON appliance switch which responds by switching on power to the electric fireplace.

INSTEON signals are sent from your controller over the existing powerlines in your house and on a designated radio frequency. This increases the reliability and flexibility of your system. Since your setup is modular, you can expand it as you are ready.

Enjoy.