When I took over purchasing for our office in 2020, I had a simple rule: buy what's asked, don't get creative. Five years and roughly 400 orders later, I've changed my mind. The best purchase I've made wasn't anything anyone asked for—it was a Napoleon electric fireplace for our lobby, delivering value since the day it was installed in December 2024. Not because it's a great heater (it's not, and I'll explain why). Because it changed how our space feels, and that's worth more than I expected.
Here's the thing nobody tells you about electric fireplaces: they're not great heaters. At least not the way you'd expect. Everything I'd read said "zone heating" and "supplemental warmth." In practice, our Napoleon unit warms about 300 square feet comfortably—which sounds fine until you remember our lobby is 400 square feet with 12-foot ceilings. It's a fireplace, not a furnace. And here's my counterintuitive take: if you're buying an electric fireplace for the heat, you're buying it for the wrong reason. You buy it for the effect. The warmth is a bonus.
Why should you trust my opinion? I manage roughly $200,000 in annual office spending across 8 vendors for a 150-person company. I report to both operations and finance. I process 60-80 orders a year, and I've been burned before by vendors who couldn't provide proper invoicing—that little mistake cost us $2,400 in rejected expenses. The job has changed a lot since 2020. Back then, I was faxing purchase orders and filing paper receipts. Now almost everything is online. But the fundamentals haven't changed: check specs, verify vendors, and always budget for surprises.
Why a Fireplace at All?
We started a lobby renovation in November 2024. The space was cold—not temperature-wise, but visually. High ceilings, lots of glass, modern furniture that looked good in the catalog but felt empty in person. Visitors would sit awkwardly waiting for their contact. Our receptionist hated it. I hated it.
I first suggested a wood stove. That got shut down fast—commercial building codes, insurance liability, wood storage. Gas required venting, a permit, and a licensed installer. Electric was the only option that made sense for our timeline and budget. So I started researching, and honestly, the market is full of cheap junk.
I looked at six brands before settling on Napoleon. What pushed them over the edge wasn't just the flame effect—although it was the most realistic of the six. It was the build quality. The unit has a metal housing, not composite. The glass is tempered, not acrylic. And when I called customer support with a pre-sale question, a real person answered and knew the answer without putting me on hold. After five years of dealing with suppliers, I can tell you that's rare.
The brand name sent me down a research rabbit hole, too. I ended up reading about the Saint Helena Napoleon house—the exile residence where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years. There's something fitting about a brand named Napoleon creating a focal point that anchors a room. The fireplace has presence, like a small monument. Maybe that's a stretch, but it's stuck with me.
The Real Numbers
Here's the spreadsheet breakdown from our December 2024 project:
- Napoleon electric fireplace (3-sided viewing model): $3,200
- Delivery and liftgate service: $180
- Electrical work (dedicated circuit): $650
- Wall mounting and finishing: $900
- Paint touch-up and miscellaneous supplies: $140
- Total: $5,070
That total hurt a little. The marketing images show a fireplace and a plug—it looks like a furniture purchase. In reality, you need a dedicated circuit (electrician), proper mounting (handyman), and there's always the unexpected (for us, it was the trim detail where the unit met the wall). If you've been searching "electric fireplace napoleon" and wondering about real-world costs, budget 20-30% above the unit price.
But I've bought way less satisfying things for more money. In the same renovation period, I ordered highball glasses for the breakroom—$86 for a case of 12, and one arrived chipped. I ordered a shower head with hose for the office bathroom, which took three attempts because I didn't check the valve size. And I spent 20 minutes helping our graphic designer change the wallpaper on her Mac because she'd never done it before. All of that was forgotten by Monday. The fireplace is still getting comments in January 2025. I've started counting: 42% of our visitors mention the fireplace unprompted within the first five minutes of walking into the lobby.
What Surprised Me
The conventional wisdom in office purchasing is that every expense needs measurable ROI. But my experience with 400+ orders has taught me that the items that change how people feel about a space rarely show up in a spreadsheet. You can't quantify "the lobby finally feels like a company that has its act together." But I can tell you it matters.
People assume I bought the fireplace for employee comfort. Actually, I bought it for the impression it makes on clients and visiting contractors. The employee comfort was a secondary benefit. The causation runs the other way: the most visible purchases—the ones people actually see—are the ones that have the largest effect on perception. A $5,070 fireplace in the lobby does more for how clients see us than the $30,000 in ergonomic chairs we bought last year. The chairs are great. But nobody walks into a room and says "wow, nice ergonomics."
I also learned this the hard way: I only believed the reviews about Napoleon's quality after experiencing a different brand first. We bought a cheaper wall-mount unit for a conference room in 2022. The flame effect clouded within six months, and the remote died. That unit cost $1,100 including installation. We replaced it with a Napoleon unit last year, and it's still flawless three months in. You don't read reviews the same way after eating a $1,100 mistake.
When Not to Do This
I can only speak to our context. We're a mid-size B2B company with a lobby that sees 20-30 visitors per week. If you're dealing with a retail space or a place with foot traffic in the hundreds per day, you might need something more commercial-grade—or nothing at all.
If your goal is heat output rather than ambiance, buy a space heater. Seriously. For $200, you'll get more warmth per dollar than any fireplace on the market. Our Napoleon unit adds noticeable warmth near the seating area, but it won't keep a large open room warm in a Minnesota winter. And the 3-sided viewing model is designed for corners or open layouts—if you have a regular flat wall, the single-sided model makes more sense.
The brand's lineup is also broader than electric fireplaces. Search "Napoleon" and you'll find gas grills, wood stoves, pellet stoves, and HVAC equipment. I didn't know they made anything beyond fireplaces until I started researching. For a dealer or contractor, that breadth is worth knowing—it's one manufacturer covering a lot of ground. But my experience is specifically with their electric fireplace line, so I can't speak to the grills or furnaces.
Final Thoughts, With Caveats
Is a Napoleon electric fireplace the right choice for every office? No. But if you have a space that needs a focal point, and you want something that doesn't require venting, permits, or fuel storage, it's hard to beat. I'd buy ours again. I might even get a second one for the conference wing.
Just don't expect it to replace your furnace. And if you're ordering any glassware—highball glasses included—inspect the delivery before signing. The replacement shipment will take longer than you think. That's a whole different story, but the lesson is the same: verify before you commit, and know what you're actually buying.
Oh, and if you're also the de facto IT person, save this one: when someone asks how to change wallpaper on Mac, it's System Settings → Wallpaper → choose an image. It'll save you 20 minutes the next time.
