Will Costco's Combo Fireplace And TV Stand Keep You Warm, Or Is It All Hot Air?

When you're looking for an electric freestanding fireplace that keeps your home warm and cozy all winter, you have quite a few options. Rather than needing wood or natural gas as fuel, electric fireplaces just plug into a normal 120-volt wall outlet and provide a versatile heating option for the room without requiring a chimney. If you have a small room, you might want to combine an electric fireplace with a television stand, saving space. Where can you find such a product at a great price? You may already know that Costco sells plenty of home products worth buying. Additionally, Costco has highly rated fireplaces for sale, so it's not surprising to see the warehouse membership retailer offers quite a few combination fireplaces and TV stands.

One Costco unit that is receiving quite a bit of attention is the Tresanti Everett 2-in-1 TV Console and Electric Fireplace, which costs between $500 and $780, depending on the color chosen. The Tresanti Everett looks great, but is it going to keep you warm or is it all hot air? According to the specifications of this unit, it should keep you warm. As a general formula, you need 20 British thermal units (BTUs, which measure heat output) per square foot of space to be heated. Considering an average-sized living room measures about 216 square feet, you'd want an electric fireplace that offers at least 4,300 BTUs. The Tresanti Everett has a heat output of 5,200 BTU, so it should keep you warm. People who own the unit generally agree, though some complain of faulty heaters and poor experiences with customer service. 

Reviewers on the Costco website tend to agree that Costco's Tresanti Everett keeps them warm. This unit has an impressive 4.6-star rating out of 5. Sealypealy gave the unit a perfect 5-star score, praising it for its ability to heat the room. "The heating element adds warmth with thermostat settings, and there is also a cooling fan if you prefer that," Sealypealy says. "This unit changes the way I enjoy my living room for the better." Aaron enjoys the heat output of the Tresanti Everett, too. "[It] really does a nice job heating our [apartment and] doesn't overheat the outlet. And the thermostat works great," Aaron says. "Also the infrared heat system is better for air quality, doesn't dry out the air at all."

EssGee says the TV console and fireplace combo unit generates a pleasing amount of heat. The "heat source is excellent and will heat a large area when we leave it on. It's quiet overall." Charles and Lyana use it in a bedroom to chase away the nighttime chill. "It delivers a steady stream of warm air that lifts the chill and leaves the room very comfortable. Our bedroom is 600 square feet, and although not instant, it does the job. We've had some very bitterly cold weather, and I lower the heat setting during the night, and we don't freeze come morning."

Although negative reviews for the Tresanti Everett are not common, some customer reviews on the Costco website report a poor experience with this unit, especially when they had to contact customer service for the manufacturer to help with issues they were having with the electric fireplace.

One reviewer, TG09, says the electric fireplace was not reliable, even though the stand looks nice. "The heater and fan stopped working after a couple of months. It took about 2 more months for customer service to finally return our call and give us a ticket number for a part replacement." Comars also saw the unit malfunction soon after purchase. "I bought this a month and a half ago, and the stand itself is super nice and nice quality, but the heater stopped blowing hot [air]."

HIL1 also likes the look of the unit but has had poor luck with the heater, too. The "heater is loud. [It] doesn't really put out a lot of heat," HIL1 says. "Tried to contact customer service, and they sent a generic message that I will be contacted within 48 [hours]. Haven't heard back from them."