Hi Stacie, Thanks for reporting on the heatilator. I didn't see your response on time so I went ahead and ordered the Dimplex built-in 36" fireplace. A few months back, I went to a fireplace store and they had the dimplex on display. I was amazed by how it looked like. From a distant, it looked pretty realistic. Up close you can tell that it's not real as it uses a mirror/glass to show off the flames (not sure how to really explain it). It still looks good even up close. What really attacted me was the fact that I can adjust the brightness of the flames and the intensity of the heat and speed of the flames (low or roaring fire). So that's why I went for the dimplex. Note: I was looking at the 30inch version (non-built in). I went for the 36 inch built in. When I got it two days ago, I was disappointed to find that it didn't have the features of the 30 inch (which I assumed it did). The 36 inch built in didn't have the ajustable flame, light and heat. It had just Flame on only, Flame and Heat. It had a same fireplace display which was attracted me to buy the dimplex. Now that I think about it, how many times will I be adjusting the flames? Probably not. So bottom line is that I'm satified with the Dimplex. From a distanct it really looks like a really fire. My mom came over last night and she was amazed how nice it looked. Likewise for my wife when she came home and noticed the fireplace. She was pleasantly surprized.

Okay so when you say induction, you are talking about the cook top surface... what about the oven? Convection... yea or nea? I am guessing without looking yet that if we are paying for induction, then convection oven is going to be an option. I will see how much for induction, but if past our budget, then need some suggestions on slide in brands that will be a good purchase. We bought a dishwasher on the fly, literally like buying a candy bar at the check out line, and regret it daily! It does a terrible job on washing the dishes! I won't make the same mistake this time around :)

I had the same sort of is-this-real experience our first winter in Georgia after moving from Los Angeles, where winter meant we got out the sweaters. An ice storm (not unusually bad weather, really) caused power outages to almost half a million people in the Atlanta/North Georgia area. People were literally evacuating their all-electric homes for shelters. The markets were crammed with families looking for ready-cooked food. We had a gas stove in our rental (purely luckily) and were perfectly comfortable as we sat there wondering how an entire state could be so...improvident. In any case, we were lucky and so will people who see this thread and add yet another, very important item to their must-have list. Basic issue, right? BTW, no gas available where we built, but since we were lucky enough to have that ice storm experience before we built, we have a wood-burning furnace to heat our home; a modest bring-home-in-box-type generator to keep the well pump, water heater, fridge, stove, TV, computer, and a few lights going; and an antique gas range in the basement we're converting to propane in case we want to cook more, so no danger of having to evacuate our home for survival, or even comfort. I think. Good for you for sharing your experience, Loves2cook. A real Public Service message!

Saltidog, Dude, chill. I was respectfully saying you had a different opinion - not what your opinion was or that it had anything to do with the heating elements. You can disagree without being disagreeable. I do understand thermodynamics very well, thank you. There is no "trend" and no misrepresentation. Yes, the units have resistive elements as backup, for high demand situations, and when the ambient temperature gets low enough that enough heat can't be extracted using the heat pump (for geospring unit that's 45 degrees F) Saltidog, I don't know what you are getting your panties in a bunch about... yes, I understand your heater works well for you. I would expect that. It's installed in a basement that's at least 700 cubic feet of space. Because it's underground it will maintain a temperature of around 50 - 55 degrees or more if there are other heat sources in the basement. That's enough to allow the heat pump to work just fine. The water heater will work in almost all situations / applications where one would normally install a tank heater. It will even run on the heat pump in most situations. The question is when you have the water heater in a fully conditioned space (not basement) and that space is being heated. At that time, one is shifting the heating load of the water heater to the furnace - which may or may not be more cost effective. I think the water heaters are great - esp if they can work out the reliability problems (which I think are teething pains, not inherent problems). I stick by my assertion that there are three applications whereby they produce the most system efficiency / cost effectiveness.