How did COVID-19 Affect the Demand for Fireplace Surrounds in the UK?

It’s fair to say that homeowners were initially reluctant to invite tradespeople into their home. However, once the government released new information that essentially allowed this, homeowners appeared keener than ever to start improving their properties while in lockdown.

It appears one thing homeowners have been paying particular attention to is potentially upgrading or installing fireplaces. Considering the third lockdown was during winter, this makes sense, allowing people to remain warm in their homes and gardens.

The 37% Increase has Confirmed this for the UK Term ‘Fire Surround’ (source: Google Trends)

We already know that people were searching more for the term ‘fireplace’, particularly during the second and third lockdowns. One theory we have surrounding this is that more people were either furloughed or working from home. We’d expect that many people would only want to warm one room rather than their entire house.

Taking this into consideration, you can begin to see why the term ‘fire surround’ was so popular as well. This may also explain why searches for electric fires increased by 45%, while gas fires increased 76%. 

We believe this heightened interest in gas and electric fires is because many councils discouraged using wood-burning stoves that are both bad for the environment and human health. Gas and electric fires are an ideal alternative. They have the added advantage of providing backup heat if a particular utility were to fail and an engineer was unavailable.

A Type of Fire Surround Proving Particularly Popular was a ‘Wood Fire Surround’ which Experienced a Search Term Increase of 177% (source: Google Trends)

We already know that there was a surge in people completing DIY projects during the lockdown or calling in tradespeople to complete jobs they’d been putting off for so long.

On the other hand, some people wanted to invest in home improvements but lacked the necessary funds, perhaps due to being made redundant. Something like fitting a wooden fireplace is a relatively easy job for a competent DIYer and only requires a few essential tools. But more importantly, it’s a cheap task.

Aside from price, wood fire surrounds also have the added advantage of being easy to customise. They can be re-painted many times to match the decor of any room.

Another Frequently Searched Term was Fireplace Installation which Experienced a 75% Increase (source: Google Trends)

While some fire surrounds, like wooden ones, are easy to install by a competent DIYer, others made from stone or marble can only be installed by expert tradespeople. Another reason why this term may have increased in popularity is that people aren’t supposed to fit fires themselves.

Electric fires are only supposed to be installed by a qualified electrician. At the same time, a Gas Safe Engineer should fit gas versions. In other words, gas and electric fires have risen in popularity, but so has the need to find a competent person to install them.

Aside from Fireplaces, the Popularity of Other Related Queries also Increased (source: Google Trends)

Electric fires were being searched for frequently during the lockdown. They offered multiple advantages for people who had to stay at home during this time. 

Being affordable to fit, they were ideal for those looking to improve their home on a budget. They also work great with entertainment options for curing lockdown boredom, like TVs, DVD players and games consoles. 

As mentioned already, more and more people were searching for gas and electric fires. With this, fire surrounds were also being searched for more frequently.

Marble fireplace surrounds were another popularly searched term. Being easy to clean, they were an ideal choice for busy home workers or parents homeschooling their kids. 

Other popular terms included ‘fireplace and surround’, and ‘fireplace surround ideas’. 

Why were Search Terms Related to Fireplaces so Popular During Lockdown?

Because ‘fireplaces’ were being searched for so often, it makes sense that people were searching for surrounds as well, including marble and wooden surrounds. 

Many people were unsure about which combination of fire and surround to choose, resulting in plenty of searches for ‘fireplace and surround’ and ‘fireplace surround ideas’. 

Wooden fireplace surrounds proved particularly popular as they had lots of advantages to the average homeowner during the lockdown. For example, being easy to fit, customisable and being affordable. 

The term ‘fireplace installation’ also grew in popularity, considering gas and electric fires have to be installed by a competent tradesperson.