I purchased this fireplace because we moved from a home to an apartment, we missed our real fireplace. I looked at electric fireplaces....didn't like that they were large, heavy, expensive , and not a REAL fire. what is the point of that? I did not tell my husband of my purchase, It arrived, I installed it, and had the gel fuel canisiters lit when he came home from work. he loved it. I installed it by placing wood strips on the wall behind the unit, the unit brackets to do not line up with normal wall studs. Then I attached the unit to the wood strips. Its very secure to the wall. I don't worry about the fire risk, because the unit gets warm but not too hot, and the canisters sit deep into the brackets, so they cannot fall out. I have to push up from the bottom, to remove them. It does create heat. It could get expensive if the unit were used only for heat. We love the warmth and the sound of the gel fuel canisters. it really does crackle like a fire. I read complaints about the gel fuel ordor, I don't notice this, but they do have an odor when the canister is empty and the flame has not gone out. I actually like this, its like a warning, I simply cover the canister and it goes out. I burn candles in the unit during the day, ,,the same calming effect. The antique bronze finish, is very nice, everyone who has seen it our apartment wants one. Don't hesitate to buy if you want the look and calming effect of a fireplace.