Many electric fireplace logs do give off heat but there are also a large number of models that don’t. While some electric logs will have a built-in fan forced or infrared heater, some models don’t contain any form of heater and therefore can’t give off heat, instead opting to focus on more realistic fire effects.
You’ll typically find more models of electric fireplace logs that aren’t able to give off heat compared to other types of electric fireplace.
Their typically smaller size means that there isn’t always space for a heater in many models.
If an electric fireplace log set can produce heat however then it will have a form of heater and you’ll be able to see the maximum heat output offered by that heater on the product box or webpage.
The heat will commonly be produced by one of two types of heater:
- Fan forced heater
- Infrared heater
Fan forced heaters use a blower and heating element to force cooler air through the element and provide warm air to the room.
The use of a fan means that these types are noisier, but typically help to reduce the cost of the fireplace and are therefore typically found in cheaper models.
Infrared heaters don’t have any moving parts and so are much quieter and you’ll instead feel the heat radiating onto you.