Oh YES! They've been around for years & years; in fact my grandparents had one back as far as I can remember but they were rather fakey looking back then. Now days they have logs that REALLY look like the real thing & yes they heat VERY well & without the heat loss (summer A/C loss) that traditional wood fireplaces have. Pearl's breeder & her dh converted their wood fireplace to a gas log fireplace 2 winters ago & are soooooo happy with it. They say it's the best money they ever spent. She says she gets up in the am & turns it on & presto majico it's warm QUICK.
We don't intend that to be the ONLY heat we have. Of course we will have a traditional A/C - Heat pump. But it's very nice to see & feel the warmth of a fireplace. And remember, we've always lived south where you would never have a chance to use a fireplace & they hardly exist at all. Only ultra rich have them down there because it's a costly waste. You might get the chance use it 2 nights a year if you're lucky. So since we've never had the beauty & cozy feel of sitting by a fire, we think it would be quite nice & it will help heat the home so we use less electric from using the heat pump.
