Modern Flames Orion V2 Traditional Electric Fireplace

Every size arrives with a 120-volt plug and gives 5,000 BTU on 120 volts, enough for a room of about 400 square feet. The 36, 42 and 54 inch have a second, 240-volt option: an electrician hardwires them to a dedicated 240-volt circuit with a neutral, and the heater output rises to as much as 8,500 BTU for rooms up to 700 square feet. Either way the fireplace needs its own 20-amp breaker.

Options

Surround

Only for a retrofit into an existing fireplace opening, and only on the 26, 30 and 36 inch. Choose None for a built-in or self-trimming install. The coverage table above tells you which size closes your opening.

Log set

Standard. The real-wood, internally lit log set that comes with every V2.

TruWood Premium Timber. Modern Flames' upgrade log set: larger pieces of real split wood, hand-charred, that drop in with no tools in place of the standard logs. It is the same kit sold on our TruWood page, matched here to your size.

Three ways in, all by a carpenter or a handy owner, with an electrician for a hardwire or a 240-volt circuit.

• Built-in clean face: frame the rough opening from the table above, run a dedicated 120-volt circuit to a box at the top of the opening (or 240 volts, four wires with a neutral, on the 36, 42 and 54 inch), slide the fireplace in, fasten through the nailing flanges, and finish the wall to the edge of the glass.
• Self-trimming: cut the finished opening, plug the fireplace into an outlet inside it, slide it in; its own trim covers the edge.
• Retrofit into an old fireplace: have the gas capped and the damper sealed, slide the fireplace into the firebox, plug it in, and fit the surround over the old opening.

The fireplace weighs enough that the 42 and 54 inch are a two-person lift, and the glass comes off for the carry.

• The fireplace with its front glass, real-wood log set, glowing ember media, remote control and mounting hardware, with a 120-volt plug fitted.
• The surround kit and the TruWood log set ship as their own cartons when you add them.

• Indoor use only. Not for bathrooms, laundry rooms or anywhere it can get wet.
• It needs its own dedicated 20-amp circuit. Nothing else on the breaker, and never an extension cord or power strip.
• Keep curtains, furniture and bedding at least 3 feet from the front. The heater blows out of the top front.
• It is a supplemental heater for one room, not a home's main heat.
• The front is glass. Large sizes take two people to lift and to remove the glass.
• Retrofits: the old fireplace must be shut down properly, gas capped and the damper closed or sealed. A chimney sweep or gas fitter does this in an hour.
• Built-in installs: frame the opening from the table above, run the electrical to the top right of the framing, and double-check the fireplace against the opening before cutting stone, tile or veneer.

The Orion draws its fire on a screen, and the difference from an LED flame shows within a minute of switching it on: the flames have depth and shadow, they move differently every time, and they hold their realism at close range. On the V2 the log set is lit from inside, so the wood glows where a real fire would glow. Set the flame style and color once and it comes on the same way every evening from the remote or the app. Heat arrives a few minutes after the fan starts; on 120 volts it takes the chill off a 400-square-foot room rather than heating a house, and on 240 volts the 36 to 54 inch do noticeably more.

Trade-offs to know

• The screen is the whole point, so the fireplace is at its best in a room where you sit facing it. Seen from a sharp angle, an LCD loses some of its depth.
• It is an appliance with a computer in it: firmware updates and app pairing are part of ownership, which some people like and some do not.
• The retrofit sizes stop at 36 inches; a 42 or 54 inch needs a framed opening.

Living with it

Dust the glass and the log set a few times a year; nothing else needs attention. The heater is silent at low fan speed and audible at high. Flames without heat draw about as much as a light bulb, so leaving the fire on all evening costs little. In a power cut the fireplace is off; there is no battery mode.

What is new in Orion V2

Modern Flames introduced the Orion in 2022 as the first electric fireplace to draw its flames on an LCD screen instead of projecting them onto a mirror. V2 is the second generation, released in 2026.

• A better screen. Next-generation LCD with deeper blacks and sharper contrast, and adaptive brightness that adjusts the flame to the light in the room.
• 24 flames out of the box. Three flagship multi-dimensional flame styles in six colors each, plus a fourth slot for themes you download in the Modern Flames+ app. The library keeps growing, and the fireplace stores six at a time.
• Real wood logs. The log set is cut from real split wood. On the Traditional and Multi the logs are lit from inside; on every model the ember bed glows and moves under brighter downlights.
• Sound. Custom speakers with three crackling soundscapes, and Bluetooth streaming for music.
• Heat. A PTC ceramic heater with a thermostat, fan-only mode and a lockout so the flames can run without heat.
• Controls. A remote, a touch panel on the fireplace, and the app, which works with smart-home systems.
• 5-year warranty.

Warranty

• Orion V2 catalog with framing drawings (PDF)
• Modern Flames Orion V2 product pages, spec sheets and installation manuals