Electric insert vs gas insert — which is better for an existing fireplace?
For Arden, gas makes the strongest case: those 1980s-90s Royal Pines and Skyland homes have open masonry fireplaces that actually pull heat out of the room, and a sealed gas insert flips that into 70-percent-plus output. Electric seals the draft too, but adds only about 5,000 BTU — fine for a small space, short for a main room.
From heat loss to real heat
The open masonry fireplaces in Arden's Royal Pines and Skyland neighborhoods have a specific problem: with the damper open they let warm room air escape up the chimney, so an evening fire can leave the house cooler overall. Both inserts stop that leak, but they do different things next. A gas insert is a sealed, blower-driven heater — drop it in with a proper liner and that same opening runs 70 percent efficient or better, turning a net heat loss into the warmest spot in the house. An electric insert seals the draft and adds around 5,000 BTU of supplemental warmth, roughly 1,500 watts for 400 square feet — real coziness for a den, not a heating plan for a great room.
Easy fuel, easy install, and the outage vote
Arden sits on natural-gas mains, so a gas insert is uncomplicated to fuel — liner, tie-in, a Buncombe County permit, and the inspector on the licensed gas work. An electric insert is an afternoon: block the flue, plug in. But the deciding factor for a primary living space in Arden usually comes down to the power going out — a millivolt gas insert keeps heating through an outage like the days after Helene, while an electric fireplace is dark until the grid is back. Biltmore Park's offices and retail spaces ask the same question and mostly land on gas. We are 15 minutes south; free assessment at (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Arden
We install and service fireplaces throughout Arden and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes south from our Asheville-area showroom.
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