Is a gas fireplace worth it purely as backup heat for winter power outages?
Around Mars Hill, yes — and out in the rural valleys it leans on propane or wood you already store. Homes up Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek often run a propane tank, so a millivolt or battery-backup gas fireplace turns fuel you own into heat when the grid fails. At one of the colder spots we serve, that matters.
Rural fuel you already store
Beyond the university-area rentals, Mars Hill spreads into rural Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys where homes run on propane or wood — not a natural-gas main. For backup heat that's an advantage: the propane tank in the yard is fuel you own outright, ready when the lines go down. A Kozy Heat Springfield 36 is American-made for cold-climate propane duty and, with millivolt ignition, lights without a watt of electricity. If you already burn wood, that's the gold standard for grid independence — the Regency Grandview kept people warm through Helene.
Rentals want easy, dependable heat
Near Mars Hill University the demand runs toward easy-use gas fireplaces — push-button heat that a rotating set of tenants can't misuse. A sealed direct-vent unit with battery-backup ignition delivers exactly that, and it keeps delivering with the power out. The Valor H5 goes furthest, running on radiant heat with no blower and no circuit board. At one of the colder elevations we serve, an outage on a January night isn't a minor inconvenience, so power-optional heat is worth building in.
Madison County, 30 minutes north
We're a licensed gas contractor, so we pull the Madison County permit, run and pressure-test the line, and meet the inspector — the connection a showroom or mason legally can't make. We're 30 minutes north of the Asheville showroom. Nobody runs it purely for outages — it's the warm room every cold evening, with the coverage free. Call (828) 545-0525 and we'll spec yours for outages from the start.
Fireplace help in Mars Hill
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mars Hill and the rest of Madison County — just 30 minutes north from our Asheville-area showroom.