Is it cheaper to heat your house with wood or with gas?
In Brevard, most homes outside downtown run on propane, which costs more per unit of heat than the natural gas along the Asheville and Hendersonville mains. So here the gap favors wood by a wider margin for anyone who cuts their own, and the gas decision is really a propane decision, tank and all.
Propane changes the whole gas side
Out in Brevard's neighborhoods and the cabins beyond, gas means propane, delivered by truck and priced higher per unit of heat than pipeline natural gas, so the fuel-cost advantage that natural gas enjoys in Asheville simply is not on the table for most of Transylvania. Propane also burns hotter and needs the right orifices and pressures; set up wrong, it soots, which is one reason this is licensed work. For propane-country cabins the Kozy Heat Springfield 36 is the right call, and the hand-built Mendota FullView is the luxury centerpiece around here. See our [natural gas vs propane in WNC](/guides/natural-gas-vs-propane-in-wnc) guide for the trade-offs.
Wet country is hard on chimneys
Transylvania gets 80-plus inches of rain a year, and it shows on chimneys: cracked crowns, spalled brick, rusted dampers, with the wet season running March through June and the crawl spaces and chimney chases especially prone to moisture. A moisture-beaten masonry chimney feeding an open firebox is expensive, leaky heat, and it only gets leakier as the mortar goes. A sealed insert sidesteps a failing flue and captures far more of whatever fuel you burn, which matters more here than the fuel choice itself. Downtown Brevard's older homes and the cabins toward Connestee Falls and Sherwood Forest feel it worst, where a stainless cap and a proper reline often do more for your winter comfort and your fuel bill than any change of fuel would, and they keep the weather out of the flue year-round.
Transylvania permits
We pull the permit with Transylvania County and meet the inspector, so the work protects your insurance and your resale. The in-home assessment is free, and the showroom is 40 minutes northeast. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Brevard
We install and service fireplaces throughout Brevard and the rest of Transylvania County — just 40 minutes southwest from our Asheville-area showroom.
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