Arden, North Carolina

Is it cheaper to run a fireplace on natural gas or propane?

In Arden, natural gas is the cheaper fuel to run and the Buncombe County mains reach most of Skyland and Royal Pines. But the money question in Arden isn't really gas-versus-propane — it's the tired, drafty open fireplaces in these 1980s and 90s homes that pull heat out of the room.

Drafty open fireboxes are the leak

Arden's established neighborhoods — Royal Pines, Skyland, Glenn Bridge — are full of open masonry fireplaces from the 80s and 90s that were never efficient heaters. Run them and warm room air goes up the flue; on a cold night some cost you more heat than they give. A sealed gas insert turns that opening into a real heater, holding 70-plus percent of its warmth in the room. That upgrade saves more than any fuel switch.

Cheap fuel, once the box is right

The good news is Arden is on the natural-gas network, so the fuel feeding that new insert is already the cheaper one — less per BTU than propane, metered, no tank. Cheap fuel through an efficient sealed appliance is the low-cost combination. Add electronic ignition so no pilot burns all summer, run it as zone heat rather than trying to warm the whole house, and the operating cost stays modest through a WNC winter.

Permitted conversion, done once

Converting an open masonry fireplace to a sealed gas insert means a correctly sized liner, a permitted gas line pressure-tested by a licensed contractor, and the Buncombe County inspector's sign-off — not a weekend project. We handle all of it as one company. We're 15 minutes north in Asheville; call (828) 545-0525 for a free in-home assessment.

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.

Fireplace services in Arden General answer (all of WNC)

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