Should I get a gas fireplace or a wood-burning fireplace?

Where gas earns its keep

Gas wins on convenience, and it isn't close. Flame at the flip of a switch, no hauling wood, no cold-start smoke, no ash pan — and with a sealed direct-vent unit you can put a fireplace in a room that never had one, bedrooms included. Our best-selling everyday unit, the Napoleon Ascent 36, is exactly that kind of fireplace: 26,500 BTU of steady heat behind glass, with battery-backup ignition so it still lights when the grid doesn't. Maintenance is one annual tune-up, from $189 — that's the whole chore list.

Where wood still wins

Helene settled a lot of arguments around here. When power was out across WNC for days, the homes that stayed warm were the ones with a working wood or gas hearth — and wood is the gold standard for grid independence. A unit like the Regency Grandview G600C kept people warm through Helene, and an EPA-certified firebox turns cordwood into heat you own outright: no utility, no tank, no electronics.

The price is the ritual — cutting or buying wood, hauling it in, sweeping the chimney every year. Some of our customers love that ritual. Some are done with it by February.

The question that usually settles it

Start with your fuel. Natural gas runs along the Asheville and Hendersonville mains, Fletcher and Arden too; out in Fairview, Candler, Brevard, and the cabins, it's propane — which works beautifully, and units like the Kozy Heat Springfield 36 are built for exactly that kind of propane-country home. And remember: in North Carolina, running or extending a gas line is licensed work. A showroom can sell you a beautiful firebox, but they legally can't connect it to fuel. We can, we permit it with your county, and we pressure-test every line we run. Call (828) 545-0525 for a free in-home assessment and we'll walk both options with you honestly.