Valor vs Regency gas inserts — how do they compare?

Valor's whole philosophy is no electricity required

Valor builds radiant gas heaters that run on millivolt controls — no blower needed, no circuit board to fail, no wall outlet in the equation. That's the DNA across its L1, L2, and Portrait insert series, and it's the same thinking behind the Valor H5 fireplace on our floor, which modulates from 24,000 BTU down to 9,000 and keeps throwing warmth through a full grid-down week. Radiant heat also behaves differently: it warms people and objects directly instead of blowing hot air around, which a lot of homeowners prefer sitting fireside.

Where Regency stands

Regency is a builder we respect across the board — its Horizon and City gas insert series lean contemporary and clean, and the company's reputation for stout, long-lived fireboxes is earned. We know Regency best on the wood side, where its EPA-certified units are our serious-heat pick, and that build philosophy carries into everything the brand makes. If a modern flame picture in a crisply styled insert is your priority, Regency deserves a hard look.

The Helene tiebreaker — and what any insert needs

Since Helene, the first question insert shoppers ask us has changed from how does it look to does it work when the power's out. A millivolt Valor keeps heating with the grid down, full stop — that decides it for a lot of mountain homes.

Whichever brand you land on, an insert is only as good as its installation: a correctly sized liner up the chimney, a licensed gas line — which in North Carolina only a licensed gas contractor can legally run — a permit with your county, and a pressure test. That's our lane. Call (828) 545-0525 or come compare both approaches at the showroom.