Which is cheaper to run, a gas fireplace or an electric fireplace?
In Arden, most homes have those 1980s-90s open masonry fireplaces that pull heat out of the room, so the real answer is: electric is cheapest for looks, but a sealed gas insert on the town's natural-gas mains turns a drafty firebox into a real heater for far less than an electric coil costs to run.
From heat-loser to real heater
The tired open masonry fireplaces in Royal Pines and Skyland actually lose heat up the flue — you're paying to warm the outdoors. A sealed gas insert like the Napoleon Oakville X4 or the Kozy Heat Chaska 25L drops into that existing opening and, on Arden's natural-gas mains, makes cheap, genuine warmth — four to eight times the roughly 5,000 BTU an electric heater produces. We pull the Buncombe County permit and meet the inspector.
Where electric fits in
A Dimplex IgniteXL Bold 50 is the cheapest way to run a fireplace for flame-only ambiance, and it slides into a wall with no gas line at all. But as a heater, its 1,500-watt resistance coil is the priciest BTU around. The Biltmore Park offices lean gas for the same reason a cold-house owner does — real output. We're just 15 minutes south of our Emma Rd showroom. Call (828) 545-0525 for a free in-home estimate.
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.
Related questions
- What's the difference between a gas fireplace and an electric fireplace?
- Does an electric fireplace put out as much heat as a gas fireplace?
- Is it cheaper to heat your house with wood or with gas?
- Does a gas fireplace add more home value than an electric fireplace?
- Is it worth switching from a wood-burning fireplace to an electric fireplace?