Which is cheaper to run, a gas fireplace or an electric fireplace?
In Waynesville, the cold changes the answer: at nearly 2,650 feet with a heating season about three weeks longer than Asheville's, most people are running a fireplace for heat, not just looks — and gas makes far more warmth per dollar than an electric heater's resistance element. Electric only wins for flame-only evenings.
A longer heating season punishes resistance heat
Waynesville runs 10 to 15 degrees colder than the lower WNC towns and heats for weeks longer, so a fireplace here earns its keep as a heater. That's exactly where electric loses: a 1,500-watt coil making about 5,000 BTU is the priciest warmth around, and it's dead the moment the power drops. A gas unit puts out four to eight times the heat for less, and a millivolt model like the Valor H5 keeps throwing warmth with the grid down.
Drafty Hazelwood fireboxes lose the heat you pay for
The older Hazelwood housing stock leans on open masonry fireplaces that can actually run a net heat loss — cold air in, warm air up the flue. A sealed gas insert turns that into a real heater. Waynesville sits in mixed-fuel country, natural gas where the mains reach and propane out beyond, and the Kozy Heat Springfield 36 is the right call for propane. We pull the Haywood County permit and meet the inspector. Call (828) 545-0525 to sort out which fits your house.
Fireplace help in Waynesville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Waynesville and the rest of Haywood County — just 35 minutes west 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?