Arden's cheapest fireplace to run is hiding inside its most expensive one. The open masonry fireplaces built into Royal Pines and Skyland homes in the '80s and '90s pull heated air out of the room while they burn — and on Arden's natural-gas mains, that same firebox with a sealed gas insert becomes the lowest-cost flame in the house.
The draft you've been paying for
If your Arden fireplace makes the room feel colder an hour after the fire dies, that's not your imagination — a tired open masonry fireplace can run a net heat loss, pulling warm air up the flue and cold air across your floor. It's the one appliance in the house that can cost money while it entertains you. A sealed insert reverses it: Napoleon's Oakville X4 drops into an existing masonry firebox, runs on the natural gas already serving these neighborhoods, and keeps its heat in the room at 70%-plus efficiency instead of feeding the sky over Skyland.
Why Arden makes this an easy fix
Two local advantages line up here. First, the fuel: Arden sits on the gas mains, so a converted fireplace burns the cheapest flip-a-switch fuel in Western North Carolina — most homes need only a short, simple line extension, which is licensed work we run, pressure-test, and permit with Buncombe County. Second, the distance: we're 15 minutes north at 629 Emma Rd, so seeing these inserts burning in person costs you a lunch break, and our crews are in the Royal Pines and Avery Creek area constantly.
If you're weighing a full conversion, our [wood-to-gas guide](/guides/convert-wood-fireplace-to-gas) lays out both paths. The in-home assessment is free — call (828) 545-0525.
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.