Find the right fireplace for Horry County's mild coastal winters.

For most Horry County homes, gas or electric. With winter lows averaging 34°F and only a short, mild winter heating season, this isn't a climate that demands a serious primary-heat appliance the way International Falls or Fargo does—it's a climate where a fireplace mostly needs to look good, turn on instantly, and handle the occasional cold snap in January. Gas fireplaces (natural gas where Dominion Energy service reaches, propane elsewhere) are the leading choice for permanent homes in Conway, Myrtle Beach, and Aynor. Electric fireplaces are extremely popular in condos, beach rentals, and HOA communities along the Strand where venting a real flame isn't practical. Wood and pellet stoves show up occasionally—usually in older Conway or Loris farmhouses, or for owners who simply want the look—but they're not the default here.

Usually, yes, for gas installations. Gas fireplace, insert, or stove installations typically require a building permit and a licensed gas-fitter for the line connection, whether you're inside city limits (Myrtle Beach, Conway, and North Myrtle Beach each issue their own permits) or in unincorporated county territory, where Horry County Building Codes Enforcement handles it. Electric fireplaces generally don't require a permit unless the installation involves hardwiring a built-in unit into a new circuit. Most local retailers handle the permitting as part of the installation, so it's rarely something you have to manage on your own.

Not really, and that's expected. With winters this mild—34°F average lows and a short heating season—wood stoves aren't a meaningful primary-heat option the way they are in colder parts of the country. There's no shortage of local firewood species (oak, pine, and hickory are all common in the region), and a small number of homeowners in Conway, Loris, and Aynor still install wood stoves for ambiance, backup heat, or because they inherited a wood-burning fireplace with the house. But it's a minority preference here, not the default, and most hearth retailers in the county carry limited wood inventory as a result.

Yes—most Horry County hearth retailers are built around exactly that combination, since it matches local demand. A single dealer visit can usually cover both a gas fireplace with proper venting and permitting, and an electric insert or wall-mount unit for a secondary room, condo, or rental property. If you're not sure which fits your situation—a permanent Conway home versus a Myrtle Beach vacation condo—a retailer who carries both can walk through the trade-offs (upfront cost, ongoing utility bills, HOA restrictions on open flame) rather than pushing you toward one fuel by default.

Most service technicians are based around Myrtle Beach or Conway and travel out to Little River, Loris, and Aynor as part of their regular routes—the county is large geographically but well-connected by US-501 and US-17, so travel fees for rural service calls are modest compared to more remote counties. Gas fireplace inspections and electric unit checkups are typically scheduled in fall before the first cold front comes through, though given the short heating season here, mid-winter service backups are less common than in colder-climate counties.

Gas fireplace, insert, or stove: roughly $3,500–$8,500 depending on whether new gas line work is needed and whether it's a natural gas or propane setup. Electric fireplace: $200–$2,500 for the unit itself, plus $300–$1,000 in labor for anything beyond a plug-and-play install—which covers the majority of wall-mount and insert installations in condos and beach homes along the Strand. Wood or pellet installations, when a homeowner does choose one, tend to run similar to national averages but are a small share of local installs. For fuel-specific pricing tied to Horry County retailers, see the county + fuel pages above.

Yes—by creating a comfort zone. A furnace heats every square foot of the house just to warm the one room you're in; a gas fireplace on low burns roughly a sixth of the gas a typical furnace does. Set the furnace around 55–60 degrees as a baseline, then heat the rooms your family actually uses. Families who heat this way commonly save $20–$60 a month.

It's a visit where a hearth professional measures your space, confirms the model you picked actually works in your home, and walks the specs—framing, gas line, venting, finish work—before anything is ordered. Some details you just can't know until you see the house. Never make a down payment without one; it's the single most-skipped step that burns buyers.

Match the fuel to your life, not the other way around. Wood: lowest fuel cost and total power-outage independence, but you're hauling and stacking. Gas: press a button, set a thermostat, no maintenance to speak of. Pellet: wood economics with automatic feeding, in exchange for weekly cleaning and a need for electricity. Electric: plugs in anywhere with honest supplemental heat. Nobody regrets the fuel that fits how they actually live.

On average, a fireplace adds back to the home about the same amount you spent installing it. Add the monthly savings from heating the rooms you actually use instead of the whole house—often hundreds of dollars a year—and the value case is strong before you even count what a fire does for how your family uses the room.