After a long, hot summer, many of us welcome the crisp autumn temperatures. That is, right up until we get our heating bill.
The rising cost of gas, oil, and electric heat have left many people to seek alternatives to replace or supplement their primary heating source. The two most popular are wood-burning stoves and pellet stoves, which rely on wood or wood products as fuel for their fire. Last month, we featured an article discussing wood-burning stoves.
This month, we turn our attention to pellet stoves – examining their basic design and operation, highlighting their pros and cons, and even looking at an added financial incentive available on some models.
The Basics Behind Pellet Stoves
Like wood-burning stoves, pellet stoves burn wood in a sealed appliance to efficiently and cost-effectively heat a room. But instead of burning logs and kindling, pellet stoves are designed to only burn wood pellets – small pellets (about the size of pelleted rabbit food) made from wood waste such as sawdust, wood chips, corn kernels, and nutshells. The pellets are usually sold in 40 lb. bags, which cost $3-$4 each (or $180 to $250 per ton), making them less expensive to operate tha
n electric-, oil-, or propane-powered furnaces. Most homeowners who use a pellet appliance as a main source of heat use 2-3 tons of pellet fuel per year.
Pellet stove operation is relatively simple. The pellets are loaded into the stove using a fuel hopper, which holds them until they are needed for burning. The hoppers hold between 35-130 lbs. of pellets, which (will last a day or more under normal operating conditions). The hopper feeds the pellets into the burn chamber through a device that resembles a large screw, which drops a few pellets at a time into the combustion chamber for burning. How fast the pellets are fed into the stove determines its heat output – the faster the pellets are dropped in, the hotter the fire. A thermostat regulates the rate at which the pellets are added to the stove, as it maintains the desired room temperature.
There are many benefits to adding a pellet stove to your heating plan, but there are a few drawbacks, too, particularly when you compare them to wood-burning stoves. Let’s examine the pros and cons of pellet stoves, so you can decide if one should be in your home-heating future.
Pellet Stove Pros…
Pellet stoves are highly efficient.
Pellet stoves have much higher combustion and heating efficiencies than their wood-stove counterparts. In fact, pellet stoves are the cleanest solid-fuel home heating appliance – those certified by the EPA are likely to be in the 70% to 83% efficiency range
They’re also environmentally friendly.
Pellet stoves emit almost no smoke; in fact, there are some models which are so efficient, they can be vented into a room, making them ideal for small homes, apartments, and condominiums. Wood-burning stoves emit small, but measurable, amounts of smoke and carbon monoxide, so they must be vented outside. Additionally, as pellets are essentially wood waste, using them is a form of recycling, keeping wood particles out of landfills.
Pellet stoves have flexible installation requirements.
Pellet stoves requiring a vent can inexpensively be vented directly to an outside wall, while wood-burning stoves require a chimney.
Also, pellet stoves stay relatively cool when they operate, so they can be positioned only 3”-6” away from walls. Most wood stoves must be installed at least a foot away from combustible walls.
They’re competitively priced.
On average, pellet stoves cost between $1,700 and $3,000, which is around the same price as a basic wood-burning stove. However, a pellet stove is often far less expensive to install than a conventional wood-burning stove because it doesn’t require a building or tying into an existing chimney.
Pellet stoves are easy to maintain.
Because they don’t produce smoke, you won’t have to worry about creosote buildup with a pellet stove.
You also won’t have to worry about maintaining and replacing a catalytic converter, which is a pricey part of routine maintenance for many wood-burning stoves. However, most pellet-stove manufacturers advise regular inspection and maintenance of the unit’s fans and motors. They also recommend removing unused pellets from the stove hopper and feed system at the end of the heating season to reduces the chance of rusting. If your pellet stove is connected to a chimney, have the flue vent inspected and cleaned on a regular basis to prevent soot buildup.
And they don’t attract pests.
If you have a wood-burning stove, you also need a good supply of wood on hand. And stacked wood makes a favorite home for mice, snakes, and insects. With a pellet stove, you won’t have to worry about your fuel reserves housing these unwelcome guests.
… and Cons
Pellet stoves require electricity.
Unlike wood-burning stoves, pellet stoves require electricity to run fans, controls, and the pellet feeder. Under normal usage, they consume about 100 kilowatt-hours (kWh) or about $9 worth of electricity per month, which in terms of a normal electric bill, isn’t much. But you can’t completely go off the grid with a pellet stove, and unless you have a back-up power supply, you could end up without heat if you lose power.
Pellets are typically more expensive than wood.
While pellets are relatively inexpensive, they’re still usually cost more than wood, which is readily available in rural areas (many people can harvest from their own property). Plus, you’ll have to estimate how much you’ll be using over the winter; if you’re short, you may be scrambling to find more toward the end of the season.
And about the aesthetics, there’s good news and bad news.
Just like wood burning stoves, pellet stoves have moved past the basic black box and now come in styles which complement traditional and contemporary décor. But about the flame itself, you’ll have to sacrifice style for efficiency. The problem with truly efficient fire is that it’s just not as, well, pretty, as one that’s less efficient. Pellet stoves burn consistently and brightly, but don’t expect to see typical orange flames flickering around glowing logs and embers, or be treated to the smell of a wood fire.
An Extra Incentive
Thinking about purchasing a pellet or wood-stove to save money on your home heating costs? Think quickly – because through the end of the year, you could get a $300 tax credit on your purchase!
The Biomass Stove Tax Credit program – a federal tax credit which encourages people to make energy-conscious purchases that improve the energy efficiency of their home – offers a $300 dollar-for-dollar tax credit for purchasing a qualifying pellet or wood-burning stove between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016. Taxpayers may claim the credit on their federal income tax form.
To be eligible for the credit, the appliance must:
Have an efficiency rating of at least 75%
Installed in an existing home
Used for a principle residence (cabins or other secondary residence are not eligible)
In addition, the credit can be used to cover installation costs, as long as professional installation is required for the proper and safe operation of the stove.
So talk to one of our experts, who can answer your questions and help you find a qualifying model that’s right for you.
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