Pellet Burning Stoves for Heating the Home - Advantages - MA, RI

Pellets for Pellet Burning Stoves and Inserts - The Fireplace Showcase

Consistent, efficient, and responsible heat is what you get from pellet appliances. Wood pellet fuel is carbon neutral ... contributing no net carbon dioxide to the environment.

Pellet stoves and inserts have been around for many years but have become extremely popular in New England over the last 8-10 years. They look like a woodstove but they burn wood and/or corn pellets. You pour a bag of pellets into the stove and the pellets slowly move down an auger into a burn pot where they ignite.

Pellets are usually sold by the ton which consists of 50 bags that weigh 40 pounds each. Pellet prices are affected by the price of gas and raw materials. As a rule, one ton of pellets is roughly equivalent to about 1 ½ cords of wood.

Wood stove users burn from 3-4 cords of wood per year. An average pellet stove will use from 1-3 tons of pellets per year. Pellets are often less expensive than cord wood, and of course with pellets, you also save on the time and energy needed to stack and carry the wood. Pellets can be stored in only 1/3 the space needed for cord wood.

Pellet stoves are very efficient, 75% to 90% overall efficient, and have a BTU output content 4-5 times higher than cord wood. Pellet stoves also have very low particulate emissions, 2-5 times lower than efficient, EPA certified woodstoves. Pellet stoves are a good option for those without a fireplace or chimney because they can often be vented through a small hole in the wall. Pellets themselves are also often made from sawdust and other small wood particles which are byproducts of wood milling and might otherwise be headed for the landfill.

Uncle Sam wants to help you control heating costs by using renewable fuel – and so do we!