Benefits of a Pellet Stove

If you are looking for ways to stay warm at home, one option you may have come across is a pellet stove. What is a pellet stove, and is it better than other heaters?

This article gives you a better understanding of this unique stove design and lays out its benefits. A pellet stove is the best option for many homeowners, and it may be for you, too.

What Is a Pellet Stove?

A pellet stove is similar to a wood-burning stove and a traditional fireplace in that it uses fire to create radiant heat. The difference lies in the fact that it uses a blend of specialized wood pellets and electricity to operate a motor, fan, and switches to create and maintain the heat.

The fact that the stove uses electricity may seem like a drawback, but a pellet stove brings more benefits and fewer issues than you might think.

A Quick Guide to How a Pellet Stove Works

You can operate a pellet stove automatically or manually. A circuit board helps you achieve the exact temperature you need. The top of the stove has a hopper- a storage area where you load your pellets. When the unit is turned on, a feed motor, and auger, lifts and deposits pellets into a compact burn area called the burn pot. Here an igniter heats surrounding air drawn in by an exhaust fan. This air, called combustion air, becomes hot enough to ignite the pellets.

 As the pellets burn, the final heated air enters the room through a grill by way of a second fan called a convection blower.

Benefits of a Pellet Stove

Here is a look at the top benefits of pellet stoves over other heating options.

Cost Efficiency

Two considerations often come to mind when considering any electric-based stove or heater: reliability and cost. In terms of reliability, a properly maintained system can heat your home for 15 to 20 years, similar to a wood-burning stove. If the power in your home ever goes out, you can use a generator to keep your stove going. Though a fireplace can last much longer and doesn't require electricity, a fireplace does have some drawbacks - both financially and otherwise. We'll cover them throughout the article.

Heating with pellet stoves can cost the same or less than most systems. Pellet stoves are often cheaper than electric heating, oil, and propane-based heaters.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), a typical homeowner sees 50% of their energy bill devoted to heating. That rate increases to 70% in colder areas. The average heating cost nationwide is $0.12 per kWh, but a pellet stove costs around $0.0-$0.07 per kWh (DOE).

All these facts combined make it a cheaper alternative to traditional heating. This also means you experience cost savings when using it in tandem with electric-based systems you already own.

In terms of both electronic and fire-based heaters, overall pricing will depend on your usage and fuel material costs in your area. Often pellets are more expensive than traditional wood, and this may be the case for you. (You can do the math by comparing other costs to burning an average of 3 tons of pellet fuel per season.) But even if the costs are higher, installation costs should be factored in. Since a pellet stove uses an electric motor, the flue requires a lower vertical distance and can also be angled in different ways - even horizontally. This means it can be fed through a wall; no traditional chimney is needed. This fact alone can save you significant construction costs. Pellet stoves are also easier and less expensive to install than a wood stove.

If you already have a chimney, you can use a pellet stove with it by using a chimney liner, but costs can range significantly depending on the design and quality of your chimney. 

Thermostat Control

One key pellet stove advantage is thermostat control. The chief tasks of any radiant heating system are to produce heat and keep that heat coming. A pellet stove goes beyond other wood-burning systems by not just reaching but also maintaining the ideal temperature - and it's supremely accurate. You can stay within 1 degree of your set room temperature. The electronic thermostat works with the onboard motor to create regular, consistent heat without you having to lift a finger.  

Automatic Turn On

Pellet stoves are self-igniting. That's right; no more crumpling paper, setting kindle, lighting matches, or using lighter fluid. Just turn on your fire with a press of a button.

A unit that comes with a smart electronic system also means you can turn it on and off at designated times, such as before and after sleeping and while you drive to and from work. You can feel instant warmth as soon as you set foot in a room.  

Less Frequent Loading and Unloading

One of the biggest annoyances of fireplaces and stoves is the constant loading and unloading of fuel. Pellet stoves keep this to a minimum. With one load of pellets, you can get 12 to 36 hours of heat. These benefits make it a vast improvement to wood stoves and fireplaces. A wood-burning stove, if tightly packed, only lasts 6 to 8 hours. A fireplace can require 4 to 6 fillings per day in a 24-hour period.

Accessing Fuel is Easier and Cleaner

Unlike traditional wood, pellets are extremely dry. They typically have a moisture content of around 5 to 10% compared to firewood which is around 20%. To work right, those pellets can never become wet. This means they should be kept in dry environments, such as inside a shed or inside your home, as well as inside the bags they come in. Still, this also makes them cleaner and easier to access than wood. Since the pellets are a compressed fuel source, they take up less space than traditional wood. Since they are contained within a bag, you can cleanly scoop and feed them into your system without leaving behind a trail of wood shavings and dirt. You also avoid all those pesky spiders and insects who love to call firewood home.

One thing to remember is that pellets come in 40-lb bags, and one bag can last from 8 to 26 hours. Even though the pellets still take up less room than firewood, you benefit from having a large storage space that is easily accessible.

High Efficiency

The combustion process is better contained within a pellet stove than in fireplaces or stoves, and the small combustion chamber and improved air control create more heat and fewer particle emissions. A pellet stove typically runs at between 70% to 90% efficiency, similar to a wood stove, compared to around 50% for fireplaces and between 60 and 80% for stoves. A pellet stove can produce between 8,000 and 90,000 Btu per hour. A wood stove can hit around 100,000 (only slightly higher), while a fireplace falls lower between 8,000 and 60,000 BTUs.  

Cleaner Burning and Less Smoke

The pellet composition and stove design make pellet stoves the cleanest solid fuel heating home appliances. They produce less ash and fewer harmful emissions than any other fire-based system. Premium pellets create less than 1% ash, while lower grade pellets are around 6%. Regular wood, on the other hand, produces between 6 and 10% ash.

It's also good to remember that ash needs to be discarded. A pellet stove makes the process easy by simply producing less ash.   

Pellet Stoves are Carbon Neutral!

Due to growing concerns about global warming, more people are looking to reduce their carbon footprint. You may be one of them. Pellets are considered a renewable energy source and meet DIN+ and EN+ environmental standards. They are made of 100% recycled material, including sawdust, wood shavings, and wood waste. Some even consist of natural corn and seeds. The pellets are easy and eco-friendly to create and expel the same amount of carbon as a tree absorbs while it grows.

Pellet Stoves are Safe

A pellet stove is safe and effective inside your home if you properly install, clean, and maintain your system for the correct fuel-to-air ratio. Today's electronic control boards with automatic cleaning notifications go a long way toward ensuring this. In addition, the stove generates a lot of heat in a small footprint by keeping the fire better contained than a fireplace can.

The blend of pellet and stove efficiency combined with regular cleaning also means less buildup of creosote, a black flammable material that can lead to fire safety issues.

A Simple Cleaning Process

All solid fuel heating systems require cleaning and maintenance. Your pellet stove comes with instructions for each process and suggested periods for doing them so that you have a long-running system. Additionally, a stove with an automatic smart system notifies you when a specific type of cleaning is needed so that you won't forget.

The cleaning process is also very simple. You can do it yourself, and the instructions are easy to follow. The whole process typically takes only 15 minutes. Most pellet stoves also come with all the required materials.

For an step-by-step guide to cleaning pellet stoves, click here.

A Wide Range of Models and Aesthetic Designs

Today you can buy designs ranging from traditional to modern. You can also choose from free standing or insert models. No matter what type of home you have, you can find a design that will complement it.

Is a Pellet Stove Right for You?

In terms of cost, efficiency, environmental concerns, and conveniences like tight temperature regulation and long-lasting burns, a pellet stove solves many issues that justify its need for pellets and electricity. At the same time, many are attractive and can work in home styles ranging from traditional to modern - even homes without chimneys. But one trait all pellet stoves share is a powerful ability to bring coziness and warmth during cold winter days, and that's what it's all about.