Why Convert to a Pellet Stove?
Cost: Oil and propane prices have seen steep ups and downs an overall upward trend. Meanwhile, the price of wood pellets has remained relatively stable and predictable, making them less expensive than oil and propane and comparitively priced with firewood.
Efficiency: Pellet stoves can burn more efficiently than wood stoves and many oil or LPG furnaces and they release more of their heat directly into your home than a central heating system because they are integrated into the living space.
Comfort: Pellet stoves produce more steady and even heat and their heat output can be more easily regulated than wood stoves. Most are self-starting and don't require constant supervision. The radiant heat released by pellet stoves can actually make the occupant feel warmer than they would in a room heated by a forced air conventional furnace.
Safety: There is no risk of a chimney fire with a properly installed pellet stove. An oil storage tank leak can create an environmental hazard and a propane leak can create an explosion hazard--stored pellets create no hazard.
Convenience: Compared to wood stoves, pellet stoves are less labor-intensive, have less costly chimneys and are cleaner--owners don't need to worry about cleaning the chimney. Further, pellets require less storage space than wood and don't need to be seasoned before use.
Environmental Impact: Burning pellets is considered to be significantly more carbon neutral than burning oil or propane, and only a little less so than wood. Pellets are almost entirely made from waste wood, such as sawdust and other mill waste, or low-value trees harvested during logging operations to increase the health of the forests. And pellet stoves are relatively clean-burning: particulate emissions are 50 times less than older, non EPA-certified wood stoves, and 2-5 times less than the newer EPA-certified wood stoves.
