Cost of running a pellet stove

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naughted

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Feb 4, 2007
24
Cost of pellets aside, what does it cost in electricity to run a pellet stove 24/7. What significant changes do people notice in their bill? I haven't been running my stove long enough to average it out.
 
I never noticed a change in mine at all. My stove is 115v. draws 3.5 amps so thats roughly 400 watts. A KW is 1000 watts. There are 3,600,000 watts in a kwh. (watts/joulesxseconds in an hour) I'm averaging right around .08 per kwh.
So really the power needed to operate the pellet stove is nominal. If my calculations are correct (which they often aren't) then my pellet stove is costing me around .03/hr. to run.
 
The 1200i uses ~2 amps/hr. for running the exhaust and convection blowers, 5.38 amps at startup. The maximum wattage is only for a short time when the ignitor engages. For that stove figure about 250w for average running or 1/4kw per hr.. Our stove ran much less a night because it was on a set-back thermostat. Typically it would run for about an hour or two straight from 6am, then it would start cycling to about 30m or less on per hour when it was 40 degrees outside.
 
If memory serves me right we guessed it to be about $10/mo. with our milder climate and electric about .085/kw.. Hard to pin exactly on the stove because we use so much more lighting in the winter and the hw heater is working harder too.
 
Shane said:
I never noticed a change in mine at all. My stove is 115v. draws 3.5 amps so thats roughly 400 watts. A KW is 1000 watts. There are 3,600,000 watts in a kwh. (watts/joulesxseconds in an hour) I'm averaging right around .08 per kwh.
So really the power needed to operate the pellet stove is nominal. If my calculations are correct (which they often aren't) then my pellet stove is costing me around .03/hr. to run.


Can't do any math on cost, but I know the fractional 1/70 HP motors and switches, blowers, etc, are a whole lot less expensive to run than the 3/4 HP blower on the forced air furnace. My electrical use is down twenty percent since going 100% pellet. That's plus no gas bill. SWEET!
 
Thanks for all the relies.
I wasn't sure if the electrical usage would be significant and I hadn't really thought of it until yesterday. I guess not. I had been trying to figure out pellets to oil comparison but never put the electric bill into account. I had been spending so much money on oil each month and because forced hot water is radiant heat the house would be warn in some areas but still cool in others, you were always catching a draft down your neck from somewhere. I tried new windows, my boiler was replaced with an updated more efficient model, insulated and calked, but there is only so much you can do with such an old house. The stove keeps such a nice even heat, I wouldn't care if I broke even. Even if in the long run it costs me the same amount every month it is just a far better heat. Although, I still think I am going to do a little better cost wise with the pellet stove.
 
Yes as noted, the boiler and recirc pumps take electricity to run as well. So you may not notice any change in the electrical bill.
 
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