is it even worth it...

Guys I have been reading for quite a bit and have noticed that most people that use pellet stoves and wood stoves are in the northern climates where its colder then all get out for long periods of time...we have oil heat and maybe use $900/$1100 worth of oil each year...now granted the house is pretty cold because we leave it set at like 65 during the day and 60 at night...we do have an older Buck wood stove insert that needs a chimney liner before I would feel safe using it...so my question is do you think its worth it for our fairly mild NC beach winters to justify the cost of a pellet stove or even a wood burning insert...other than having a warmer house I gather it will cost about the same as it is costing us now plus the cost/installation of the unit...

Your payback time may be longer than up north but you will be warmer. Also if you scrounge the wood yourself or even purchase the wood you will save money verses the heating oil. (My 2 cents) This is my first year burning and I've seen a drastic difference in propane usage even with the mild winter.

As long as you can afford it, there's never a good reason to have you and your family cold all the time. Even those that cannot afford it get government assistance just so they aren't cold all the time. Bottom line is you should make use of the stove, just at a smaller scale.

just my .02

I should also add that we are in a ranch...the room where the Buck stove (possible new pellet stove) is in does have a return vent that was installed to help pull the heat to all the other rooms...I think with just the house fan it might be possible to heat the house with it...it would be a stretch with the buck stove thats in it now but a new high fangled pellet stove with the house fan running and ceiling fans going might do it...I'm still afraid that the bedrooms would be cold as they are the farthest away from the heat source...the good news is I have a down comforter so other than being cold going to the bathroom at night I'm not seeing this as a big negative...

Agreed. Why pay $900/1100 a yr. for oil and have to live in a 65 degree house, when you could pay less for pellets and have most of the house at 70-72?

My wife used to keep the house cold (65daytime colder at night) due to fuel prices, and was on the fence about our stove. Now we save money and enjoy the warmth.
She runs the stove more than I do.

We also don't have the access to pellets that you guys do so we are very limited as to what we can get...pellets are also a bit more expensive here than what I have seen you guys mention per ton...we are around $349 a ton for what you guys would consider a mid grade pellet...

Yep.... About 2-3 ton a year in your climate (prob more like 1-2 ton for a Winter like this one).

So you spend $500 a yr on Pellets, but your home will be much warmer
If the house has a somewhat open design, the air will move pretty well. Otherwise some well placed fans will get the job done. Or through the wall fans for the bedrooms? They work well and can be had for a fairly cheap price.

What stoves were you looking at? Is it gonna be an insert? Or have you thought about freestanding?

I would love a freestanding in the sunroom as it is the most open area...it is open to the kitchen and dining room...the problem is I was reading the installation instructions this morning and I have WAY to many windows in the sun room to even consider that as a possible location...just put a new roof on and darn sure don't want to go up and out...so that only leaves the living room fireplace as an insert type...the Harman Accentra would be the preferred stove as we only have a Harman/Lopi dealer close by...if I could get it in the sunroom I have no doubts that it would heat the entire house...

Was typing when you posted the $349 a ton price (Ouch)......

A freestanding is still an option. You will still need a liner and may need to make a hearth extension (depends how big current hearth is). Just put a freestanding stove on the hearth and then install block-off plates at the top and bottom of chimney.

Have you ever shopped for pellets during Spring "Pre buy" sales? Most are cheaper then. Also Greenways are pretty close to you. A forum member from Georgia uses them. Dont know what he pays though.

Your asking "Pellet People" if its worth it.... So of course we are gonna tell you NEED a Pellet Stove ;-P

Of course you Need a Pellet Stove! Everyone Needs at least one, if not two or three! :lol:

I am in NH and bought my insert expecting it to take 4-5 years to pay it back, then on the plus side from there. The benefit that is not in dollars is that the house is at 72 not 68. To make that jump heating eith oil could cost any easy $500/yr. Not once this winter has my wife or kids been cold in the house, to get that will saving hundreds of dollars is awsome.

Just something to think about.

I'm new to the pellet stove arena and just got mine a month ago. So far I can't tell you how much I will save on oil or if I will save anything at all. Eventually I'm sure the stove will pay for itself. However, if I'm going to spend the same amount of money I may as well be warm doing it. We also never had our thermostat set over 65 and we went down to 59 at night... now the thermostat is still set at 59 but it never goes on and the living room is at a comfortable 72 degrees most of the time and the second half of the 1st floor gets up to about 65. Time will tell what the cost savings will be but you can't put a price on being able to relax and watch TV without a blanket over you all night.

my sister has natural gas heat, which is supposed to be the cheapest way to heat, and her experience with pellets is that she can keep her house at 73° on pellets for what she spent keeping her house at 65° on gas. theres the comfort factor. there is also an increased labor factor but she finds it worth the work.

Even with pellets that high you should still save some money. Might not be as warm as you want it. I also think with some digging you'll find a cheaper fuel source than the $349 you posted.

There are calulators that can help you get a rough idea on what you could save BTU from oil to BTU from pellets. We can also help, But we will need some nfo. Like the price of your fuel and approx gallons used. Also couldn't hurt posting the BTU size of your furnace. Might be able to help you size the stove so you never over work it.

As for the wood, You could get the liner and spruce the stove up. Burn it to supplement the furnace. But don't expect it to be a consitent temp. You'll need to be the thermostat. If your not careful you could roast yourself's out. One reason I point people to the pellet stove is most have stats and can regulate the temps just like a furnace. Also with wood if your buying off the street for c/s wood. You have to watch to be sure your getting seasoned stuff and the price could only be marginally cheaper than pellets. Scrounged free wood is a no brainer! If you have plenty of free wood, Go straight to the wood stove option.

Are there many stove dealers in the area?

No reason for you to get into a setup for over $2000 unless you have an eye for a special look. Keep it under that price and your payback will be quicker. Nothing compares to the comfort and calming effects or either the wood or pellet stove. If I were younger, my first choice would be wood, but now in my Medicare years, pellets is much better option

I'd still burn pellets even if it was break even. Cleaning the stove, leveling the pellets in the hopper and moving pellets around gets me off my rear end in the winter,

I'd also rather give my money to pellet companies than oil companies.

Cordwood will beat oil by a wide margin per BTU anywhere. Pellets will too, smaller margin, depends on how you value convenience.

One that I know of...we went to their showroom and looked around...this was last year though...being at the beach in NC means ALOT of pine trees so not much hardwood to scrounge...I grew up in Mississippi with a Buck insert that was the only heat for the whole house...really enjoyed that...

And I mis-quoted the cost per year on oil...its actually averaging out to $700 per year for the last 3 years...last year was pretty darn cold and we saw a significant increase in oil use...the first winter and this one have been mild so far...I mean it was over 70 here today for crying out loud...

If I get a liner for the Buck stove to go up the chimney can the same liner also be used for a pellet stove if the Buck doesn't work out?

Hows your electric prices? Maybe a heat pump or maybe Natural Gas.

I'd also suggest a multifuel stove if you have corn-grass pellets and such. But probably not popular yet. But they do offer you a better chance at burning low grade pellets though.

On another note, It's early in the oil replacement game for us. The Europeans have a much better head start. And they seem to have pegged biomass as the thing to get into. Biomass can use many fiber sources besides wood. Kind of why I suggest a multifuel stove.

There are many to choose from to replace oil. You'll just need to pick one of many and one thats versital. Heck for all we know, Oil could dump in price once the masses revert to alternitaves. And the technology of bio oil could someday be the future? Best thing to do is have more than one back up plan. Having multiple heat choices is priceless. I personally have Pellets-Wood and Electric for heat sources to mix and match! Eying Natural gas too, Which can easily be converted to Propane. Choices are good! ;-)

We had a Harman Accentra insert installed, and it was worth every penny. When we first moved in, the boiler was crap - so we replaced it and the windows. Still ran a lot of oil because of our house setup (a tri-level). Got the Harman and it easily heats 80% of the 2300 sq ft. I think you'll be fine...

Just my opinion.....If you are leaning that way and plan to live there long term, absolutely go wood or pellet. You will save money in the long run, but also have a warmer house that you don't stress out every time your wife leaves the door open brining in groceries in winter. Having live down that way, you will have more pine than you know what to do with. In fact, you probably could have tree trimmers drop the logs right on your property. Free heat if you don't mind the workout. In any case, whether you go wood stove or pellet, I highly recommend it.

Is the Wave Hog Saloon or Elijah's still around down there? Fun places, great memories for me.

as was stated
save some money
have some fun playing with pellets
adds ambiance to the room
gets wife frisky

Do you have duct work in place or radiators?

If it were me I would look at a heat pump. Your normal January temps are mid 50's high, and mid 30's low. A heat pump would be very efficient at those temps.

With that said you could also get a nice Englander setup for less than $1500 and probably get away with burning 1-2 tons/winter. I'm not sure where you got a price of $350/ton but check with Southern States and Tractor Supply. That is were I get most of mine.

Or just fix the chimney and use the wood stove.... hh:

update....I called our only local Harman dealer today...

Was quoted $2500 for a liner for the Buck stove installed...thats WAY out of line...

Was quoted $4800 for the Harman Accentra insert (just the stove)...thats $900 over MSRP

Was quoted $4000 for the Harman XXV (my favorite in the Harman line)...thats $300 over MSRP

Was quoted $7 a bag or $350 a ton for a "Premium" pellet...have not seen them and don't remember the name but its not one that I have seen listed on here...he said they were from Maryland


Think I will call another store (they are 175 miles away) just to get a price reality check...

$2500 just for the liner seems really steep. I paid $2,700 for an insert, full liner, and install. And that's NY prices. You may want to get another quote for the liner. My liner is not insulated though, and I don't know if your chimney needs any repairs. But that does seem high. For the liner install you may want to find a chimney guy in stead of a brick and mortar store. They tend to have less overhead. I would have a few guys come out and take a look and give you a price.

Just my two cents but fully lining that chimney and using what you got seems to be the most viable option.

And as for keeping bedrooms in the far corners of the house warm;
Many people use small fans on the floor pointing towards the stove room. I don't do this, but a lot of people have great success with it.

I use small electric heaters in the bedrooms. We don't use them much but when you want to close the door it's good to have heat. Also if you want to get temps up quick they can be helpful. Another thing I like to do is on real cold mornings I like to turn the heat on in the house for a short time while the stove is heating up. This helps bring house temps up evenly and the stove keeps them steady through out the day.

Sorry, kind of a long post. Hope that's helpful.