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We like our insert. I'm thinking ambiance and shoulder seasons. I'm of the impression that a wood insert would be less efficient that a wood boiler so it wouldn't pay to run it supplying baseload. What do you think?
An EPA rated wood stove insert or a glass door type insert?
Total useful heat out of an EPA rated wood stove insert will likely be on par with a good boiler. Delivery of that heat through the house for adequate consistent heating depends on your house. A non EPA glass door fireplace insert will have significantly lower efficiency than a stove or boiler with secondary burn.
I have an EPA stove and hardly ever use it. It's nice for ambiance or the threat or power outage, or some quick heat (I have radiant...slow&steady....) As far as wood consumption, that's a hard call.
The boiler provides 100% of the heat consumed in my household, domestic hot water included, which is more heat that you may think it is. With that ability to heat the whole house you could end up using more wood.....and no oil/gas.
I meant to say, "Wood Stove/Insert" in the title, sorry.
Yeah, that's what I'm driving at. My insert is an EPA. For me the attraction of a boiler is even heat throughout the house-the upstairs doesn't get too warm, and the potential of heating the basement. If the insert was being used just as much after the boiler is installed, the boiler would be just used to heat the second floor and maybe basement, although that might get somewhat warm with just the wood boiler. I wonder how that would work-with storage, the tank would get charged and there'd be longer times between boiler fires to charge it up. There wouldn't be any idling, necessarily, but I imagine it would still not be good to oversize the boiler too much.
As I'm writing this, I'm looking at the dancing flames of the insert which is kicking out some nice heat-it'd be hard to give it up. On the other hand, I wouldn't have to have the fan on high all the time drowning out conversation and the TV and always be worried about keeping it hot during the cold spells.