Are pellet stoves worth it?

[Mr. Jones]

Been awhile since I've been here. I'm also older now and getting tired of all the looking for wood online, trying to find the cheap dry stuff, load, unload, split, stack and load stove process. I don't have gas here. Electicity is 0.07 per kwh. 3300 ish sq ft breezy older house. 2 story. Massive wall size single pane windows in almost every room. Burning about 5 to 6 cords of wood per year in 2 stoves. One upstairs and one down.
So, is it worth moving to pellet stoves? I think my electricity is pretty cheap compared to a lot of areas. Lots of windmills dams and nuclear around here. I don't know much about pellet stoves other than to burn the better more expensive pellets to keep it clean. I just don't know if it's worth the cost. I figure I'd go through at least 4 tons if not 6. Couple that with the cost of 2 new stoves at whatever price for a decent one is......and I'm wondering if it would be better to just turn the electric up. What say you guys? I have room to store 6 pallets in garage. These things still go through motherboards like candy?

 

[creztor]

Your low elec rate would win hands down as you don't need to buy a heater etc. What do pellets cost you? Do you prefer elec heat or pellets? If you prefer pellets are you ok spending the extra money? Obviously using your elec heat without buying a new stove is cheaper but do you want that type of heat?

 

[johneh]

Heat with elec for a winter then compare what a stove and 6 ton of pellets cost
then you can figure the price to heat your home from there and if the stove
will pay for itself.
I started to heat strictly with wood 41 years ago. Twenty years ago I put in
one pellet stove in my summer kitchen because it was so hard to heat.
Have never looked back enjoy that stove no end and it keeps that part
of the house warm. I still use wood (furnace) for the rest of this old farmhouse

 

[semipro]

I've done cordwood and pellets for the last 10 years.
My experience with pellets has not been great. The stove needs lots of maintenance and repair and pellets have been expensive. I'm not keen on the noise they make either.
Given your situation, I'd suggest you consider installing multiple mini-split heat pumps and maybe do some basic house outer shell air sealing and insulation.

 

[minux]

20 years ago, they were worth it. Now, no, even if all your sunk costs are paid for (e.g., stove, pipe, etc.)

What is your end goal? Do you enjoy messing with cords and pellets for the rest of your life?

As suggested, get HE heat pumps mini-splits or otherwise.

 

[Washed-Up]

Yes there is a bit of maintenance with a pellet stove but you have to factor in the convenience of not having to chop and stack wood, as well as sourcing the wood out. You get more heat out of a small stove and depending on the brand you get, you can still get a great view of the fire itself. I have yet, knock on wood, to run into a motherboard issue. 20yrs of pellet stove enjoyment. I grew up on a farm and a Pelletstove is way more convenient that the hassle of wood IMHO

 

[SciGuy]

Been awhile since I've been here. I'm also older now and getting tired of all the looking for wood online, trying to find the cheap dry stuff, load, unload, split, stack and load stove process. I don't have gas here. Electicity is 0.07 per kwh. 3300 ish sq ft breezy older house. 2 story. Massive wall size single pane windows in almost every room. Burning about 5 to 6 cords of wood per year in 2 stoves. One upstairs and one down.
So, is it worth moving to pellet stoves? I think my electricity is pretty cheap compared to a lot of areas. Lots of windmills dams and nuclear around here. I don't know much about pellet stoves other than to burn the better more expensive pellets to keep it clean. I just don't know if it's worth the cost. I figure I'd go through at least 4 tons if not 6. Couple that with the cost of 2 new stoves at whatever price for a decent one is......and I'm wondering if it would be better to just turn the electric up. What say you guys? I have room to store 6 pallets in garage. These things still go through motherboards like candy?

Here is a good nice site that allows one to compare the cost of heating by various means.

Residential Heating System Cost Calculator | Efficiency Maine

Our heating cost comparison calculator can help you estimate your annual home heating costs for different heating systems.

www.efficiencymaine.com

Your low electric rate coupled with an air source heat pump looks very attractive when run through the calculator. It obviously does not factor in for one's enjoyment of the "ambiance factor" you may enjoy with a pellet or chunk wood fire.

I heat with pellets but am really considering adding a minisplit to to carry that bulk of the heating load.

YMMV

Hugh

 

[Mt Bob]

As you have not upgraded your house for heating, cooling,and where you live,ele. or nat gas is probably your cheapest.

 

[Dataman]

I switched from Blaze King King to Harmon XXV in 2018. My 3rd Year. Pellets are easy to move inside and no BUGS. Sure I spent about 700 for 3 tons this year (220 Ton plus Delivery 70), but I was spending for Wood too. 200-250 cord. I was using about 3-5 cords. I am using 3.5 tons of Pellets. I started with 4 tons this year and used about 10 bags. Doing 1 Ton Clean soon because of 50f weather so I get fresh start when it really gets cold (we had 2f at nights recently). I switched because of Wife complaining about debri I would bring in with wood. Sawdust and Bugs. Less Dust in House. Lots easier on my shoulder. I tripped over log segments I was bucking up and tore my shoulder muscle 50% along with rotatar cuff. I got a back 90% thru PT. I see replacing pellets with Propane in the future if bags become too heavy. Wife can't do them now. She put whole bag in the hopper, plastic and all. I use Mitsubishi MT18 with bucket to bring them to back porch or wheelbarrel. Snow gets too bad I just use PTO blower to clear path to porch. Bucket puts them within easy reach. Only downside of Pellet Stove is loss of power. I have 12 hours of Battery Power thru AIMS 1250 Inverter and then 8k generator (non Inverter) to charge battery If I need to. Plan on some expensive Lithium when current battery get to end of life. Get 2-3 100ah ones (I have two 100ah Lead Acid Deep Cycle Now). One of the best things is I don't overheat the living room now.

 

[gfreek]

(broken link removed)
Have you tried these Biobricks/Ecobricks/wood bricks? Pellet stoves IMO:
Power outages, regular shutdowns for cleaning, self diagnoses for troubleshooting, noise factor- 3 to 4 motors running, special vacuum or shop vac with hyper filter after cool down, the radiant heat factor not as much as wood stove, learning curve to operate( I hated my Harman at first, got used to it, the simplicity of the unit, but can be noisy at times), service after purchase, just my thoughts .. Still using pellets and Harman stove as supplement, my main boiler is propane fired...... Me too, also looking at Minisplit systems in my future heating requirements

 

[minux]

(broken link removed)
Have you tried these Biobricks/Ecobricks/wood bricks? Pellet stoves IMO:
Power outages, regular shutdowns for cleaning, self diagnoses for troubleshooting, noise factor- 3 to 4 motors running, special vacuum or shop vac with hyper filter after cool down, the radiant heat factor not as much as wood stove, learning curve to operate( I hated my Harman at first, got used to it, the simplicity of the unit, but can be noisy at times), service after purchase, just my thoughts .. Still using pellets and Harman stove as supplement, my main boiler is propane fired...... Me too, also looking at Minisplit systems in my future heating requirements

The easiest thing to do with the mini split route is to run up to HD, get a bank of solar panels; head to advanced auto, get batteries; and wire the unit direct up to solar. Set the heads to whatever you desire and be done with it.

FYSA, I am still running pellets as supplemental, but the economics are against us now with pellets. Too much demand, too high of prices, etc.

 

[Lordtimothy200]

Well, I would suggest making sure the house is insulated and sealed the best way possible. That will make a huge difference in heating/cooling cost. As for a Pellet stove it is a personal preference. Cost is a real toss up. It will be much less work than wood.

 

[Mr. Jones]

I forgot about the noise. My grandparents had one 15 years ago. Loved the heat it put out, and don't mind the constant fan noise. It's the pellet dropping that bugs me. Maybe I'd get used to it. I sleep downstairs in the other master bedroom/living area by the stove. My office is there. Maybe instead of trying to heat the whole house with it as a main heat source like I've been doing with wood, it would be more financially feasible and practical for the coldest of nights as supplemental heat. It's definitely a colder area down here since there's only 2 vents in the entire downstairs area since they didn't bother running ducts in the unfinished laundry area or garage that's on the other side if my wall in the house and not to the side like most garages.
I've read about issues with dust. I guess if I purchase a higher quality pellet this wont be as much of an issue? I have copd so that's the last thing I need.

 

[minux]

I forgot about the noise. My grandparents had one 15 years ago. Loved the heat it put out, and don't mind the constant fan noise. It's the pellet dropping that bugs me. Maybe I'd get used to it. I sleep downstairs in the other master bedroom/living area by the stove. My office is there. Maybe instead of trying to heat the whole house with it as a main heat source like I've been doing with wood, it would be more financially feasible and practical for the coldest of nights as supplemental heat. It's definitely a colder area down here since there's only 2 vents in the entire downstairs area since they didn't bother running ducts in the unfinished laundry area or garage that's on the other side if my wall in the house and not to the side like most garages.
I've read about issues with dust. I guess if I purchase a higher quality pellet this wont be as much of an issue? I have copd so that's the last thing I need.

For dust, your best bet is buying pellets manufactured locally, so less transit beating the pellets to dust; and buying pellets from a retailer who stores the pellets in dry conditions.

99% of the dust from pellets come from hopper and burn pot dumps. Not much to do about burn pot dumps, but when you fill the hopper turn on the shop vac.

For supplemental heat, you have to know your inefficient furnace level for pellets to make sense...

 

[zrock]

Sounds like you have a forced air electric... Probably a older unit and not need as efficient as the newer stuff... Need to weigh out the costs of pellets vs wood and your time chopping, sourcing and putting away. If it were me and the pricing between pellet and wood was cheaper or close to the same. I would put a pellet stove in the main aria of the house that gets used the most. Nothing compares to the heat of pellet or wood. I would also weigh out the costs of replacing your electric furnace if that's what you have to something much more efficient. Upgrade the furnace and just use your existing stoves when you feel the need for that extra heat... Make sure to check out the rebates in your area as well as in allot of areas their are huge rebates for upgrading to energy efficient.

 

[semipro]

I've read about issues with dust. I guess if I purchase a higher quality pellet this wont be as much of an issue? I have copd so that's the last thing I need.

Pellet stoves require quite a bit of cleaning and its dusty work - no job for anyone with COPD.

 

[Dataman]

Wood stove also stir up dust and smoke. I have LOTS less smoke escape from pellet stove than wood stove. Tons less. Zero Actually. Seemed I always let some out when refilling wood stove. Sure there is some dust when doing deep clean. But that is about every 6 weeks and good vacumn helps a lot.

 

[tlc1976]

I run my exhaust blower with the damper wide open while I clean the stove. It really cuts down on dust billowing around and getting into the house.

That home heating calculator is nice. It shows me what I already figured out. That even if my LP boiler only heated the living space, pellets would still be cheaper for me.

The mini split is a nice idea. However I don’t know how well they work when it gets really cold, but it sounds good for shoulder seasons. I got a feeling I’d still be burning pellets. It’s smart not having all your eggs in one basket anyway.

 

[minux]

I run my exhaust blower with the damper wide open while I clean the stove. It really cuts down on dust billowing around and getting into the house.

That home heating calculator is nice. It shows me what I already figured out. That even if my LP boiler only heated the living space, pellets would still be cheaper for me.

The mini split is a nice idea. However I don’t know how well they work when it gets really cold, but it sounds good for shoulder seasons. I got a feeling I’d still be burning pellets. It’s smart not having all your eggs in one basket anyway.

Do not underestimate HE mini splits! If your house heats without a HE heat pump currently at 40 degree weather, whatever you are paying, will be the same when the temperate drops to -15 (actually less with a cental versus mini split). A lot of installations in harsh-cold climates rely on HE mini splits daily.

Relatives heat and cool with 15 heads off a Mitsubishi mini-split. Their home is 7,000 square feet. Their Summer electric bill is less than mine....

More info - https://www.builderonline.com/products/hvac/eight-ductless-mini-split-systems-for-new-homes_o

This is where I get back to "sunk costs." If you are telling me, I can spend $6K on my Harman or $10K on a mini-split array for my house, I am going on the latter.

 

[Pelleting In NJ]

With your low electric rates, consider a heat-pump system. Some models are designed to be able to produce more BTUs of heat output at colder outside air temps than other models, shop wisely.

 

[minux]

With your low electric rates, consider a heat-pump system. Some models are designed to be able to produce more BTUs of heat output at colder outside air temps than other models, shop wisely.

HE pumps are out there, but this is like the electric car market. The whole industry is not setup for HE pumps yet... Good luck educating adults...

 

[Dataman]

I have older Trane XR13. I use it when the Temps outside are 30f or higher. The optimal temperature range for conventional air source heat pump operation is above 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat pump begins to lose efficiency once temperatures dip to 40 degrees and is no longer the most efficient heating option once temperatures fall to 25 to 30 degrees. Aux heat comes on more and more after that (Electric Strips). But hey we got .05 Kilowatt.

 

[gfreek]

More info - https://www.builderonline.com/products/hvac/eight-ductless-mini-split-systems-for-new-homes_o

This gives a good quick info, actually surprised that they can be efficient to zero degrees according to this article in 2018

 

[minux]

This gives a good quick info, actually surprised that they can be efficient to zero degrees according to this article in 2018

The new models are efficient at sub-zero temperatures, down to -15.

 

[minux]

I have older Trane XR13. I use it when the Temps outside are 30f or higher. The optimal temperature range for conventional air source heat pump operation is above 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat pump begins to lose efficiency once temperatures dip to 40 degrees and is no longer the most efficient heating option once temperatures fall to 25 to 30 degrees. Aux heat comes on more and more after that (Electric Strips). But hey we got .05 Kilowatt.

Yeah, the new models are efficient down to -15...