This unit is supplemental to our heat pump... and it lives in our main family room where we sit on the couch watching TV all winter... It's not that I think I need all that BTU, but I guess I was just looking for something "comparable" since this is the first pellet stove I've ever owned and don't know much else. What's most important after heat output, is quietness... We ran the Quad on medium as the fan is fairly loud and can be annoying when you're watching TV.