Efficiancy ratings question??

[MGC67]

I have researched many stoves the last 3 years. After a lot of economic swings I have yet to make the purchase of a wood stove. That being said, I have accumulated around 4 plus cord of beautiful scrounged wood.
My hearth pad has been sitting empty for 2 years. Hopefully in the next month or so I will take the plunge. I burn a century 244 in my small 400 sqft shop, I find it to heat it very well.
The house is another matter. I am more concerned with efficiency and the future of wood stoves. I know that the Englander 30 is the cleanest burning beast out there for non-cat at a ridicules 1.6 gph. That being said, what is more important stove efficiency percentages or gph? The 30 is ultimately too big of a stove I believe for a 90 year old 1100 sqft home. Menards in Toledo has a century fw300011 2.9 cuft fire box for $400 bucks on clearance ( 4.4 gph?). After doing a little research I see that the Avalone Spokane 1750 with a 2.2 cuft firebox burns at a clean 2.8 gph. At 1200 bucks it looks like a good deal.
Am I being to anal about this purchase or should I forget about the number as long as it is EPA approved?

Thanks for the time and stay warm,

-Mike

 

[ANeat]

For me when it got right down to it I ended up with the stove I liked the looks of. I wanted efficient and EPA rated and there are plenty out there that fit the bill.

I didnt worry about a few % points or gph output. (within reason........and really most of the EPA stoves are exellent in that respect) I got to sit there, hopefully for years, and look at the thing, I want to enjoy the view

 

[stoveguy2esw]

i agree with aneat as looks and features are the biggest sellers or should be , point is any solid EPA stove will give you heat and will burn clean if operated in their intended manner. only one you mentioned i would have thoughts against (not because its a bad stove its just fine) would be the century as the company is gone , went under, so if there is anything wrong with it or you have issues in the future you have no "fall back" or service entity. though the price is hard to argue with.

 

[branchburner]

For $400, if anything goes wrong with the Century you can probably re-sell it used for $400! But a little big for 1100 sf, the 2.2 firebox is plenty.

If you oversize your stove, you probably won't burn as efficiently, so maybe those numbers go out the window. If stove efficiency percentages or gph are important to you, why not a cat stove?

 

[MGC67]

Thanks for the input guys. Whichever route I go I will post pics when all is installed.

-Mike