Greetings to all, I am new to this board and have found some very interesting topics to possibly learn from. I am having a MT Vernon pellet stove installed next week and am very anxious to become a warmer person. I live in ND where our winters are long and was wondering about the quantity of pellets I should be looking at for supply. I already have two pallets (softwood) and thinking I may need at least four. Pellets here are not hard to come by but I am confused at the differences between hardwood and softwood. Which will be better for me to use? I can get hardwood pellets from Fleetfarm for around 225.00 a pallet. According to what I see here that is a fair price I assume. Are there things I should be concerned about with burning a pellet stove, I've never had one before and it rather scares me. Also my homeowners policy, will I possibly see a big increase in my premium due to installing this? Any and all answers will be appreciated, I enjoy this board and visit daily. Thanks