Pellet consumption.....Am I reading this right?

[Cory S]

Thinking about converting to a pellet stove next season. Tired of tending/babysitting the wood stove. Already picked out a Harman P68 for our 1900sq ft 2-floor home.

Reading through hundreds of pellet stove topics, I see MANY people listing how much pellets they are going though.

On one thread, many people reporting going through 2-3 bags/day..... WTH?????? Some even 3.5-4!! That's as much as $500.00-600.00/month in pellets. I can heat this home for half that with propane @ $2.49/gallon....

Most everyone in my area that use pellet stoves as primary heat sources in 1400-2000sq ft homes, say they consume anywhere between 3/4-1.5 bags of pellets/day, depending on outside temperatures.

It cost me $580.00 a SEASON to heat my place with wood. We burn 3 cord in an EPA stove per season. I know pellets will cost $200-300.00 more a season to burn, but the convenience and constant heat output would be worth it. However, at 2 bags/day, it will cost an additional $400.00 over 1-1.3 bags/day.

I am located in Southern/central NH, and average outside temperatures are between 15-26*F during a 5 month heating season. (Mid Nov-Mid April).

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Depends upon the house, the temperature they keep it at, and weather they heat their dhw with it as in a pellet boiler, square footage by itself doesn't determine how many bags of pellets you are going to burn nor does the average outside temperature.

I will use approximately 5 ton this season. I however am heating 1800+ square feet out of 2688 square feet of floor space, and no dhw. The 5 ton is the equivalent of 600 gallons of #2 fuel oil it used to take. The house is kept warmer than.it was when we we burning oil. The house is a 2007 build. My pellets this year cost $229/ton or $1145 the current lowest oil price in this area is $2.04/gallon so if the heating season started today and I bought a seasons worth of oil my cost would be $1224 well it didn't. Last fall the price wasn't $2.04 sometime when I feel like it I'll find the delivery slip and update this post.

ETA: Just found the delivery slip for my yearly oil delivery. It was 6/11/2014 for 224.5 gallons at $3.20/gallon. That was less than the 2013 per gallon price but I used more oil because my roaster was down and out. After close to 30 ton the auger motor gave up the ghost and with a broken lower arm I couldn't do the repair. In fact when I did the repair it took a couple of repeats to get the set screw tight (injuries of that type don't heal too fast after getting along in years).

 

[Lake Girl]

There are many variables that go into heating with pellets ... how well a house is insulated, how air-tight, size of home, temperature maintained, brand of stove, etc. Try using the fuel calculator: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/fuel_cost_comparison_calculator/

 

[TimfromMA]

Ive only used 1 1/2 tons all season so far.

 

[tjnamtiw]

You only get so many btu's per pound of pellets (about 8200) so you have to consider how many btu's you NEED to heat your castle. Look at your current consumption of propane to see how many btu's you use now. Assume your pellet stove is going to be 80% at best and figure how many pounds of pellets you'll use per month. About 6500 btu's per pound output. You can't get something for nothing. You've got to feed the beast to get the heat.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I think I'd stick with cordwood. Besides, wood warms you twice. Once when you burn it and once when you split it.... and think of all the bugs that come with cordwood too.

 

[Cory S]

Depends upon the house, the temperature they keep it at, and weather they heat their dhw with it as in a pellet boiler, square footage by itself doesn't determine how many bags of pellets you are going to burn nor does the average outside temperature.

I will use approximately 5 ton this season. I however am heating 1800+ square feet out of 2688 square feet of floor space, and no dhw. The 5 ton is the equivalent of 600 gallons of #2 fuel oil it used to take. The house is kept warmer than.it was when we we burning oil. The house is a 2007 build. My pellets this year cost $229/ton or $1145 the current lowest oil price in this area is $2.04/gallon so if the heating season started today and I bought a seasons worth of oil my cost would be $1224 well it didn't. Last fall the price wasn't $2.04 sometime when I feel like it I'll find the delivery slip and update this post.

I realize all the factors Smokey. Thanks. Just seems many on this site burn far more per household then what I am always told from others in my area.

Another thing I noticed, is many are what I call overheating their homes. I see temps in the mid to upper 70's from people stating their indoor temperatures. That uses exponentially much more fuel, than say someone burning enough BTU's to maintain 67.5 - 68.5*F. Every degree makes a large difference from heating data I have collected in the past years. Considering our home is very air tight, and we are very comfortable at 67-68*F indoor temperature, I am hoping to be on the bottom of the usage chart for my 1900sq ft home. Like I mentioned, we burn a mere 3 cord of hardwood per season. Many others burning wood in my area, will roast through 5-6 cord for the same or even smaller sized home. Originally I had decided on a P61A, but at this point we possibly could be getting a P68 for 30-40% off retail. I just hope it can be run low enough during the shoulder seasons. Looking forward to not having to babysit/tend the stove so much!

 

[boo boo]

The P68 is a big stove if your only burning three cord of wood per year you wont be running at full throttle at all
But 40% off of retail don't hesitate

 

[Cory S]

The P68 is a big stove if your only burning three cord of wood per year you wont be running at full throttle at all
But 40% off of retail don't hesitate

One thing I like about the P68 over the 61 is the frontal area and door sizing. I don't mind not running full throttle either, as I read they can consume a whole bag in 7 hours at that rate! If I can run it at 30-50% a majority of the time, and when we get below zero temps, it has plenty of headroom, I would prefer that. I could possibly also get their P61 display model for 30-40% off also however.....

 

[Cory S]

This is absolutely right.

And this is where you can gain a bit with a pellet stove by using an OAK your air tight, insulated house will perform better than with a wood fire.

Current OAK has been in use. I love it. I think every form of furnace/combustion appliance should have one.

 

[bogieb]

I use anywhere from 3/4 to 3 bags a day depending on temp and wind. I was going thru >300 gal/month in propane last year to heat my main floor only before I put the Harman in the basement. With the basement stove I lowered the propane to about 100 gal/month. I locked in propane rates for this year at $3.11 as I couldn't be sure it wouldn't spike to $5/gal again like last year. I would still be going thru ~$1000/month (at $3.11) if I used any propane (I only use for DHW now).

This year am happy to run thru $500 or so per month in pellets. By the end of this month the savings will have already paid for the used St. Croix that I bought in November. And I had already made a good dent in paying for the Harman before getting the second stove. Plus, I have a heated basement now and my main floor is much warmer than if I used propane.

I have little place to store wood, no chimney and I'm not cutting a hole in my brand new roof to put one in. I came from a place with a wood stove, and was happy to run it, but could not run it 24/7 as no one was home for 12-16 hours while working, and it would go out while we were sleeping anyway. When I got an in-town house, a wood stove was not what would fill the bill.

For your case, it may not make sense to change over. In my case, it absolutely makes a boatload of sense. By all means, stay with wood an propane.

 

[bogieb]

I think I'd stick with cordwood. Besides, wood warms you twice. Once when you burn it and once when you split it.... and think of all the bugs that come with cordwood too.

Hey, my pellets warm me 3 times; once when I load them onto the cart then then into the car, once when I unload and stack them (hey, it's a long way from the pellet place) and again when I burn them . Hey and sometimes I rearrange the stacks (like last week), so that is another time.

 

[Michael6268]

There is just so many btus in a bag of pellets. Look at how many pieces of wood it takes to equal 40 lbs. Not much. Pellet stoves arent magic. Btus in =btus out. They just deliver the fuel differently. They are somewhat more efficient at extracting heat due to heat exchangers, but look at the size of a pellet fire vs a wood fire.

 

[SKOAL MAN]

If you have a central furnace, I would recommend sticking with your wood stove. Use the wood stove when it gets really cold out or evenings and weekends when its not such a pita, and leave thermostat at a set temperature. Fuel is cheap now. I heat my 1500 sqft bungalow and finished basement (total 3000sqft) and only burn 1.5 bags per day! That's right, 1.5 bags per day regardless of how cold it is outside! This is how this is possible, I set the thermostat for my furnace for the desired temperature, put 1.5 bags in my space heater a.k.a. pellet stove and presto I'm done! There is no way I'm going down and loading a $5 bag of pellets every 6 hrs in hopes of heating all 3000 sqft!

 

[the cug]

sso propane is your main source of heat? if so, the pellet stove would be great.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

Thinking about converting to a pellet stove next season. Tired of tending/babysitting the wood stove. Already picked out a Harman P68 for our 1900sq ft 2-floor home.

Reading through hundreds of pellet stove topics, I see MANY people listing how much pellets they are going though.

On one thread, many people reporting going through 2-3 bags/day..... WTH?????? Some even 3.5-4!! That's as much as $500.00-600.00/month in pellets. I can heat this home for half that with propane @ $2.49/gallon....

Most everyone in my area that use pellet stoves as primary heat sources in 1400-2000sq ft homes, say they consume anywhere between 3/4-1.5 bags of pellets/day, depending on outside temperatures.

It cost me $580.00 a SEASON to heat my place with wood. We burn 3 cord in an EPA stove per season. I know pellets will cost $200-300.00 more a season to burn, but the convenience and constant heat output would be worth it. However, at 2 bags/day, it will cost an additional $400.00 over 1-1.3 bags/day.

I am located in Southern/central NH, and average outside temperatures are between 15-26*F during a 5 month heating season. (Mid Nov-Mid April).

I'm located in Cincinnati and have two pellet stoves....Harman Accentra Insert and the Harman P-43. iIve burned one ton thus far but keep in mind I only use the stoves when is is in the 20's and below.

 

[bogieb]

I am located in Southern/central NH, and average outside temperatures are between 15-26*F during a 5 month heating season. (Mid Nov-Mid April).

My heating season started in September this year - Okay, not 24/7 every day of the month, but by the beginning of October I could tell my new insulation and windows were not enough to allow the downstairs stove to heat the bedrooms on the main floor as I had hoped (farthest rooms from heat source and over an unheated garage - got mighty cold last winter and slept in the living room to stay warm), so that is when I started hunting for a smaller stove upstairs.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I realize all the factors Smokey. Thanks. Just seems many on this site burn far more per household then what I am always told from others in my area.

Another thing I noticed, is many are what I call overheating their homes. I see temps in the mid to upper 70's from people stating their indoor temperatures. That uses exponentially much more fuel, than say someone burning enough BTU's to maintain 67.5 - 68.5*F. Every degree makes a large difference from heating data I have collected in the past years. Considering our home is very air tight, and we are very comfortable at 67-68*F indoor temperature, I am hoping to be on the bottom of the usage chart for my 1900sq ft home. Like I mentioned, we burn a mere 3 cord of hardwood per season. Many others burning wood in my area, will roast through 5-6 cord for the same or even smaller sized home. Originally I had decided on a P61A, but at this point we possibly could be getting a P68 for 30-40% off retail. I just hope it can be run low enough during the shoulder seasons. Looking forward to not having to babysit/tend the stove so much!

Maybe you'll be at the low end and maybe not air flow and heat distribution with the pellet stove will be different than with a central heating system. Hope you are at the low end. The fuel usage doesn't go up exponentially however.

 

[sportbikerider78]

I have high ceilings with a 2100sqft ranch. The basement is uninsulated and its really cold in central NY. I run 2 bags/day. So that costs me about $12-14/day. Its not super cheap but oil is my alternative.

I plan on filling both of my oil tanks very soon (500 gallons) for next winter. And I plan on moving to a large wood stove because I have a great deal of 'free' wood on my property.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Well at least your thinking twice by posting this.....

 

[Superglyde]

I heated with wood for 40 years plus or minus. Just got my 52i last year and it does cost more than wood to the tune of $400 a season. But, my wife is happy, no mess. No trudging out to the woodpile in the early morning or late evening and taking off the tarp and tracking snow and dirt in the house. No waking up to a cold house because the stove needs stoking and another log. What I have now is constant heat around the clock, no more drafts due to my OAK, a whole lot less work and a happy wife. Priceless...and yes, I do miss the look of a nice wood fire and the smell. I miss tossing stuff in the woodstove or catching a smoke when its too cold to go to the garage. But I'm happy. I just wonder how long it will take until something breaks on the pellet stove and I'm down for a few days without heat. I have a heat pump which is totally worthless and won't heat the house above 60 degrees when its 25 or less outside, even it emergency mode.

 

[tjnamtiw]

But I'm happy. I just wonder how long it will take until something breaks on the pellet stove and I'm down for a few days without heat. I have a heat pump which is totally worthless and won't heat the house above 60 degrees when its 25 or less outside, even it emergency mode.

Welcome to my world! As for the pellet stove and breakdowns, I STRONGLY urge you to learn completely about the workings of the stove. Get a multi-meter and learn how to use it. Study the electrical schematic and know how the logic works. Find all the components and know how to remove and replace them. Become an expert on the stove BEFORE you have to be one.

 

[bags]

Losing the wood processing and handling is well worth a small additional cost related to pellets IMO. When you see the two bags a day which I am currently burning that is not all heating season. When temps outside are not cold, cold the pellet usage goes down. I will be at 6 tons or less for the entire season I've burned. Oct 18th until sometime at the beginning of April sometime. So April 18th would be 6 months . I have noticed everyone for the most parts averages around ton a month.

This varies also on SQ FT and what they are heating. Some use their stoves along with some other heat system or source. I have heated 100% with the P68 only. I did fire the Woodmaster OWB for one week just to run it. I would estimate that 6 tons will be my average number per heating season. Keep in mind some here are also stating averages running more than one pellet stove too.

My point is that yes you are going to have 2 bags a day averages but that is not an every day all heating season average for the most part. There were many days I did not use a bag. The P68 will eat more pellets than many stoves also because it is bigger and pumps out more BTU's. It is not fair to compare a 68K BTU stove to a 30K BTU stove doing a smaller space for an average. There have been times where I have been over 2 bags in 24 hrs. too but not often. To get a somewhat accurate bags per day you need to count the exact number of heating days and the exact number of bags used the entire season. Then outside temps vary also like the brutally colder winter last year which will require more heat and bags used.

The averages are somewhat loosely based figures at best. You almost just need to figure out how many tons will be used all season and do round about figures that way. Like Superglyde said, Time and effort and hassles of wood it's priceless compared to the little more cash laid out. I have heated with wood and have plenty of equipment to make wood processing as easy and "free" as possible. I have acres and acres of good "free" wood but like the P68 much better. I have maybe split about 1 cord this entire season and haven't burned that. Also have some cords stocked. I did it to clean a pile up and burn some scrub junk to get rid of it and exercise the OWB.

Bottom line thinking you will burn 2 bags a day every day all heating season is not the way to figure out if it is worth it or not. Many other factors, time, costs, and better averages to consider. Either way heating a home is not cheap no matter how you look at it or what one tries to justify. It is what that heat is worth to you and your best alternative to stay cozy and warm. My wife had a bad attitude when I "Spent a bunch of money and drug another heating device thingy" home. Her words. Now she is so very happy I did. I remind her every evening when she has her feet propped up into the distribution blowers nice warm stream of air. When I ran the OWB last week she missed that big time. LOL!

I would also like to add I am testing this first season as a worst case scenario consumption as well. Keeping it 75* to 78* in the stove room and 70* plus throughout the rest of my 2,350 SQ FT two levels with tons of windows and glass doors along with high vaulted ceilings in over half of the heated areas it is doing. I am being wasteful with this seasons pellets for this 6 ton max average is what I am getting at. Keeping the stove room at 72* and the rest mid 60's plus would reduce my overall pellet consumption. Realistically I think I could do it with 5 tons total. Which is $1,120 total in my pellet costs. To keep the better half off of my back was worth the extra $224 and additional ton this first warm her up winter. Still cheap for what I am heating. I would easily spend twice that without pellets or running the wood.