Pellet stoves pros and cons go much deep than purely financial concerns. Environmental, ease of use, cleaniness and storage of fuel all should be consider when considering the pros and cons of pellet stoves.
Pellet stoves pros
Cheap – Pellet stoves are significantly cheaper to run as compared to other solid fuel burning stoves. However, while pellet stoves may be cheaper on a per energy unit basis this needs to be balanced with the initial installation cost which in some cases can be more expensive than other types of stoves.
Environmentally friendly – Pellet stoves burn wood pellets which are simply compressed sawdust shavings. This means that wood pellets are a renewable energy source. This has huge implications for the environment. Coupled with wood pellets being a renewable source of energy they are regarded as being carbon neutral. What this means is that the carbon that is released through the burning of wood pellets is seen to be negated by the amount of carbon that the tree would have absorbed as it was growing.
Energy efficient – When compared with other solid fuels wood pellets have a higher net energy yield.
Convenience – Pellet stoves can be controlled by a thermostat. This means that the fire can be started when a certain predefined temperature is reached.
Pellet stoves create less ash. Wood Pellets are convenient as they are a compressed fuel and there is no need to handle dirty logs.
Pellet stove cons
Noise – Pellet stoves can emit a noise due to the operation of the flue, the convection fan and the pellet feeding system.
Maintenance – Pellet stoves are more technically complex than standard wood burning stoves and as a result can be costly to maintain and repair.
Electricity consumption – The fans and pellet feeding mechanisms within a wood pellet stove consume significant amounts of electricity. On average a pellet stove will use between 25 and 100 watts per hour. This is a hidden cost that needs to be taken into consideration when researching the cost of a wood stove.
Also it is important to understand that the electricity is required to operate the fan, controls and the pellet feeding. This means if the electricity fails then the wood pellet burner will not be able to operate.
Conclusion:
Pellet stoves pros and cons need to be carefully weighed up and researched before any final decision is made. It is important to have a thorough understanding of the