The question I’m getting more and more these days is “Does this house run on gas or oil?” Buyers never seemed to care much about heating fuel type before, but now sky high oil prices are pushing it to the front of everyone’s mind. But this winter is going to be a rough one for heating costs, no matter what type of fuel you use.
The Courant recently had an interesting article regarding homeowners looking for alternate sources of heat.
Pellet stoves have been getting a lot of press lately. My in-laws have one that they love and my parents have one arriving in October (or so they’ve been told after putting down a deposit), so I thought I would share their experiences, as it might be a viable alternative for some people.
First, it must be said that my relatives are using a pellet stove as an additional heat source. They will still be using some oil heat, but plan on using pellet stoves as their primary means of heating their homes this winter.
This is a pellet stove. From the outside, it looks just like a regular wood stove.
It can be vented directly outside your home or into your existing chimney. There is a hopper on the back of the stove into which you feed pellets that look like rabbit food. The pellets are made out of compressed sawdust or other scrap wood. Ignition of the pellets is electric and it can be controlled via a thermostat. Thermostat heating is a nice benefit over a wood stove because it allows for easy regulation of the temperature.
The pellets come in 40 pound bags and are delivered by the ton. The going rate for a ton is around $225 right now. This is what 1.25 tons looks like…
And this is what 1.25 tons burns down to…
This ash pot is about 10 inches long, by 8 inches high, by 6 inches wide. The pellets burn very efficiently and create little waste.
One of the major drawbacks about a pellet stove is the actual schlepping and storage of pellets. Both my in-laws and parents had 6 tons of these things delivered to their homes. They take up a lot of space, in addition to the physical manpower it takes to move the bags to where you want them. You’ll also have to load a 40 pound bag into the pellet hopper every time you need more fuel.
For some people a pellet stove won’t be a reasonable option. But if you’re willing/able to do some physical labor, you might want to make your way to the nearest stove store to learn more. Get your name on the waiting list and you may be able to have your pellet stove ready for this winter.