Pellet Stove or Wood Stoves

Which Stove is Best?

A pellet stove may be the darling of the green world, but a wood stove also provides a large amount of comfort, warmth, & nostalgia. So which energy saving stove should a chilly homeowner buy?

Pellet stoves are more efficient and emit fewer particle emissions, but they aren't the perfect solution. Many require electricity, which takes them out of service when the power is interrupted. As well as this aspect, pellets and other similar fuels can also be difficult to find in some areas.

A wood burning stove uses fuel that is plentiful and creates heat without electricity...Modern stoves are also much more efficient and clean these days since they have devices which cut back on harmful, polluting emissions.

So, which stove is greener and cheaper to use?

Pellet Stoves

These modern stoves use pellets that are between 3/8 and 1 inch in length, and can be made from compacted sawdust, bark, agricultural waste, as well as biomass fuels like nutshells, corn kernels, and soybeans. These items might otherwise be headed for the landfill.

They burn pellets very efficiently. In fact, they are so efficient that they have a BTU output content four to five times greater than cord wood or wood chips. They emit very low particulate emissions. They emit 50 times less particulates than non-EPA certified wood stoves, and 2-5 times less particulates than EPA-certified wood stoves!

If you're looking for a new stove, Pellet Stoves can be a good option for those without a fireplace or chimney, because they can often be vented through a small hole in the wall instead of a chimney.

They require electricity, and can use approximately 100 kilowatt-hours per month. On average, this adds about 171 pounds of CO2 to the atmosphere, which adds to your carbon footprint.

They also require pellets. If you are using a stove as your main source of heat, you would require 2-3 tons of fuel per year. Therefore, it is also important to have a nearby, reliable source of pellets as you do not want to trek half way across the country to get them - as this further adds to your carbon footprint!

Wood burning stoves

Modern wood stoves will burn fuel much more cleanly than open fireplaces and non EPA-certified stoves. When cord wood is used from managed, sustainable sources, using wood for heat can be an entirely renewable resource. Wood stoves don't require electricity, and can therefore provide heat when the power is interrupted.

Wood stoves aren't as efficient as pellet stoves. It takes a lot of wood to keep you warm during the winter months. A cord of wood is about 15 trees that have a 10-inch diameter at chest height, so it could mean that you would require three cords of wood per year.

Let's consider the fuel sources. Pellets are more efficient, but aren't always readily available; wood is normally easier to get, but you need more of it to generate the same amount of heat.

They're both carbon-neutral fuels, so the distance each fuel travels to get to you can make the difference. If you can get a ready, steady access to pellets then go for the pellet stove. If a nearby source of pellets is not available then watch out, because the cost of shipping tons of pellets to your home could end up using as much energy as the pellets themselves contain! In that scenario, a wood burning stove is clearly the better option.

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