[happyinCT]

As we prepare to move into our home, God willing, mid-October, we're beginning to worry already about the upcoming winter and oil prices. The home is 3,000sf with a central air/heat system and only 2 zones - up and down. We have yet to lock in an oil price. Originally, I wanted a wood burning fireplace insert, but was told that since the chimney is non-masonry, a wood-burning insert is not an option. So, now we're considering a pellet stove.

But, it needs electricity to run and pellets to burn. For those homeowner's who have an oil furnace and installed a pellet stove, do you find that the stove does, in fact, save you money even with higher electric bills and having to buy tons of pellets?

We stopped at a fireplace store last weekend and the salesperson recommended one of the stoves based on the size of our home and the fact that we have forced air ducts; the stove is about $2,400 plus $1,100 for installation. Just not sure if it's worth it. Last winter was so mild, I don't know that we'll be blessed two seasons in a row.

[Cambium]

If you do a search you'll find a ton of posts on this topic. One is here. pellet stoves

I'll give you a quick lo-down on pellets.

1. If you lose electric, you dont have heat.
2. The pellets can be messy when dumping them into the stove
3. The flames arent the same
4. A bit more expensive then firewood based on pellet and electric usage

Now the low down on saving. At that price you'll recoup your costs after the 2nd or 3rd year. Figure for that size house you would spend about $1600-2000 on oil a year.

Have you considered a free standing stove? Just find a nice cozy corner and you get the benefits of the heat radiating on all sides. (remember that because thats key instead of needing a blower to blow the heat). Its also less expensive so you'll recoupe the costs the same year.

And to answer your question.... NO. This winter wont be like last. So expect to use heat more.

Bottom line... Pellet or wood, you'll save A TON of money compared to heating with oil or electric.

[gtmo]

I bought a pellet stove 2 seasons ago. The first year we went through a lot of pellets, last year not so much.

- The pellets are very easy to pour into my stove. I guess this depends upon the type of stove. Make sure that you get a stove that holds at least 50 pounds. A bag typically holds 40 pounds, so you would be able to pour in a full bag when the stove is close to empty. I've seen some stoves that hold less than 40 pounds, so you can't even put a full bag in and you end up keeping a half empty bag of pellets on the floor.
- We use about $20 extra in electricity per month. Last year during the power outage we plugged our stove into the generator (probably not a good idea)
- Pellets are many times easier than firewood. No splitting, no stacking, no seasoning. However, you will have to store the pellets. 4-5 ton of pellets take up a lot of room. I have them taking up one side of my garage. Although I lose parking, I also have the pellets delivered in the exact spot that they will sit until used. Some people have them dropped in their driveway and then have to haul them 1-2 bags at a time to the basement or other storage area.
- Don't go cheap on pellets. Cheap pellets create more ash and the ash pan needs to be emptied periodically. I empty mine once a week when using premium pellets, but every 3 days when I bought the cheapies.
- A pellet stove is basically a forced hot air furnace that sits in your living space. The fan may get annoying if you are sitting in an otherwise quiet room, but shouldn't be an issue if there is a TV on.
- My stove dries the air out to the point that I get shocked if I touch anything in the room. You will want to buy a humidifier for the room that has the stove.
- Plan on spending 100-200 to get the stove and chimney liner cleaned every year. Some people will do it themselves, but you just spent over $3,000 so you should have a profesional do the cleaning the first few years
- Your installation price sounds high. My stove came with free installation. Obviously my dealer just jacked the price up a bit to cover installation, but make sure that you total cost is comparable to what other dealers charge. Some places even through in a free ton of pellets.

Overall, I love my stove (Harmon Accentra). I set stove to keep my room around 70-75 degrees at a cost of about $1,000 a season I figure. I have a raised ranch with the stove in the downstairs family room (I do not have a BR down there so it is about 800 sq ft). In the winter I will run the stove all day and night and the residual heat will get the upstairs to about 65 degrees. My goal is to use 1 tank of oil a year (including hot water use).

[goldenage1]

One minor issue is that you need someone who can handle 40 pound bags to haul them from the store and into the storage place. After my dad passed away, my mom could not handle the bags. She had a helper come once a week to clean the stove and haul the pellets around.

They did save money, and felt it was worth having the pellet stove. They lived in Stonington in a contemporary with large, single-pane windows.

[parentologist]

Wood burning stove can be an issue for people with asthma, and even for people without a history of asthma. If you have any respiratory issues at all, don't get one. I think that pellet stoves are not so much of an issue, because there is no release of burnt particles at all into the air in the home.

[Cambium]

Originally Posted by parentologist

Wood burning stove can be an issue for people with asthma, and even for people without a history of asthma. If you have any respiratory issues at all, don't get one. I think that pellet stoves are not so much of an issue, because there is no release of burnt particles at all into the air in the home.

Not entirely true.

A. Pellets are made from sawdust and woodchips and sometimes recycled material
B. Wood stoves door is closed 99% of the time so there's no smell/smoke/particles at all in the house. The only thing you smell at first is the paint and oils from manufacturing of the stove. Usually goes away after the first couple burns. I usually leave the door open to get that nice firewood smell in the home.
C. If seasoned right and you use the right wood, there shouldnt be any smoke coming from the flue or inside the box.
D. Make sure you get a "Certified" pellet or wood stove by the EPA. They are much less polluting then non-certified stoves.
E. There are two kinds of approved wood-burning stoves: "catalytic” stoves and "non-catalytic" stoves. Catalytic stoves use a ceramic catalyst inside the firebox to assist with the burning of waste-gases (smoke). Non-catalytic stoves use a combination of sophisticated baffles and air supply designs to burn waste gasses efficiently. Both design approaches do the job.

With both stoves, air inside the home can get dry but there's in expensive ways to work around that by "creating" humidity in the room.

[jdhall1]

I have a client that put in there house shortly after closing and they love it. They love it so much that their parents and brother got one, and it cut there heating bill dramatically.

[happyinCT]

gtmo - I really appreciate your very thoughtful and informative reply. Very helpful. Thank you!

Originally Posted by gtmo

I bought a pellet stove 2 seasons ago. The first year we went through a lot of pellets, last year not so much.

- The pellets are very easy to pour into my stove. I guess this depends upon the type of stove. Make sure that you get a stove that holds at least 50 pounds. A bag typically holds 40 pounds, so you would be able to pour in a full bag when the stove is close to empty. I've seen some stoves that hold less than 40 pounds, so you can't even put a full bag in and you end up keeping a half empty bag of pellets on the floor.
- We use about $20 extra in electricity per month. Last year during the power outage we plugged our stove into the generator (probably not a good idea)
- Pellets are many times easier than firewood. No splitting, no stacking, no seasoning. However, you will have to store the pellets. 4-5 ton of pellets take up a lot of room. I have them taking up one side of my garage. Although I lose parking, I also have the pellets delivered in the exact spot that they will sit until used. Some people have them dropped in their driveway and then have to haul them 1-2 bags at a time to the basement or other storage area.
- Don't go cheap on pellets. Cheap pellets create more ash and the ash pan needs to be emptied periodically. I empty mine once a week when using premium pellets, but every 3 days when I bought the cheapies.
- A pellet stove is basically a forced hot air furnace that sits in your living space. The fan may get annoying if you are sitting in an otherwise quiet room, but shouldn't be an issue if there is a TV on.
- My stove dries the air out to the point that I get shocked if I touch anything in the room. You will want to buy a humidifier for the room that has the stove.
- Plan on spending 100-200 to get the stove and chimney liner cleaned every year. Some people will do it themselves, but you just spent over $3,000 so you should have a profesional do the cleaning the first few years
- Your installation price sounds high. My stove came with free installation. Obviously my dealer just jacked the price up a bit to cover installation, but make sure that you total cost is comparable to what other dealers charge. Some places even through in a free ton of pellets.

Overall, I love my stove (Harmon Accentra). I set stove to keep my room around 70-75 degrees at a cost of about $1,000 a season I figure. I have a raised ranch with the stove in the downstairs family room (I do not have a BR down there so it is about 800 sq ft). In the winter I will run the stove all day and night and the residual heat will get the upstairs to about 65 degrees. My goal is to use 1 tank of oil a year (including hot water use).

[happyinCT]

Thanks, Cambium.

Originally Posted by Cambium

Not entirely true.

A. Pellets are made from sawdust and woodchips and sometimes recycled material
B. Wood stoves door is closed 99% of the time so there's no smell/smoke/particles at all in the house. The only thing you smell at first is the paint and oils from manufacturing of the stove. Usually goes away after the first couple burns. I usually leave the door open to get that nice firewood smell in the home.
C. If seasoned right and you use the right wood, there shouldnt be any smoke coming from the flue or inside the box.
D. Make sure you get a "Certified" pellet or wood stove by the EPA. They are much less polluting then non-certified stoves.
E. There are two kinds of approved wood-burning stoves: "catalytic” stoves and "non-catalytic" stoves. Catalytic stoves use a ceramic catalyst inside the firebox to assist with the burning of waste-gases (smoke). Non-catalytic stoves use a combination of sophisticated baffles and air supply designs to burn waste gasses efficiently. Both design approaches do the job.

With both stoves, air inside the home can get dry but there's in expensive ways to work around that by "creating" humidity in the room.

[parentologist]

Don't use Dean's in Southington. I have heard several horror stories from friends about being sold defective pellet stoves and Deans refusing to do anything to remediate the situation.