My Quest for Heat: How I discovered Pellet Stoves
Pellet stoves have been around since the early 80s when Mr. Whitfield invented the first wood pellet stove model WP1 for home use and sold them from his company called Pyro Industries. Whitfield pellet stoves are no longer in production but still in use because of their very efficient design and ease of use.
When fossil fuels were relatively cheap most people did not consider a highly mechanical stove that burned compact sawdust wood pellets. Also before the Pellet Fuel Institute (PFI) standard, these wood pellets were not available readily in those days and their size varied so they would not work in all stoves. For me that all changed August 13, 2008 when I got billed $860.90 dollars for 208.5 gallons at $4.129 per gallon!
Adding more insulation and updating the old boiler did make a big difference. However, I was still very dependent on using fossil fuels. Every winter when the price went up I always paid more!
I had a wood stove for many years, but like most homes around my neighborhood there are no trees for cutting firewood on our property. Buying wood cut, split, and delivered was also expensive. Lugging wood in from the woodpile and cleaning up ashes and reloading the stove twice a day did not provide constant heat like the furnace did.
Since most TV ads were about oil, electric, propane, and switching to natural gas I did not hear about wood pellet stove heat. The first time I saw a wood pellet stove was when Home Depot started selling them. I had no idea how effectively the new stove would heat my home, but when I felt the heat blasting out in the store display, I knew it was a serious heating appliance. My neighbor purchased the last one off display back in Jan 2009. They sold like hot cakes! He showed me how it worked and I was amazed and hooked
I researched pellet stoves and pleased with what I discovered, I decided to sell the wood stove. Fossil fuels are not renewable, so the price escalates as we run out. Since pellets are from a renewable source that is not an issue. Wood pellets have no dirty bark in them so they burn cleaner than wood stoves. The wood pellet is 100% sawdust, a recycled material. This makes it a green option that reduces waste. The natural binding element in the sawdust called lignin is the shiny coating that holds the pellet together when compressed under high pressure.
I purchased a large pellet stove for the basement that heats our entire split entry house. Ever since the pellet stove install a few years ago, I have not used oil to heat the house! This really saves money since the big box stores sell wood pellets at very competitive prices.
Most of these stoves are well built and certified for safety. If a pellet stove user takes good care, and with professional cleaning they will last many years and make your home comfy! In fact, I like this type of heat better than gas, oil or electric. I don't even have to haul the wood from my back yard, and I only have to load the pellet stove once daily. The pellets come in bags I can store in my basement. You can bargain shop for this heat and select the best pellets for your needs. Pellet heat has the warm and cozy feel of a wood stove with the effortless convenience and consistent warmth!
See how much more money you can save on a quality used or new wood pellet stove.