Wood pellet heating is a method of warming homes and buildings using small, compressed wood pellets as fuel.
The pellets are heated in high efficiency stoves, fireplace inserts, and central heating systems. An alternative to traditional gas, oil, electric and propane systems, wood pellet heat is a more eco-friendly and cost-effective option. More than 1 million homes across the U.S. use wood pellet heating, and that number is growing fast.
Wood pellets are a renewable heating fuel made from a variety of woods and wood byproducts like sawdust and wood shavings. They are gathered and compacted together by lumber mills, wood construction, and saw mills. Wood pellets are efficient, easy to use, clean, and 100% natural. They are quickly becoming more popular for their cost savings and environmental benefits.
Yes. Pellet fuel and pellet fuel appliances are less expensive than other heating options. Wood pellets burn very efficiently. High-efficiency pellet stoves can heat up to 2,500 square feet (an average-sized home) for as little as $4 per day. As of July 2024, there’s now a federal incentive for pellet stove owners, allowing them to claim a 30% tax credit with a maximum cap of $2,000 per year.
This online calculator can also show potential savings compared to other fuel types for your area.
Wood pellet heating has many benefits as an alternative to using other fuel types such as gas, oil, electricity or propane. Pellets are clean burning, renewable, affordable, and available almost anywhere in the country. Pellets also give the smell and ambience of burning wood without the cutting, stacking, and splitting of cordwood, which is more convenient for homeowners. But the two biggest benefits are that wood pellet heating is more eco-friendly and cost-effective, and these are covered in their own sections.
Yes. Wood pellets are made from wood byproducts, which means they are recycled. Pellet manufacturers typically obtain wood through sustainable forestry practices, and the raw wood is clean, leftover material from lumber mills and saw plants. Burning the wood pellets produces very little waste—especially if you go with a high quality brand of pellets—and burning the pellets creates fewer carbon emissions than if a tree were left to decompose in a forest. Essentially, if you heat your home with pellets for a year, you’ve reduced your fossil fuel usage by the same amount as if you drove a Toyota Prius for a year. And it will cost you significantly less money, as we mentioned above.
Yes, pellet stoves are known for being easy to operate, and each year they seem to get easier! Many models now feature automated systems to feed fuel and control temperature. You simply load the pellets into the hopper, and the stove takes care of the rest. Some stoves even have programmable settings and remote controls. Regular maintenance is required, such as cleaning the ash pan every 5–7 days, but this typically takes 10–15 minutes.
Wood pellets are burned in high efficiency stoves, fireplace inserts, and central heating systems. Your stove will come with an operating manual with instructions for exactly how to start using your stove and burning pellets. There is very little waste product from burning pellets (with a high quality brand of pellets, you’ll typically see about a quarter cup of ash per bag burned).
Converting to a wood pellet stove is generally a straightforward, easy process. However, it does require some planning. First, assess your current heating system. Where are your vents? Do you have an existing fireplace? Where is your electrical access? The answers to these questions will help you find the best place for your new heating system.
If you already have a fireplace, you may want to buy a pellet stove insert. This is a metal device installed inside a fireplace to burn wood pellets instead of wood or logs.
If you don’t have an existing fireplace—or you would like a separate pellet stove—a freestanding option may work best. For a freestanding pellet stove, you will likely need to install a vent system, either through an existing chimney or an external wall. You must ensure electrical access for the stove you choose. There are many brands that offer a variety of options. Once you find the stove that is right for your home, have a professional install it to meet safety standards and regulations.
There are many pellet brands made of different wood types, and it’s important to choose one that manufactures a high quality pellet to ensure consistent heat, high energy, and minimal ash. The main options are softwood and hardwood. Most current pellet stoves can burn both types of pellets with equal efficiency.
Softwoods can be more expensive, but they have a higher heating value. This means you get more heat with less product, and much less ash. There is a widely held belief that hardwood burns hotter and produces less ash, but—while that may be true with a wood stove or fireplace—that is not the case with a pellet stove! Ultimately, the type of wood pellet you burn is your choice, based on budget and personal preferences, but we typically recommend softwood for pellet stoves.
If you want the crème de la crème of softwood pellets, experience the Douglas fir difference. These pellets are some of the highest quality wood pellets available, and Douglas fir wood fibers are one of the hottest burning wood species in North America.
Douglas fir has fewer minerals, which means noticeably lower ash levels—2 to 3 times less than the average premium-grade pellet. The price tag on these kinds of pellets is higher, but they last much longer than the average hardwood pellet. Beware of pellets labeled “Douglas fir blend,” as such pellets often contain a minimal amount of Douglas fir.
The best measures of pellet quality are heat output, ash content, and moisture content. We’re going to get science-y for a minute, so bear with us. Heat output is measured in British thermal units, or BTU for short. The higher the BTU value, the better the heat output. There are two ways that pellet brands measure BTU: “as received BTU value” or “moisture-free BTU value.” The moisture-free value will always appear higher. Make sure the “as received BTU value” is 8000–8400 and/or the “moisture-free BTU value” is 8200-8800 for the best quality and performance.
The ash content of a pellet is measured in percentage of weight. At most, this percentage should be 1%. Putting this into context, if you burn a 40-pound bag of pellets, you should have less than 6 ounces (or about 3/4 cup) of ash. The less ash your pellets create, the less often you will have to clean your stove.
The moisture content of a pellet is also measured as a percentage. The lower the percentage point, the better the pellet. If the moisture content in your pellets is too high, they may take longer to ignite when you fire up your stove. A premium pellet should have less than 8% moisture, but higher quality ones will have 6.5% or less.
A quality certified pellet meets specific, rigorous industry standards for energy efficiency, low moisture content, and minimal ash content. The Pellet Fuels Institute’s (PFI) Standards Program is the only third-party accreditation program in the U.S. that is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. The program conducts regular tests and audits to ensure heating pellets are high quality. To tell if a pellet brand is PFI certified, look on the front lower third of the bag; if the pellets are certified, the bag will contain a PFI Quality Mark. We recommend always choosing a pellet that is PFI certified to ensure you’re getting a quality product.
We recommend purchasing all fuel for your heating season at the same time, if your storage space allows. Most customers feel comfortable knowing they have all their winter fuel onsite, and they can pull out a bag of pellets whenever needed. It’s readily available and precludes last minute runs to the store for more pellets. On average, a house uses 1–1.5 bags of pellets per day. This means you will use somewhere between 100-250 bags per winter season, depending on the severity of temperatures in your area. Most pellet bags are 40 pounds each.
Proper storage ensures your pellets will last. Keep them in a cool, dry place, away from moisture and humidity, and your wood pellets should not go bad. If improperly stored or exposed to water, wood pellets can deteriorate and fall apart. Proper storage ensures that your pellets will last even into the next heating season if you have extra bags remaining at the end of the season.
You can not buy pellets directly from PelletHeat.com. However, you can buy them from these retailers.
