Using Stoves for Winter Heat

Stoves as secondary heating sources are growing in popularity, and come in two basic varieties: wood stoves and pellet stoves. Both kinds of stoves are intended to heat specific rooms or a group of rooms, not entire houses. They cost typically ranges between $3,000 and $4,500 for basic installation.

The federal government is offering a 30 percent tax rebate in 2009 and 2010 for purchases of wood or pellet stoves that meet a 75 percent efficiency requirement.

Here are a few ways that wood and pellet stoves compare to each other:

Effort
Wood stoves must be fed with logs, while pellet stoves use 40 pound bags of pellets poured into a hopper. Pellets are typically made of compressed sawdust. Most pellet stove hoppers hold an entire bag of pellets, which will last about 24 hours before you will need to reload the hopper. Wood stoves will burn according to the size of the log and the type of wood that is burned. With wood stoves, it will be trial and error in order to get the combination that will provide a comfortable temperature. Look for a pellet stove with a large opening because it will be easier to load pellets. Regardless of which stove you decide to purchase, it is recommended that you place a carbon monoxide and smoke detectors near the stoves.

Efficiency
Pellet stoves produce very little smoke, giving them a reputation as more environmentally friendly. There's very little moisture in the pellets so they burn cleanly and very efficiently with very little ash. The pellet stove does require electricity, whereas the wood stove can be used without electricity. In order for either stove to be efficient, make sure the square footage you want to heat matches the square footage the stove can warm.

Cost
Currently about half of all households depend on natural gas for heating. It is estimated that the heating costs for the winter of 2009 heating fuels - including natural gas, propane, oil and electric should all be down. Burning pellets costs about 15 percent less than oil and 40 percent less than electric heat, but about 25 percent more than natural gas. If you are currently heating with natural gas, buying a pellet stove will cost you more money in heating costs. Wood stoves can be a bargain for some. If you live in a rural area where you can get wood fairly inexpensively or free than it would be benefit you to purchase a wood stove.