Pellet Stove vs Wood Stove- A Brief Comparison
A brief comparison can be made between Pellet stove and Wood Stove keeping in mind certain aspects such as- Cost, Power, Emissions and Safety.
Cost- Cost of wood fuel is obviously less than Pellets. Wood fuel is the least expensive fuel to generate heat. Even if we consider the cost of cutting down of trees and delivery and storage then too, wood fuel will be cheap. Pellets are specially modified wood which is kept properly away from moisture and needs certain maintenance. But however, if you include the cost of installation, the wood stove comes out to be expensive. Wood stove cost around $5000 whereas the installation of a pellet stove cost around $4000.
Power Source- Pellet stove requires electricity to run but when you buy wood stove you don’t need to worry about any other power source. If you live in a place where there is no proper supply of electricity and regular power cuts than pellet won’t be able to provide you much service. But if there are only short power drop-outs you can use a uninterrupted power supply as a back-up source.
Efficiency- Efficiency is one of the most top features of a pellet stove. Pellet burns very efficiently and it can burn up to for long hours if the hopper is fully filled. Pellet stove can automatically control its combustion rate with the settings on the thermostat.
Emissions- Pellet stoves are way safer than wood stoves in terms of emission. Wood stoves are worse for the environment. Pellet stoves are ultra efficient and have almost zero emissions. They are environment-friendly and don’t emit harmful gases.
Safety- Wood stoves are open and hence can be dangerous as they burn with a large flame. Accidentally they can cause a fire in the house because of the spark. On the other hand, the pellet stove has a covered screen of glass and there is minimal chance of fire due to spark.They also have an automatic shutdown system. It monitors burn rate and temperature and if there is any unusual condition, it shuts down the pellet stove.
With the above comparison, one should prefer a pellet stove with keeping in the consideration of the environment. It reduces emissions and also at a certain level reduces the cutting down of trees as a pellet stove can also work on other biodegradable waste from which pellets can be made. Pellet stoves are also safer to use and provide a lot of options regarding its usage. The latest models are also coming with a remote control system to manage the temperature.
