Benefits of Wood Pellet Heating
Wood pellet stoves are a safe, convenient and affordable way to heat your home, yet many people are not familiar with this type of heating fuel. Wood pellet stove efficiency is excellent, and there are many additional benefits to this type of home heating system, including economic and environmental. Let’s take a closer look at what wood pellet heating is, and explore the many wood benefits of a pellet stove. We think you’ll agree that wood pellets are a great way to heat your home!
What Is Wood Pellet Heating?
Wood pellet heating is a standard method for heating homes in which people burn wood pellets to extract energy. This form of heat energy is comparable to other familiar sources, including oil, gas and electric heat. The wood pellets are a renewable energy source, made from pressed wood chips and other lumber byproducts. The pellets generally come in 40-pound bags — about the size of a bag of mulch — and are readily available at any home improvement store. You can load the wood pellets into the stove manually, or through an automatic storage and loading system.
Wood Pellet Heating Comparisons
When you compare pellet stoves to other heating fuel sources, such as wood, oil, gas or electric, they are often slightly more affordable to install, and the fuel cost is usually on par with or cheaper than other heating fuels. Pellet stoves are easy to use and provide efficient heat for the home, but they require regular cleaning and maintenance to keep them running smoothly.
What Are the Benefits of Wood Pellet Heating?
Choosing wood pellet fuel as a heating source for your home comes with numerous benefits — for your home, your budget and the environment. Let’s take a closer look at the top wood pellet stove pros.
- Energy efficiency: Wood pellets are an extremely efficient heating fuel source. The pellets themselves contain little to no moisture or ash, compared with other wood-based fuel sources like cordwood or wood chips. It’s possible to convert almost 100% of the pellets to heat energy with very little waste.
- A renewable resource: Unlike fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas, which have limited supplies, wood pellets are a renewable resource. The Pellet Fuels Institute lists wood pellets as an unlimited resource, as new trees are always taking root and growing, and the timber industry remains healthy. The pellets come from the byproducts of the lumber and paper industries — like wood chips and sawdust — or from forest-thinning byproducts that then get compressed into the convenient pellet shape.
- Sustainable: Related to the renewability issue, wood pellets are also sustainable. Fossil fuels and other energy sources are more volatile and subject to price swings and other unpredictable risks. Meanwhile, the wood supply in many areas of the world is stable, secure and less volatile. Much of the wood material that goes into manufacturing wood pellets consists of recycled or upcycled materials that may otherwise go to waste. Wood pellet fuel is an outstanding choice for anyone who wishes to be a little more eco-friendly with their home energy usage.
- Lower emissions: Burning wood pellets creates far fewer emissions than burning fossil fuels. Particulate emissions from pellet fuel are extremely low, as are carbon dioxide emissions. This year, the use of wood pellets over oil-based fuels will save millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
- Cost-effective and affordable: Wood pellet stoves are often more affordable to purchase and install than other types of heaters. Additionally, because the wood pellets burn so cheaply and efficiently, the overall fuel cost is far less than other heating systems, including wood, oil, electric and natural gas.
- Convenient: Heating with wood pellets is easy to do, and the pellets are accessible to find, store and use in your stove. They are generally available in 40-pound bags at most gardening or home improvement centers, or you can arrange for a bulk delivery. These bags of pellets are affordable and store neatly in stacks. Many wood pellet stoves have an attached, easy-to-load hopper that can control pellet flow.
- Comfortable and easy to use: The heat from a wood pellet stove will comfortably heat your whole home, providing cozy warmth all winter long. On many wood pellet stove models, you can load enough pellets to last for two to three days, unlike a wood stove, which needs constant loading and monitoring. They are also usually easier to clean out than wood stoves. Many modern pellet stoves have technologically advanced features and may even come with a remote or smartphone app to control them from a distance.
- Neutral carbon balance: Nearly everything we do releases carbon dioxide into the air, contributing to the greenhouse effect and climate change. When you burn wood pellets, the amount of carbon emitted in this process is the same as what the tree absorbs while it is growing. Therefore, burning wood pellets is a carbon-neutral activity.
- Supports the economy and jobs: Using wood pellet fuel supports the domestic economy and the fuel pellet industry. It ensures jobs are available for those who manufacture, package and deliver the wood pellets, and people who manufacture and service the wood pellet stoves. It contributes to an industry that provides cleaner energy and reduces our reliance on fossil fuels.
Best Wood Heating Pellets
You can buy a few different types of wood pellets for your wood stove, including various qualities. Wood pellets are also either hardwood or softwood. Most wood pellet stoves can handle both kinds, but will function at maximum efficiency with the highest-quality, premium pellets.
Contact Energex for More Information on Wood Pellets
Energex is your go-to for high-quality wood pellets. We are proud to carry multiple certifications and exceed industry standards for our wood pellets. If you’re in Pennsylvania, you can set up a bulk delivery for maximum convenience, or find a retailer near you. Or, if you have questions about wood pellet fuel or what type of wood pellets are best for you, contact us online, and our expert staff will get back to you as soon as we can.