Facts About Money Saving Pellet Stoves
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When I was a kid we had a vacation home in Vermont. I remember fondly the pellet stove my father had installed in it. It was about twenty years ago now. He was one of the pioneers of home pellet stoves. Today as the cost of energy goes up and up more and more homeowners are buying pellet stoves.
There are many wonderful manufacturers of pellet stoves around the country. Some of the most popular pellet stove manufacturers are Whitfield, Breckwell, Enviro, Harman, QuadraFire and Englander. You may not find these particular manufacturers in your area locally. If you don't have the ability to install the pellet stove yourself you should buy your pellet stove as close to your home as you can so that you can have professional pellet stove installation and someone nearby in case of problems.
My husband and I are looking for a freestanding pellet stove. We don't have fireplaces in our home, if we did we could take a look at pellet stove inserts. You're going to find a wide range of pellet stove styles and sizes. It can be overwhelming, but there are a few things that you should consider when buying a pellet stove.
You need to know how much square footage you want to heat. The reason my husband and I are buying a pellet stove is so we can save money by using our gas heat as a secondary source. So, we know that we want to heat 2,800 sq feet. Most pellet stove specifications include heating capacity and BTU/hour. Both of these numbers are very important. Don't buy a pellet stove that isn't rated for your needs. If you do you're sure to not be happy. You may want to consider buying a wood pellet stove that exceeds your needs.
Pellet stove installation can be done by the homeowner, but most people have them professionally installed. If you do install it yourself it's easy. You should always follow the manufacturers recommendations when installing a pellet stove.
Back to the money aspect of pellet stove ownership. If you have a fireplace and burn wood it's inefficient. Different woods cure at different rates. The wood won't burn evenly or efficiently. Wood pellets are manufactured to burn cleanly and efficiently and are also CO2 neutral, which is very good for the environment. A ton of wood pellets will have the same burning time as a cord and a half of wood.
Another thing you'll find with pellet stoves is lots of convenient features. The blowers are whisper-quiet. They have programmable thermostats which control the rate of burn of pellets. You can buy stoves with large size hoppers (which hold the pellets) so you don't have to fill the stove as often. Pellet stoves get more and more efficient and easier to use all the time. If you're looking for a way to cut the high costs of heating with gas, electric and oil look into an efficient pellet stove.
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