| Wood pellet stoves on the surface seem like a | | | | relatively steady price, despite data beyond four |
| pretty good solution to home heating. Many | | | | years that show pellets costs have increased |
| manufactures who build stoves and wood | | | | nearly fourfold. |
| heaters, however, don't list them in their product | | | | There is very competition among pellet |
| line. | | | | manufactures. Given the attractiveness of the |
| Many questions are asked about the utility and | | | | stoves, along with a captive audience driven more |
| cost savings associated with these appliances. | | | | by emotion than finances, the price stamped on a |
| Marketing often pushes consumers to investigate | | | | forty pound bag of pellets is what these |
| existing markets if they have not been mentioned | | | | consumers will pay. |
| in the mainstream. In light of the unpredictability | | | | Just like any major appliance, there are hidden |
| and economic downturn, anything that offers | | | | costs. In order for pellet stoves to be effective, |
| alternatives seem to be attractive. | | | | they require electricity. Electricity is required to |
| The market is wide open in the home heating | | | | operate the auger, blower motor, and exhaust |
| area; prompting pellet stove manufactures to | | | | fans. |
| increase their marketing efforts. They are selling | | | | Pellet blower motors are a bit more complicated |
| stoves in record numbers. Marketing is an art and | | | | than the average blower on your furnace. Augers |
| science. You just take the data that emphasizes | | | | are mechanical devices that constantly require |
| the value and quality of your product; exploit it, | | | | adjustments. Exhaust fans can use existing |
| while ignoring facts that do not contribute to your | | | | ducting, but require more cleaning than when used |
| selling proposition. | | | | as intended. These maintenance costs as well as |
| The idea of pellet stove heating goes back as far | | | | electricity cost must be factored into the overall |
| as the 1980's. There are a couple of reasons why | | | | operating expenses of the stove. When taking |
| they seemed attractive then and remain so now. | | | | these hidden costs into consideration, one needs |
| First, they give off lower emissions than traditional | | | | to factor in another salient selling point, emissions. |
| wood stoves. Second, they utilize a renewable | | | | Emission reduction was the rave, but the |
| resource, sawdust produced by mills. Like any | | | | calculations of savings are compromised because |
| other industry the owner wants to turn every bit | | | | of the emissions produced by using additional |
| of waste into an income stream. Exploiting this | | | | electricity. |
| idea has given or did give pellet stoves an | | | | The Environmental Protection agency introduced |
| opportunity to flourish. | | | | standards for the production of clean burning |
| Early manufactures promoted the technology | | | | wood stoves in the early 90's. This virtually |
| they had available at the time. It is getting better, | | | | eliminated one of the key advantages of wood |
| but initially their claims received a lot of scrutiny. In | | | | pellet stoves. It caused a tremendous stir in the |
| light of that scrutiny, it was somehow established | | | | industry, prompting them to set pellet production |
| that perhaps pellet stoves were not quite the | | | | standards as well. As a result, many consumers |
| cost savers they were made out to be. Some of | | | | lost interest in pellet stoves and distributors of |
| the negative complaints included, too much dust | | | | pellet stoves stopped carrying, servicing and selling |
| when dumping pellets into the auger, aggravating | | | | them. Many manufactures who could not afford |
| noises caused by the blower and auger, as well as | | | | to invest in the exploration of new technology to |
| inability to use the appliance during power failures. | | | | make pellet stoves competitive ceased to carry |
| The other key area was maintenance. It seemed | | | | that business line altogether. |
| to be nearly ten times in frequency compared to | | | | From a wood pellet perspective, this device is no |
| people who used wood or gas stoves. The critics | | | | longer a cost effective solution to home heating. |
| of course used this in their argument that pellet | | | | With technology improvements, traditional wood |
| stoves were not as cost-saving as thought | | | | burning stoves maintain a higher wood to heat |
| originally. Suddenly, there were shortages in | | | | ratio, practice noise abatement technology and |
| sawdust raw material which was quickly | | | | runs quieter. |
| supplemented by trees, thus driving the cost of | | | | However, there are proponents who would argue |
| pellets to new highs. If you look at data from the | | | | that pellet stoves do their part to abate CO2 |
| USDA, it generally only goes back ten years in | | | | gases, have improved technology that rivals |
| comparison. This was an area the stove | | | | traditional wood stoves and operate more |
| manufactures could exploit. | | | | efficiently. The choice is yours, economics or |
| On the other hand, cord wood has maintained a | | | | emotion. That really seems to be the bottom line. |