About Pellets
Heating with wood pellets offers distinct advantages over conventional fossil heating fuels and other forms of wood burning
- Reduces our dependence on oil, natural gas and propane – all non-renewable fossil fuels
- Pellet fuel is a renewable fuel when wood is derived from sustainable sources
- Using locally-sourced pellet fuel circulates your fuel dollar in the local economy
- Displacing fossil fuels with pellet fuels reduces the emission of greenhouses gases, thereby helping to alleviate climate change
- Since pellet stove emissions are so low, they can be burned in areas that have conventional wood burning restrictions
- Only minimal clearance is needed for appliance installation. Because of the near total combustion (around 98.5%) pellet stoves produce virtually no creosote. This also allows installation of a pellet stove by direct vent... without a chimney!
- One ton of wood pellets has the heat value of about one and a half cords of wood and stacks easily in one third the space! This makes it possible to easily store fuel for the entire season.
Percentage Fuel Cost Increase by Fuel Type Since 1998"
Wood Pellets have enjoyed relatively stable historical pricing, compared to fossil fuels which tend to be more volatile. In fact, pellet prices are pretty much the same as they were ten years ago when adjusting for inflation.
Comparison of Fuel Cost Changes Over Time. This graph at right represents a comparison of the annual rate of increase (or decrease) in heating oil, natural gas, propane, and wood pellet prices since 1998, demonstrating the relative stability of wood pellet prices as compared to fossil energy prices.
Direct Heat Cost Comparison. This interactive fuel cost calculator provides an approximate comparison of the cost of heat from different fuels.
http://pelletheat.org/3/residential/compareFuel.cfm
Pellet Fuels, Greenhouse Gases, and Climate Change
Pellet fuels are a low carbon fuel that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions (such as CO2) when used to displace fossil fuels such as heating oil, natural gas, or propane. The graphic at right compares CO2 emissions per year from conventional fossil heating fuels and wood pellets (Source: University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 2007)