Pellet Stoves | WoodPellets.com Blog

Heating Oil and Pellet Fuel Cost Comparison

September 28th, 2023 Cost Savings, Pellet Stoves, Wood Pellet Heating

Oil Heat Cost per Heating Season VS Pellet Fuel (Based on data from 2022/23 Heating Season)

Based on the data from 2022/23’s heating season, choosing pellets over oil would save you nearly $3,000!

Daily Fuel Cost Comparison*
(Average Cost per Unit) x (Number of Units per Season) / 182

Oil = $24/day
Pellets = $7.69/day

Cost Comparison by Heat Output*
(Fuel Cost per Unit) / (Heat Content per Unit) x 1,000,000

Oil = $35 per million BTUs
Pellets = $20 per million BTUs

*All calculations are based on the following:

Oil has 138,500 BTUs per gallon at an average of $4.80/gallon with an average use of 910 gallons in a heating season
Pellets have 17,200,000 BTUs per ton at an average of $350/ton with an average use of 4 tons in a heating season
There are 182 days in a heating season

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

New Hampshire Firefighter/Paramedic Awarded a Harman Pellet Stove and Cleanfire Wood Pellet Fuel

February 22nd, 2022 Convenient Delivery, Pellet Stoves, WoodPellets.com

Each year, the Harman Stoves National Hero Giveaway honors those that have served the front lines of our country and communities: military, first responders, police, fire, doctors, nurses and school workers including positions across education, maintenance, cafeteria and transportation.

This year, Woodpellets.com and Harman worked together to award a pellet stove and a ton of Cleanfire wood pellets to Trevor and Hollie: a New Hampshire family of front-line heroes.

Trevor is a full-time Firefighter/Paramedic for the city of Laconia, Huggins hospital Paramedic and a volunteer for Sandwich Fire and Rescue. Hollie is an Emergency Medical Technician at Huggins Hospital, a volunteer at Sandwich Fire and Rescue.

Congratulations to our deserving winners and thank you for all you do!

It’s Official: Wood Heat Tax Credit for Homeowners Passed by Congress

January 14th, 2021 About Wood Pellets, Pellet Stoves, Renewable Energy Public Policy, The Green Team, Wood Pellet Heating

Recently, parts of The BTU Act (Biomass Thermal Utilization Act) were passed through Congress and signed into law, officially placing wood pellet stoves on a level playing field with other renewables that have been receiving appliance tax credits for a long time.

What does this mean for residential wood pellet heating?

A three-year investment tax credit (ITC) for high-efficiency wood-fired home heating equipment is now official!

The credit applies to the installed cost of home heating and hot water systems that utilize wood pellets, chips and cordwood at efficiencies greater than 75 percent high heat value.

The tax credit is for 26 percent in 2021 and phases down to 22 percent in 2022 and 2023.

For example, a wood pellet stove that costs $4,000 to install in 2021 will result in a savings of approximately $1,000 when applied to the homeowner’s 2021 tax return.

Charlie Niebling, a consultant for wood pellet producer Lignetics, has been working to enact the BTU Act for more than a decade. He has called the tax credit plan a “game changer” for residential wood heating.

“Our message to Congress for years has been…don’t pick winners and losers,” explained Niebling. “[Wood heat] deserves the same recognition in the federal tax code that solar and wind do.”

If you’d like details about this bill passing, read more here.

Winter Reminder to Clear Pellet Stove Venting to Prevent Air Flow Blockage

December 18th, 2020 About Wood Pellets, Fire Safety, Pellet Stove Cleaning, Pellet Stoves, Weather, WoodPellets.com

Heavy snow buildup can definitely affect your pellet stove’s venting and your burn experience. Wood pellet stoves operate through a system of air intake and exhaust. If this system is hindered by a blockage, proper combustion of the pellets can’t happen. Unlike wood stoves, pellet stove venting can be either horizontal, vertical or both.

One of the ways a pellet stove burn exhaust can be set up is horizontally, straight through the exterior wall. (See Fig. A) The exterior vent allows proper air flow within the stove, and the exhaust to escape. If it’s blocked by dense snow – your stove’s ability to ignite and/or stay burning efficiently could be hindered. If your wood pellets aren’t burning through fully – this blockage could be the reason. (See Fig. B)

A similar kind of venting is through the wall with a vertical rise (Fig. C). Vertical piping raises the exhaust further up the exterior wall. This kind of setup holds less risk of snow blockage. However, strong snow drifts (or very high snow accumulation) can still create blockage.

Pellet stoves can also have exhaust vents exiting through the roof – with some variations (Fig. D). If your roof has heavy snow piled up that hasn’t slid off or been pushed off, the vent could be blocked. Make sure to check for blockage – no matter how your stove is vented.

Speaking of snow…our Woodpellets.com delivery trucks park on the street, and bring your pallets up your driveway with a forklift. Of course, there is nothing you can do about large snow banks taking up space on the road, but you can make sure your driveway is plowed enough for our 8 foot wide forklift. This will help the driver make a successful delivery – and help you avoid delivery delays.

Please let us know if you have any questions. Call 1-800-PELLETS to speak to an expert!

5 Things You Should Know According to a Professional Pellet Stove Tech

February 4th, 2020 About Wood Pellets, Pellet Stove Cleaning, Pellet Stoves, Wood Pellet Heating

1. Read the manual that came with your stove. According to Jason Tardiff of J&L Chimney Works in NH, this is the number one thing stove technicians wish customers would take seriously. He explains; “Most of the time, the answer to the problem lies in the pages of their owner’s manual.” From proper stove maintenance, to best practices and warranty information – the manual is packed with model-specific information, and it’s very often overlooked.

2. Don’t be so quick to blame the pellets. If your stove isn’t igniting, if you have a weak flame, or your pellets won’t stay lit, the fuel shouldn’t be your first thought. When was the last time you had your stove professionally cleaned? If you do it yourself, are you really getting to all the parts that need attention? Your pellet stove works off of pressurized air which is drawn from the exhaust. Have you cleaned all those passages? Is your exhaust clear of debris? Jason describes his years of discoveries: “The exhaust pulls in anything that’s in the air – so pet hair, dander, dust and lint are constantly sucked in. And as far as the auger goes, items left on the stove can fall and work their way in. I’ve found spoons and G.I Joes crammed in there.”

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How to Troubleshoot Your Wood Pellet Stove

November 4th, 2019 About Wood Pellets, Pellet Stove Cleaning, Pellet Stoves, WoodPellets.com

There are many different brands and styles of wood pellet stoves – so the best way to start learning about your particular stove is to read the entire manual. If you’re a new pellet stove owner, or have switched to a different model – it could take some trial and error to learn the right process for your home.

You might be surprised to learn that many common issues pellet burners face with their stoves can be solved with making some adjustments. Again – start to troubleshoot and learn by reading your manual! It has the best stove-specific advice on operation, maintenance, recommendations and best practices.

Take a look at our quick cheat sheet below to review the pellet stove problems we hear about the most.

The Problem	Possible Cause	Possible Solution
Poor burn quality	Dirty stove	Clean your stove according to your manufacturer’s recommendations, or schedule a professional stove cleaning and inspection.
Blackened glass	Burning on ‘low’	Adjust heat setting to medium or medium/high.
Excessive clinkers	Airflow leak	Clean all vents, check and repair/replace all gaskets, adjust damper or airflow setting.
Trouble igniting	Air-to-pellet ratio	Adjust air-to-pellet ratio by increasing air flow.
Lazy or small flame	Air-to-pellet ratio	Adjust air-to-pellet ratio by increasing air flow and/or decreasing feed rate.
Low heat output	Air-to-pellet ratio	Adjust air-to-pellet ratio by increasing air flow and/or increasing feed rate.
Sparks flying / embers in the ash pot	Air-to-pellet ratio	Adjust air-to-pellet ratio by decreasing air flow and/or decreasing feed rate.
Whole, charred pellets left in the burn pot	Air-to-pellet ratio	Adjust air-to-pellet ratio by decreasing air flow and/or decreasing feed rate.
Auger jamming / stove shutting down	Long pellets	Drop bags on the floor – this can break long pellets into a manageable length.
Excessive ash build up / whole, charred pellets in burn pot	Short pellets	Reduce feed rate.

As you can see, many burn issues are directly related to your stove’s airflow. If you have reviewed your owner’s manual to make the proper settings adjustments, but you’re still experiencing problems…you might have a leak. Wood pellet stoves operate through a system of air intake and exhaust, and the exhaust fan sucks air out through the burn pot to cause combustion of the pellets. It’s important to inspect your venting setup to see if it’s properly sealed, but it’s more likely the leak is through your door gasket.

It’s simple to test the door seal efficiency with a dollar bill. While holding on to one end of the bill, insert the other side into the door, and shut it. Pull out the dollar while the door is still shut, and note the resistance. You shouldn’t be able to remove the bill without a good amount of resistance. Repeat this method all around your door to check the full effectiveness of your gasket.

If you ordered your wood pellets from Woodpellets.com and you find damage to the actual wood pellets – call 1-800-PELLETS within 30 days of delivery to speak with a Quality Assurance Representative. All Woodpellets.com Quality Certified fuels are backed by a Physical Quality Guarantee, which is valid for 30 days after the delivery date.

Questions? Call 1-800-735-5387 to Speak to the Experts at Woodpellets.com!

Woodpellets.com Now Accepting Northwest Wood Pellet Orders via Ziggy’s Home Improvement

September 3rd, 2019 Convenient Delivery, Pellet Stoves, Wood Pellet Heating, WoodPellets.com

It was 1965 when Vern Ziegler established the Ziegler Lumber Company after building hundreds of homes in the Inland Northwest as a general contractor.

Using his vast experience in residential construction, Mr. Ziegler pioneered the do-it-yourself concept with his first store in Spokane Washington. Having been called “Ziggy” much of his life, Vern’s company soon became well known as “Ziggy’s.”

His goal at that time was the same as it is today – to offer the customer the highest quality merchandise at contractor prices, along with excellent service and good advice for the homeowner to do his own projects.

In order to offer expert wood pellet customer service along with the convenience of ordering premium wood pellets online, Ziggy’s recently partnered with Woodpellets.com. Now any wood pellet stove owner within Ziggy’s pellet delivery service area can now place an order through Woodpellets.com online or by calling 1-800-PELLETS.

We’re proud to be working with Ziggy’s and are thrilled to expand our services to the Northwest!

The 5 Essential Tools for a Proper Wood Pellet Cleaning

March 15th, 2019 Pellet Stove Cleaning, Pellet Stoves

Stop Wasting Time with Poor Stove Cleaning!

Do you hate cleaning your pellet stove? I do. It’s one of those necessary chores of pellet stove ownership that you come to dread. But over the last four years that I have been cleaning my stove, I have managed to reduce the time spent to just 20-30 minutes per month. I have found that the most critical step in cleaning your stove is having the right tools for the job.

1. Although it may seem obvious – a flashlight that you can wear on your head, or clamp to the side of the stove, is a must. Without the proper light, it is impossible to see all nooks and crannies where the ash is hiding. While the headlight allows you to use your hands for other tasks, it throws decent light wherever you turn your head to look.

2. Another must-have tool is a good stiff brush. I use an old nylon 2′ paint brush to sweep the ash from my heat exchanger, and off the walls of the stove itself. Don’t try to use a cheap flimsy brush. You need a sturdy one that can withstand the stress of regular cleaning.

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Benefits of Wood Pellet Heating

March 3rd, 2019 About Wood Pellets, Pellet Stoves, The Green Team

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In addition to the long term cost advantage over heating oil and propane, wood pellets have some additional benefits that you may be unaware of.

CO2 Cycle with Fossil Fuel Burning 1. The carbon footprint of wood pellets can be neutral, or close to it. A study by The Alliance for Green Heat and VU University Amsterdam revealed that heating with wood pellets can emit about one tenth the carbon as heating with oil. If the forests where the wood pellet raw material has been taken from are sustainably managed, the overall carbon footprint is drastically reduced in comparison with fossil fuel heat.

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Wood Pellet Stove Safety Overview

January 18th, 2019 Fire Safety, Pellet Stoves

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Two house fires in New Hampshire within a month have been linked to wood pellet stoves. One of the fires was found to have started by a faulty pellet stove chimney, which devastated most of the home and injured four firefighters. The damage done by the other recent fire was less significant but was also pellet stove related – starting due to an improper installation.

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Pellet Stove Blamed for Small Fire at Manchester Home

Read >> Investigator: Seventh Street Fire Caused by Pellet Stove Chimney

Unfortunate accidents like this should serve as a general reminder about wood pellet stove safety. Make sure to read your manual to better understand your stove through the model-specific information.