WoodPellets.com Blog - Quality Wood Pellets with Convenient Delivery

Wood Pellets: 3 Reasons to Consider This Low-Carbon Renewable Fuel for Home Heating

January 11th, 2022 About Wood Pellets, Renewable Energy Public Policy, The Green Team, Wood Pellet Heating

Renewable Across the Board

Wood pellets manufactured from carbon-neutral wood fiber is an innovative utilization of wood waste generated by the manufacturing of other products.

Every day wood “waste” (sawdust, wood chips, shavings, etc.) is generated in staggering quantities through the production of lumber, flooring, cabinetry, millwork and furniture.

These leftover clean wood residues that would otherwise be considered as “waste” and sent to a landfills is acquired by pellet manufacturers and engineered into an efficient heating fuel.

In 2020 alone, 8.8 million tons of wood product waste was purchased by pellet producers from upstream forest product manufacturing sites.

A Necessary Low-Carbon Option

Rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are in large part a result of burning of fossil-derived fuels for energy. Wood pellet fuel interrupts this cycle by recycling the carbon dioxide emitted during combustion in the regeneration of the forests grown to meet the demand from the forest products industry on which it relies for fiber.

Wood pellet fuel brings a low-carbon alternative to the home heating landscape and displaces demand for fossil-based fuels with higher carbon intensity such as heating oil and propane.

Contributing to the Local Economy

Not only do they create jobs in their facilities, but wood pellet manufacturers generate jobs in trucking, logging and maintenance.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that five hundred million dollars of wood pellet sales for residential heating were generated in 2020 – often for independently owned small business owners.

Want to learn more about the wood pellet industry?

Access the Pellet Fuel Institute’s digital booklet, “Sustainable from the Beginning: 3 Facts About Wood Pellet Manufacturing and Use” here.

Ready to place an order for quality-guaranteed wood pellet fuel to be delivered to your home?

Shop online at Woodpellets.com or simply call 1-800-PELLETS to speak to an expert!

Another Tough Winter Ahead: It’s a Good Time to Have a Pellet Stove

October 29th, 2021 About Wood Pellets, Weather, WoodPellets.com

Woodpellets.com

In addition to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s forecast of an unusually cold winter, the cost of natural gas and heating oil is skyrocketing.

Folks in the Northeast lucky enough to own pellet stoves will likely be depending on them for heat more than ever this winter.

According to this NH Bulletin report, “The higher cost of energy is linked to inflation and other factors that extend far beyond state borders. Because American gas producers can fetch a higher price for gas abroad, that’s increasingly where they are sending it, according to Sam Evans-Brown, executive director of Clean Energy New Hampshire, a nonprofit that advocates for clean energy.

‘The cautionary tale here is really that we are over-reliant on a fuel that we thought was going to be at $2 per million BTU forever. And really, the story is that was an artificially low price. Now the mistaken belief that that was the norm is coming home to roost,’ Evans-Brown said.

Evans-Brown is talking about natural gas, used by just over 20 percent of New Hampshire households for heat. Those households could see a 30 percent hike in heating costs compared to last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

For the two out five homes in New Hampshire that heat with fuel oil – the most common type of heating system in the state – spending is predicted to increase by 43 percent.

‘There’s nowhere else in the United States that is as reliant on heating oil as New England is. It means that these price swings are just genuinely unaffordable,’ Evans-Brown said.

But neither natural gas nor fuel oil are predicted to see the biggest price jump. The 17 percent of New Hampshire households heating with propane are expected to see a 54 percent increase.”

Are you ready for this winter? If you haven’t secured your wood pellet fuel yet, the time is now. Home delivery of premium wood pellets to your driveway is FREE!

Shop online or call 1-800-735-5387 to speak to an expert!

The Economics of Wood Pellet Heating Fuel: Understanding the Key Factors

October 20th, 2021 About Wood Pellets, Wood Pellet Heating

Wood pellet heating has gained popularity as an efficient and eco-friendly alternative to traditional heating fuels such as oil or gas. However, the cost of wood pellets is not immune to fluctuations, just like any other commodity. Several factors contribute to the cost of wood pellet heating fuel, including supply and demand, transportation costs, and production expenses.

One of the key drivers of wood pellet heating fuel prices is the cost of raw materials. The majority of wood pellets are made from sawdust and other wood waste materials. As a result, the price of wood pellets is closely tied to the cost of lumber and other wood products. If the cost of raw materials increases, the cost of producing wood pellets will also increase, which could drive up the price of heating fuel made from these pellets.

Another factor that affects the cost of wood pellet heating fuel is transportation costs. Factors like increases in fuel prices, trucking shortages and DOT regulation changes can make transportation more expensive, which may cause the price of wood pellet heating fuel to rise.

Supply and demand also play a crucial role in the cost of wood pellet heating fuel. The demand for wood pellets has been on the rise due to the increasing popularity of pellet stoves and boilers. However, the supply of wood pellets can be affected by various factors such as weather conditions, production capacity, and distribution channels. If the supply of wood pellets cannot keep up with the demand, the price of the fuel may increase.

Lastly, global factors like crude oil prices can also affect the cost of wood pellet heating fuel. Although wood pellets are not made from crude oil, changes in oil prices can influence the cost of other fuels and cause people to switch to wood pellet heating fuel. This increased demand can result in higher prices for wood pellets.

While these factors can contribute to price fluctuations, wood pellet heating remains an eco-friendly and efficient alternative to traditional heating fuels. It’s essential for consumers to stay informed about market conditions and be mindful of their consumption habits to keep the cost of heating their homes with wood pellets under control.

Ready to speak to an expert about your home heating? Call 1-800-PELLETS or get a free quote online.

NEW All-Inclusive Pricing and Service Model

April 20th, 2021 Convenient Delivery, Customer Feedback, Quality Guarantee, WoodPellets.com

1 Comment

Woodpellets.com has always offered convenient home delivery and premium fuel backed by a Quality Guarantee which has always delighted our customers due to the peace of mind it provides. In order to exceed our own top-tier standard of customer satisfaction and expand on that customer peace of mind…we’re now offering even more with every order.

We’re so proud to announce a brand new pricing and service model with some very exciting features! In addition to the premium wood pellet fuel backed by a Quality Guarantee, professional home delivery options and expert customer service that has always been part of the Woodpellets.com experience, we’ve added three features included within the all-inclusive pricing.

FREE Delivery: You will never need to worry about what the delivery cost will be. Every order now comes with FREE Driveway Delivery! If you need our skilled delivery drivers to bring a pallet jack to place your fuel exactly where you need it inside your garage, it’s just a small fee of $65.

FREE Storage: This has been such a popular option among our customers, it’s now included with every order. Place your order when it’s convenient for you, but you don’t have to take delivery right away. You choose your own delivery month, so we’ll bring it when you’re ready!

$100 Deposit: No more paying up front in full for your wood pellets. Place your order when you want and put only $100 down as a deposit. We’ll capture the rest whenever your delivery has been scheduled (in the month of your choice, of course). Now you can secure your fuel allotment, lock in your price and take delivery later without the stress of paying up front.

Based on over a decade of experience as the nation’s leading wood pellet retailer, this new all-inclusive program was designed with great care and consideration for what our customers need, want and deserve.

As always, we’re here if you have any questions. Call 1-800-PELLETS to speak to an expert!

*For any order placed under the $100 deposit plan, there will be a $20.00 per ton cancellation fee. Minimum of $20.00 and maximum of $100.00 per order. The cancellation fee will be deducted from any refund on the order. Free delivery is for driveway only – pallet jack delivery into the garage is available for an additional fee. Delivery month selection is a request, not a guarantee, and scheduling is at the discretion of the Delivery Manager.

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!

Woodpellets.com Driver Hit by Motorist During a Delivery Still Manages to Complete the Wood Pellet Delivery

October 26th, 2020 Convenient Delivery, Customer Feedback, The Green Team, WoodPellets.com

“I received my delivery yesterday. Unfortunately we had a problem where the [Woodpellets.com] truck was struck by an oncoming car. The driver was fine and his truck just sustained a flat tire. The driver of the car was arrested and charged with DUI.

I wanted to tell you just what a fantastic job the delivery driver did. He was totally professional and courteous through the whole incident. At the time of the accident he had unloaded 3 of my 9 pallets. After the accident was cleaned up and the police left he continued with my delivery while waiting for help with his tire.

He was one of the nicest and most professional delivery drivers we have ever had. All in all he was there over three hours and I thank him for his delivery to us!”

-Chris, Massachusetts

New Customer Saves Time and Money Switching from Box Store Pickup to Woodpellets.com Home Delivery

October 1st, 2020 Convenient Delivery, Cost Savings, Customer Feedback, WoodPellets.com

I wish to take this opportunity to express how grateful I am toward your professionalism.

Before I ordered from you, I was suspect of the delivery process. This was due to my experiences from other vendors, as they either were late with the delivery or cancelled the order due to “Backorders”. But I decided to order from you and take a “chance”.

Back in June of this year, I ordered 3 tons to be delivered in September. Well, it started to get later and later in the month. This caused some anxiety on my part. Well, no sooner than I reached my peak, I received a text that delivery of the pellets was to be on Thursday, Sept. 24th.

When the truck pulled up, I could not have been more relieved. The delivery person dropped the pallets exactly where I requested them.

As I do not have a driveway, and live in a congested neighborhood, I had to have them placed in an “inconvenient” place. This made the situation such that I had to “carry” each bag into my backyard and took me over 3 hours. Although that sounds terrible, it was not nearly as bad as what I used to have to do.

Every year, I would have to:

1) Go to the local Home Depot or Lowes

2) Pick up 10-15 40-pound bags at a time due to my vehicle

3) I would have to drive home, only to carry them into my house.

4) Repeat this process 12-15 times.

The worst part is that [the box store] ran out of pellets in late February-early March. As you know, our winters go into March (sometimes into April). So I would have to turn on my electric heat for the remaining 2-3 weeks. I could have bought a pallet from them, but it cost $400 per ton with delivery. The other negatives were: the BTU value was 7,500, there was high ash content, and I was paying $7.00 per bag.

With [Woodpellets.com] and the 3-ton delivery, I paid only $935 (WITH DELIVERY), saving me a little over $120!

I do not have drive to the store anymore; I have a better quality product; and, strangely, there was a labor-savings on my end, as it took me only 3 hours to re-stack them in my yard and house (it used to take me 15 hours with driving to the store, driving home, and stacking them in my house).

To make a long story a little bit longer, your customer service is friendly, polite, professional and has a “family-oriented” feeling to it.

– Mark C. of Massachusetts

Delivery Slots Fill Up Quick as the Trucking Shortage Continues

September 22nd, 2020 Convenient Delivery, WoodPellets.com

1 Comment

Even before the pandemic hit, the trucking industry was in need of tens of thousands of drivers. Shutdowns and new regulations/precautions have disrupted supply chains, while social distancing and limited hours further inconvenience newly trained truck drivers seeking to obtain a license.

For years, there has been a growing shortage of qualified CDL-A drivers, and it has only gotten worse. According to the American Trucking Association, there’s a shortage of 60,000 truck drivers nationwide with a predicted increase of over 100,000 by 2021.

Why is this shortage happening? Baby Boomer drivers are retiring due to age, stricter DOT medical certification processes, and frustration with newly required Electronic Log Devices (ELDs) which have created tighter hours of service regulations. This technology – which is designed to enforce limits on driving time without breaks – has not only pushed many seasoned drivers to quit, but also reduces the number of trucks available overall.

Additionally, millennials are far less enthused than previous generations to join the trucking force due to the arduous duty of long cross-country trips, away for days and weeks at a time. Furthermore, the men and women completing tractor trailer schools these days are not always accepted by insurance companies, which often require at least three years of driving experience.

What does all of this mean for wood pellet stove owners? Much like so many others, this industry has suffered ongoing trucking shortage effects such as price fluctuations, inconsistent supply transportation and difficulty maintaining a full staff of qualified home delivery drivers.

Our team is working tirelessly to schedule safe, convenient home deliveries for our customers across the Northeast. If you have not yet secured your home’s wood pellet fuel for the upcoming heating season, place your order online or call 1-800-PELLETS as soon as possible to get yourself into the delivery queue!

What Can We Expect the 2020-21 Winter Weather to Look Like?

August 17th, 2020 Weather

According to the 2021 Farmers’ Almanac, this winter will have cold and snowy weather in the north, a drought in the west and a whole lot in between – which certainly explains why it’s described as the “Winter of the Great Divide”.

The almanac Editor Peter Geiger explains, “Our extended forecast is calling for yet another freezing, frigid, and frosty winter for two-thirds of the country.”

Read >> How the Farmers’ Almanac Predicts Weather

Their long-range forecast is calling for a cold winter with normal to below-normal temperatures in areas from the Great Lakes and Midwest, westward through the Northern/Central Plains and the Rockies.

The region from Tennessee through the lower Ohio River valleys up to the north and east up through New England has been described as the “wild card”, where we can expect a rather intense weather system. This weather system will keep the storms active, delivering a wintry mix of rainy, icy and/or snowy weather throughout the season.

To read the full forecast and more helpful information, get your copy of the 2021 Farmer’s Almanac!

123 4•26

Page 2 of 26