Pellet Stove Prices

Pellet stoves are becoming more and more popular as the desire to save money and become more environmentally conscious become primary goals when heating a home. But the question is, will the benefits of owning one of these stoves outweigh pellet stove prices?

Pellet stoves are a replacement for or supplement to traditional wood stoves. Although wood burning stoves are aesthetically pleasing, the costs of maintaining them have always made them an unpopular main source for heat.

And with the prices of all energy sources rising every year, increasingly more people are examining the possibility of using a pellet stove not just as an alternative to a wood stove, but electric heat, and natural gas as well.

Examining Pellet Stove Prices – 2 Major Costs

When considering the purchase of a pellet stove, you have two major costs to consider. The cost of the stove itself is the first major cost. Cheap or discount pellet stoves will cost anywhere from $1800 - $2100. On the high end of the spectrum, you should expect to pay $3000 and above for the best pellet stoves. You should also expect there to be a direct correlation between the price of the stove you decide to purchase and the quality, reliability, and durability of the unit. But I think you'll find even the least expensive pellet stove will last for years to come.

Before factoring in cost into your calculations, though, you first need to figure out how much of an area you are looking to heat and what corresponding BTU output will be necessary to accomplish this.

The second major cost is the installation of the pellet stove you are considering purchasing. Unless you are a very good handyman, you will need to have the stove professionally installed.

The cost for pellet stove installation can be on the low end of $150-$200, to a high end of $400+. This will vary based on the actual stove you buy, heating requirements, and how easily you can find someone to install it for you.

Comparing Wood Stoves and Pellet Stoves

There are many different kinds of stoves, but most people are familiar with wood stoves, so this gives us the best reference point with which to measure pellet stoves. Pellet stoves naturally run on pellets, and these are sold by the ton. You should expect to pay anywhere from $130 to $200 for one ton.

A cord is the unit that firewood is measured by for a woods stove, and you can expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $175 for a single cord, depending on where you live and the supply available. So, to make a solid judgment as to which mode of heating is going to be more economical, you first need to figure out how much of each is going to be needed to adequately heat your home or space.

One ton of pellets is approximately equal to 1.5 cords of firewood, based on usage. So, with everything else being equal, you should expect to burn about three to four cords of wood per year, while a pellet stove would annually burn about two to three tons of pellets.

So, based on the amount of usage, it is more efficient to burn pellets than firewood. Another factor to consider is the quality of the fuel pellet. This can also effect the amount of savings over firewood. Types of pellet fuel include wood, coal, grass, corn, and nutshell pellets.

The higher the quality of the pellet, the less ash your pellet stove will emit, thus making it a cleaner burning, more environmentally friendly stove.

You should be aware, however, that the price of pellets will rise and fall based on supply, demand, and how far they actually be shipped. So, when considering pellets stove prices with wood stove prices, the winner is the pellet stove as long there is a good supply within a reasonable distance from where you will using the stove.