Pellet burners or pellet fires are similar to wood burners in terms of efficiency and creating an enveloping heat, but use compressed wood or biomass pellets as fuel rather than logs. They also have elements of convenience such as remotes and thermostatic controls that aren’t available with a traditional fire. The units use an electric fan to help distribute heat and to automatically feed pellets from the hopper into the fire.
Modern pellet fires range approximately between 80-90% efficiency, meaning that 80-90% of the heat they create goes into the space it’s heating.
Pros:
Modern pellet fires range approximately between 80-90% efficiency, meaning that 80-90% of the heat they create goes into the space it’s heating.
Pros:
- Very efficient
- Comfortable, enveloping heat
- Uses renewable fuel; pellets are recycled from sawmills and other processing plants
- No wood to chop, stack or haul
- Some models have thermostats, timers, automatic on/off and remote controls
- Clean burning
- Can heat all or most of a home
- Can be used for central heating
- Some models can be fitted with a wetback to help with water heating
- Expensive up-front costs (~$6,000)
- Must purchase wood pellets from vendors; prices can fluctuate depending on the market
- Because they use electricity to ignite and power a fan, pellet fires won’t be effective during a power outage
- Some older models may have noisy fan motors
