Cost of burning wood vs wood pellets?

[Coldfront]

They opened a new wood pellet plant by me and just got me thinking about cost difference. I read an article that said you can heat a 2000 sq ft house on 40lbs of wood pellets per day average. If I can buy wood pellets for $250 per ton on the high end. I burn about 7-8 cords of wood per year and just bought a 10 cord loggers load for $800. I figured out if I burned for 6 months out of the year it would cost me about $900 in wood pellets. I know the wood is cheaper but not after you figure in the chain saw gas oil and time stacking hauling time spent/labor. Plus the fact you can load the hopper and not mess with it for 2 or 3 days.
If its true I would be foolish not to go to burning pellets? What do you think?
PS I would still burn some wood in my free standing stove in the living room just because I like looking at the fire.

 

[ts39136]

I burned wood pellets for about 5 years before switching to cord wood. Had (and still have) a harmon p41a (p61a?, can't remember). Nice stove! Thermostat controlled, auto light. Would empty the ash about 4 times each year and a good cleanout/disassembly twice.

Here is my take on things...

I live in southern Idaho and heat a 3000 square foot house that was built in the 70's.

I burn through about 5.5 tons of pellets in a winter ($1000 @ 200 per cord). I now burn through 6 cords of pine (total cost (food, saws, gas, wood, etc.) - less than $400).

The auto light feature will save you big bucks if you have cold nights and hot days like we do (high desert). In the off-season, idling the stove will suck up pellets.

The thermostat feature is nice, and saves pellets.

On the cold days, I would burn through 2 bags of pellets per day. Some days would be almost three. I bought the hopper extension so the stove could hold 100lbs of pellets.

Pellet stoves are very easy to install almost anywhere, My wife likes to rearrage and we now have a bunch of holes in the wall, but they are nicely covered by circular wood "clamps", two circles of wood with a bolt and insulation between.

Outside air intake will save you $$.

Both methods will involve labor. Unless you have a forklift, you will be stacking the bags by hand (Kids can't lift them). Unlike firewood, you need a place to store them that is DRY!! No piles outside unless they are wrapped up WELL!! I ended up buying a pallet jack to move the stacks around during the off season. If you store pellets for any length of time, expect about a 2% loss from moisture infiltration. A little water makes the bag unusable, pellet stoves don't like sawdust.

You still need a truck, or a good trailer for either method. One ton is a lot of weight.

Now, if you want good prices, you need to buy pellets from the big box stores in the spring. That means you need to have a place to store them. You might not have this trouble, but I learned quickly that the stores will run out of pellets in the dead of winter when you need them most.

Pellet quality... NEVER buy "premium" quality pellets unless you are rich.... If you are lucky, you will have quality pellets comming from your factory. I don't know much about the manufacturer process, but there are some brands that put out far more BTU's than others. It took me almost two years to find the best kind.


That's all for now... Hope that helps. Feel free to ask questions. If I had to do it again, I would go with a natural gas stove, because it's the same price and the same "fire" and a whole lot less work, dust, etc.

 

[zogger]

I don't like it

They opened a new wood pellet plant by me and just got me thinking about cost difference. I read an article that said you can heat a 2000 sq ft house on 40lbs of wood pellets per day average. If I can buy wood pellets for $250 per ton on the high end. I burn about 7-8 cords of wood per year and just bought a 10 cord loggers load for $800. I figured out if I burned for 6 months out of the year it would cost me about $900 in wood pellets. I know the wood is cheaper but not after you figure in the chain saw gas oil and time stacking hauling time spent/labor. Plus the fact you can load the hopper and not mess with it for 2 or 3 days.
If its true I would be foolish not to go to burning pellets? What do you think?
PS I would still burn some wood in my free standing stove in the living room just because I like looking at the fire.

You can always go scrounge wood for free, and burn it in a regular stove. You don't have to buy it, not if you hustle. A pellet stove and pellets keeps you locked into "the man", you lose flexibility. It's no different from just burning natural gas or propane then, so why bother with it. (yes, I noted you would retain your regular heater...just sayin..)

I like wood because it helps me get independent, same as having a big garden does. I can "get by" with much less FRNs and I am not tied so much to absolutely having a big income in a collapsing economy. The whole shebang could fall apart tomorrow and my life wouldn't change all that much.....

This is called "future proofing".. real tangible practical "insurance" for life's necessities and some of the good things to have, like food water, etc....just like I invested in a small solar array years ago. It won't do a lot, but it can do "enough" to keep me in lights at night, run a laptop, charge batteries, etc even if the grid went down hard or if I couldn't pay utilities or any other problem like that. And I only have in it what some might "invest" in like a big screen TV home theater system, or a high end "gaming" computer, etc.

So, my vote is no pellet stove. You lose too much freedom and potential cheaper cost of heating for a little more "convenience" now..plus..don't you like to cut wood? I really slap flatout enjoy cutting/splitting. Ya, it's work, who cares, every thing I do is work, that's life.

 

[ts39136]

I like wood because it helps me get independent, same as having a big garden does.

"like"... pellets are in a whole different world than firewood.

 

[Highbeam]

Pellet stoves are noisy. They make a racket with the blower and the clanking of pellets dropping. Try running a hair dryer 24 hours a day. You will have to turn your TV up, yell at your wife, and you won't be able to hear the dog peeing on your carpet since he is so upset at the racket. Even in the middle of the night, that noise will be booming. You won't be able to hear racoons eat your garbage can either.

Pellet stoves are expensive to buy, maintain, and repair. Expect to pay double what a similar quality stove would cost. The moving parts need to be cleaned and maintained much more frequently than your stove.

The flame looks silly. Like a blow torch. It is not a nice lazy flame. There is no hot surface to cozy up to, it is like a hair dryer.

If you do it, keep your stove and keep the wood supply ready. Pellets are more expensive than wood, even if you buy wood.

Did I mention, they are noisy?

The good news is that you can buy multifuel stoves that can burn grain products such as corn, cherry pits, and wheat. That's pretty cool and is way better than burning oil in a furnace. They are thermostatic and if you're away for a couple of days then the pellet stove should keep your home warm if you don't have an actual furnace.

If you have NG available then you would be a fool to buy pellets.

 

[Coldfront]

I would keep the wood stove I have now right where its at, and a year or 2 worth of back up wood. Right now my only back up is propane if I go out of town for a few days. Last I checked propane was @ $1.96 per gallon. I like cutting wood but injury or sickness can strike at any time and back to propane. I looked at corn / pellet stoves. It is cheaper now to burn propane than corn.

 

[zogger]

Backup is cool

I would keep the wood stove I have now right where its at, and a year or 2 worth of back up wood. Right now my only back up is propane if I go out of town for a few days. Last I checked propane was @ $1.96 per gallon. I like cutting wood but injury or sickness can strike at any time and back to propane. I looked at corn / pellet stoves. It is cheaper now to burn propane than corn.

I understand that. We have a big propane tank as backup, haven't used any for several years now though, it sits full. It won't go bad, so..meh..it's there. I'd actually like to mod my genny to run on propane and just mount it out there on a slab with a little roof or something.

 

[Highbeam]

I'd actually like to mod my genny to run on propane and just mount it out there on a slab with a little roof or something.

That's a great idea. The propane doesn't spoil in the carb either so the genset becomes more dependable and can run for a long long time without refueling.

 

[046]

if you are going to pay high $$$ for fuel ... why not save your back and storage space by going with convientional gas, oil, heatpump, etc.

wood gives one a choice to get off the grid. it's one of the few places one has a legit alternative.
no wood is not free, but you've got option to pay for wood with your labor.

 

[Coldfront]

if you are going to pay high $$$ for fuel ... why not save your back and storage space by going with convientional gas, oil, heatpump, etc.

wood gives one a choice to get off the grid. it's one of the few places one has a legit alternative.
no wood is not free, but you've got option to pay for wood with your labor.

I'm not sure what you mean by High $$$ for fuel? If I buy 10 cord of oak 8 footers for $800, or buy 3.6 tons of pellets for $900. It would cost me over $2,000 to heat with propane for 6 months out of the year.

 

[046]

everyone is in a slightly different circumstance. including time and access to equipment.

in Tulsa to heat my 2500 SF single level home, 4.5 cords is normal. all the wood I burn is free, but labor/equipment to get the wood is not.

natural gas would cost $300-400 per month during winter. so cost savings are very much there compare to my cost of wood... free... all my chainsaws, 35 ton splitter, trailer, etc are long paid for by savings from not paying for natural gas. which would be easily $2,000 per year.

since equipment is paid for ... out of pocket expense to process 4-5 cords would be under $100 per year.

I'm not sure what you mean by High $$$ for fuel? If I buy 10 cord of oak 8 footers for $800, or buy 3.6 tons of pellets for $900. It would cost me over $2,000 to heat with propane for 6 months out of the year.

 

[CharlieG]

When I was deciding on a wood or pellet stove (based on different recommendations) there was a run on pellets, leaving one of my friends without . Additionally, all the wood I have ever burned has been free-either dropped off by a tree service, or gotten while helping friends. Yes there is work involved, but it has saved me a lot of money :msp_biggrin:, allowing other types of purchases to be made-just dont tell the wifey!

 

[shelbythedog]

Friends of mine heat a house very similar to mine, 1400+/- sq. ft. ranch, with wood pellets. They burn 4-5 tons a year. IIRC they paid around $1200 for the 5 ton+delivery they bought last year, and with the long winter we had they used it all.

As stated above, the 5 skids of pellet bags have to be stored indoors at all times taking up space in their garage and pole barn. My wood is stacked next to my barn.

Their stove is very, very, loud, my cord wood stove makes virtually no noise.

If you are sick, or your wife has to load the stove it can be done a piece at a time, 40# bags will always weigh 40#.

The $1600 I spent for 20 cord of oak, mixed with all the fee stuff I can scrounge could easily heat my house for 4 years, and scrounging only makes burning cheaper.

I don't ever see free wood pellets by the side of the road, wood is there all the time.

Burning pellets gives no excuse to run saws, which I enjoy.

My dad stores his splitter at my house and I can use it all I want, neither I or he have a pellet processor.

What happens down the road a few years and the market for pellets tightens and the cost jumps up? I read a thread here awhile ago where someone told their tale of buying an outdoor corn burner, they said the rise in corn prices made the burner basically worthless since they did not grow corn and had to buy their fuel. I certainly would not want to set myself up for a situation where I was completly at the mercy of "the man" to buy my solid fuel.

Forgot to mention that I can clean the chimney on my cord wood stove in around 10 minutes, my friend has metioned that his pellet stove takes around 2 hours to clean.

 

[One Shot Will]

I have had a corn / pellet stove for five years. I have not used it for the last two.
It cost me $2000.00 and has not saved me that much yet.
when corn got to $3.00 / Bu Nat Gas was cheaper. I would burn 1Bu corn or 1 bag pellets / day.
$300 / Bu would be $.05 / pound for corn. $250/ton is $.125 /pound for pellets.
They are high maintenance stove and there is a fine dust all over. This one is in my shop.
I would not put one in my house!!!!!
Stick with the cord wood!!

 

[ray benson]

Cost comparison of different types of fuel - plug in your costs for wood, pellets oil, gas or coal.
Fuel Cost Comparison Calculator

 

[046]

processing wood is great exercise ... as I'm cussing handing monster 5ft diameter logs.
best of all... you get run your bad ass chainsaws!!!!!

 

[Coldfront]

Ok I was looking for opinions, I think I'll stick with burning regular wood. If I didn't work full time I would have all "free" wood, but right now my weekends and off time are valuable to me and I don't want to be spending all my spare free time scrounging wood. I like my fishing and hunting, so I don't mind paying $800 for a 10 cord load when I will only burn maybe 7 or 8 cords. After a few years I should be ahead and have a couple years worth of dry wood split and ready. Then I can go back to working on free wood only. I just moved to a new house last year and have to start from scratch again with my wood pile.

 

[Fyrebug]

Nothing is really free...

Unless you get free seasoned, split, cordwood delivered to your front door its not really 'free'. Chainsaw and other equipment plus your time, blood, sweat & tears are worth something.

It's not a fair assessment to say "what is better, Pellet or Wood"? It's really a lifestyle question. Pellets work best for people who cannot reload a wood stove during the day since there is no one home. Think of a pellet stove as a miniature furnace. You can load it every 2 or 3 days (depending on model and BTU load) and let it do its thing. You can put it on a thermostat and it will turn itself on & off. Basically, its for those who wants convenience over ambiance. One major negative is if the power goes out, so does the stove - unless you have battery back up. Price of fuel may also fluctuate over time, although if you have a pellet plant next door invite the owner for supper, that should help

If you use propane for heating there is a model out there where you can literally turn it into a miniature furnace. You just add a distribution kit that will provide 2 X 25 ft run of 5" insulated flexible duct to a vent outlet in your house. You get the best of both world. It's a 65,000 BTU unit ECO-65 EPA and Washington State approved High Efficiency Pellet Stove | Drolet

As far as "is it worth it?" Play with this calculator to see if it makes sense to you. Heating cost calculation according to energy sources | Drolet

 

[Highbeam]

Unless you get free seasoned, split, cordwood delivered to your front door its not really 'free'. Chainsaw and other equipment plus your time, blood, sweat & tears are worth something.

I hear this a lot. The market value of the wood is one thing, what you pay for it is another. I don't think my spare time is that valuable. What else am I going to be doing? Certainly not working at the regular 9-5 job. I'm going to have a chainsaw anyways so the only real costs are the fuel used to saw and haul. I am also saving money by not having to buy a gym membership and spend fuel driving to the gym. The exercise helps keep me healthy and saves medical bills.

It is pretty lame but I have heard of city people that buy all of their wood c/s/d. That's just silly.

Be careful with those fuel cost calculators. They assume an efficiency for wood or pellets that is often biased. They also don't take into account duct losses from a furnace that can suck up an easy 15% of the delivered heat.

 

[Fyrebug]

I hear this a lot. The market value of the wood is one thing, what you pay for it is another. I don't think my spare time is that valuable. What else am I going to be doing? Certainly not working at the regular 9-5 job. I'm going to have a chainsaw anyways so the only real costs are the fuel used to saw and haul. I am also saving money by not having to buy a gym membership and spend fuel driving to the gym. The exercise helps keep me healthy and saves medical bills.

It is pretty lame but I have heard of city people that buy all of their wood c/s/d. That's just silly.

Be careful with those fuel cost calculators. They assume an efficiency for wood or pellets that is often biased. They also don't take into account duct losses from a furnace that can suck up an easy 15% of the delivered heat.

Unfortunately, I'm one of those suckers that buys c/s/d. I'd love to have a wood lot but the city wont let me cut down the street trees. doofusses!:wink2:

I'm with you, If I had a choice I would do all you said. However, this is not available to everyone.

Efficiencies on wood stoves are pretty dead on. It's a Heat Loss calculation where most of the loss is in the stack for drafting.

Also are duct losses & jacket losses really heat losses? Only if your ducting is in an uninsulated crawl space. If your duct work and furnace is in a basement that heat remains in the house and therefore not 'lost'.