RSS
 

Archive for October, 2017

To buy or not to buy? The drawbacks and benefits of wood pellet stoves

18 Oct

Wood pellet stoves are becoming increasingly popular for their versatility, design and functionality. Pellets are C02 neutral and come from a renewable source for a sustainable heating system. But before you take the plunge, here’s a quick guide to the drawbacks and benefits of wood pellet stoves.

Diadema Idro pellet stove

Drawbacks of wood pellet stoves

• Maintenance: if you’re used to cleaning a wood burner, then you perhaps won’t be too phased by having to thoroughly vacuum the burning pot every week. But your wood pellet stove will also need a thorough deep clean every three months and a service annually.

• Noise: one of the big drawbacks of pellet burners used to be the noise of the ventilator and auger when the stove is in operation. However, these problems have been largely dealt with in newer stoves as the technology improves.

• Fire: the flames from a pellet burner are much smaller than those of a wood burner, and can’t compare to the look of a traditional roaring fire.

• Electricity: for wood pellet stoves to achieve full functionality, they’re dependent on electricity and won’t work in a power cut.

The benefits of wood pellet stoves

• Functionality: if you want the sustainability of burning wood with the ease of use of a conventional boiler then a pellet burner is the ideal choice. You can programme them and adjust the temperature with a room thermostat, or even control them from an app on your phone. It’s this hassle free operation and autonomy that is a big plus for wood pellet stoves – just add the pellets, set the programme and enjoy comfortable warmth in your home day after day.

• Efficiency: wood pellet stoves can be up to 90% efficient, which makes them far more economical than a wood burning stove. The on-board computer will also ensure the pellet burner operates at maximum efficiency, producing an ash content from wood pellets of just 0.5-1%.

• Convenience: you may not have room to stack and store logs, but there’s always space for bags of pellets. These can be easily stored thanks to their compactness and are always ready to use. The price of pellets has been comparatively steady in recent years, making them a cost-effective fuel and as a biomass fuel they’re carbon neutral too.

If you’re interested in investing in a wood pellet burner that’s capable of doing everything from looking decorative to running your heating and hot water system, then contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

 
Comments Off on To buy or not to buy? The drawbacks and benefits of wood pellet stoves

Posted in English