Wood pellet stoves were invented in the 1980s as alternative efficient wood stoves. The 1970s saw a drastic shift of people from oil to more environmental sources of energy, such as biomass fuel. They say that necessity is the mother of all inventions and in this instance, the 1973 oil crisis was the mother of wood pellet stoves. Wood pellet stoves act as efficient wood stoves, using wood byproducts such as sawdust, corn kernels, nut shells and husks to supply heat. The concept of burning wood scraps in efficient wood stoves began in the Depression Era. During those hard times, wood waste in drums and barrels were all they could afford as efficient wood stoves.

Because wood pellet stoves are the youngest in the family of efficient wood stoves, not many people know the basics about wood pellet stoves. Wood pellet stoves are most economical and ecological to operate. The going rate for pellets this year is $3 for a 40-pound sack, way cheaper than wood and natural gas on sale. Pellets are dry and compact, yielding fewer particulate emissions than wood and gas. These reasons make wood pellet stoves efficient wood stoves, but the benefits of these efficient wood stoves do not end there.

Wood pellet stoves are very easy to operate, as there is very little work required from the user. These efficient wood stoves are installed with a hopper, which serves as a holding area for pellets. A hopper-load of wood pellets is enough to supply a home with two days worth of heat. The auger is the mechanism that feeds pellets into the heating chamber. The auger’s speed may be controlled to manipulate the stove’s heating capacity. Fewer pellets burned in an hour convert to a slow fire. In order to speed up fire, the auger has to burn more pellets in an hour. Bigger rooms are heated more easily when more pellets are burned in an hour. Most wood pellet stoves can be left alone once pellet is fed into the hopper, while the older efficient wood stoves are manually lit. Wood pellet stoves are built with fans that suck in air from the surroundings and use it to ignite the heat inside the stove. Air is exhausted through the chimney, but there are models that do not need a venting system.

Wood pellet stoves have a higher efficiency rate than other types of efficient wood stoves. Their efficiency is calculated to be at 85-90%. Because of the pellet’s compact size and almost zero moisture content, it is possible for it to combust almost fully. A pellet’s heat is extracted almost entirely, giving off more heat than wood or gas. Pellets also produce little residue since it is possible to burn them almost completely. In fact, a 40-pound sack yields only a cup of ashes, which are caught in the wood pellet stove’s ash pan. Unlike the more popular wood burning fireplaces that require weekly cleaning, wood pellet stoves may be cleaned every few months. Another great thing about wood pellet stoves is that owning these efficient wood stoves qualifies users to a tax rebate.