The Wood Fireplace Insert Blog

Wood pellet fireplaces are becoming a more populare option for reducing utility costs as heating fuel prices continue to soar.

The wood pellets that are used to fuel these pellet fireplaces are made from wood scraps that are compressed into pellets to form a smooth flowing and even burning fuel. Although they are typically a less expensive way to heat they are a bit less convenient than just turning up the thermostat to the furnace.

The pellets typically come packaged in 40-50 pound bags. They can be bought in small numbers or delivered by the pallet.  Each day the pellet fireplace is in use it has to be reloaded.  With heavy usage it may require a second refill.

But according to Peter Howe of NECN, Jon Strimling had a better idea.  His idea was for homeowners to be able to flick a switch and have a hopper load the pellet fireplaces and then have a delivery truck load the hopper.

“We’re taking pellets in bulk out of the back of this truck, by bulk I mean there’s no bags in them, and we’re flowing them down this pipe into the garage” says Strimling.

The typical home using 3-4 tons a year would only require two fills to keep their pellet fireplace running. That’s 3-4 tons that the homeowner doesn’t have to move by hand.

Strimling’s company currently charges around $325/ton, with the bags being delivered on pallets. In heating value, that is 30-40% less expensive than heating oil. They have just begun selling hopper systems and hope it will make pellets even more popular.

Ten to fifteen percent of the product cost is actually tied up in the packaging, so bulk delivery of the pellets is not only less hassle, it costs about 10 percent less as an added bonus.

Despite the hands on requirements of heating with pellets, it’s popularity has grown in recent years. More then 800,000 U.S. households use pellets for either some or all of their heat.  This equates to 2.2 billion pounds of wood pellets annualy. The industry continues to grow with over 80 pellet producers and 23 manufacturers of pellet fireplaces, stoves, and pellet furnaces.