Pellet stoves burn pellets made mainly from wood sawdust, shavings, or wood chips. The owner fills the stove with pellets once or more each day, the chips are mechanically fed into the burning chamber. Fans draw air from the room into the burning chamber where it is exposed to heat from the burning pellets and warm air is blown out into the room. The speed at which the fans operate controls the amount of heat the stoves produces.

Pellet stove advocates praise pellet stoves because:

Pellet stoves have an easily adjustable heat output.

Pellet stoves can be around 90% efficient.

Because pellet stoves burn wood byproducts and are 90% efficent they are more environmentally friendly.

Pellet stoves depending on usage only need to be refiled with pellets every 6 to 24 hours.

Some more expensive pellet stoves offer self-ignition, programmability, and remote control.

Pellet stove detractors criticise pellet stoves because:

Burning logs on a conventional stove produces mesmerising natural flame effects, the flame effect produced by burning wood pellets is similar to gas and bioethanol stoves.

Pellet stoves are around 200 – 300% more expensive to buy than comparable conventional  stoves.

Pellet stoves are around 90% efficient whilst modern conventional stoves are around 80% efficient. However, buying pellets costs around 25% more than buying logs.

Pellet stove marketing claims that they are more environmentally friendly ignore the large amount of energy required to manufacture wood pellets and that over 95% of wood pellets are imported into the UK from countries like America and Canada.

Pellets are hygroscopic (absorb water quickly) so will swell & crumble if not stored in a dry indoor or covered area in a sealed container away from cold walls and floors.

The process of filling a pellet stove with pellets can release a significant amount of wood dust into the room.

The noise produced by a pellet stoves mechanical fans, agitators, feeders, actuators, scrapers and feed motors can be distracting in a domestic enviroment.

The choice of pellet stoves is extremely limited because most established UK stove manufacturers do not believe pellet stoves offer any real benefit so do not offer pellet stoves.

Pellet stoves are popular in some EU country’s because consumers receive Government subsidies, the UK Government does not offer such subsidies.

Pellet stoves require expensive specialist servicing at least annually, because of their comparative rarity few companies service pellet stoves.

Pellet stoves numerous mechanical parts (fans, agitators, feeders, actuators, scrapers) and electrical components can wear out within a few years and spare parts may not be available in the future.

Pellet stoves do not work if there is an electricity power cut so they are not a viable backup for central heating systems, conventional stoves do not need electricity.

The load once a night option offered by pellet stoves can be enjoyed simply by burning wood, peat or anthracite briquettes in a conventional (multi fuel) stove.

The convenience benefits offered by pellet stoves in terms of efficiency and an easily adjustable heat output are already available from peoples existing central heating systems.

The advantages of modern conventional stoves are mesmerising flames, economy, simplicity, reliability and longevity. Pellet stoves do not offer these benefits.