So you’re thinking about a wood pellet stove or fireplace insert for your Washtenaw or Jackson county home or business. How does one know how to begin to shop for an alternative-heating source? First, you will need to do your homework and find a reputable dealer. Look for someone who is knowledgeable about the various stove brands. They will know what features make one stove more efficient over another. Finding someone who knows the various options first hand and can patiently guide you through the process will save you headaches down the road.
- Always ask questions! Does the dealer offer in-home consultations & installation? Do they offer replacement parts and service? Do they warranty their installation if something isn’t working correctly and willing to correct mistakes at no cost to you? Can you trust them to do what they say they are going to do?
- Does the dealer supply the fuel source or do you need to go elsewhere for the wood-pellets, coal or corn?
- When pricing stoves, the best buy for your money is important, but remember, you do get what you pay for.
- Many people are looking on the Internet for deals on both new & used models. Remember, dealers of name brand stoves are not required to service stoves they did not sell themselves.
- Will the unit you are looking at meet your needs or is the dealer looking to make a quick sale?
- Can the dealer or sales person give you references of past customers using that same stove?
- Many small business owners can’t compete with the big-box stores by keeping a large inventory and selection but most of the top brands can be ordered and at the store for you within a week. If the dealer has past customers with the stove you want, ask if you can talk with that customer and look at the stove more closely to make sure it will serve your needs.
At Chelsea Rentals and Hearth Sales, we know what we sell — we’ve been heating our own home and showroom with alternative fuel stoves for years! We offer top of the line models from top rated manufacturers which have a minimum 75% thermal efficiency rating. Feel free to give us a call if you have any questions and stop by our showroom to see and feel the warmth of a wood burning pellet stove in person.
734-433-1212
If you are thinking of wood pellet stoves in the Jackson, Michigan area for your home, garage, cottage, cabin or business, Chelsea Rentals and Hearth Sales carries top rated models from the industry’s leading manufacturers.
There are numerous benefits to using a wood pellet stove or insert, including economic and environmental. One reason they are so popular is that they are very easy to use. Some pellet stoves offer automatic ignition meaning you don’t need to use matches or push buttons to start. Many also are now controlled by a thermostat which will regulate the room or house temperature perfectly, whether you are at home or away.
According to the Pellet Fuels Institute, there are an estimated 1,000,000 residences/businesses in the U.S. currently heating with pellets.
Some of the other benefits include:
* A typical homeowner uses 3 tons of pellets per heating season at a cost of about $825. At an average retail price of $250/ton, pellets offer a fuel cost per million BTU of $19.05. To offer a fuel cost of $19.05 per million BTU, # 2 fuel oil and propane would have to be priced at $2.05/gal and $1.36/gal, respectively! (Fuel Value Calculator, USFS, 2008)
* One ton of wood pellets has the energy equivalency of 2.8 barrels of #2 fuel oil. (Energy Information Administration)
* Direct thermal conversion of 3 million tons of wood pellets displaces the equivalent of almost 8.5 million barrels of #2 fuel oil. That is 356 million gallons! (Energy Information Administration)
* Direct thermal conversion of pellets has an efficiency level of approximately 80%.
* Pellet stoves have extremely low particulate emissions due to their high burn efficiency and the density of the fuel (<1 gm/hr). (Environmental Protection Agency)
* Every ton of pellets used vs. oil reduces CO2 emissions by about 1.5 tons. Total emissions offset this year will be nearly 4.5 million tons of CO2.
* Pellet distribution costs less than the cost of distributing wood chips.
* Wood pellets have a fossil energy ratio (net energy output/fossil energy used) of 12:1. (Net Energy Value Study, University of Wisconsin Green Bay)
* As of 2009, pellet manufacturing directly employs approximately 2,300 people in the U.S. and supports thousands of industry-related jobs in fields such as transportation and logging. (North America’s Wood Pellet Sector, Spelter & Toth, 2009)
Data provided courtesy of the Pellet Fuels Institute
For more information about wood pellet stoves in the Jackson area, give us a call or stop by our showroom to see the glow and feel the warmth in person!
Chelsea Rentals and Hearth Sales is conveniently located just north of I-94 and M-52 in Chelsea Michigan serving local communities from Jackson to Ann Arbor.
734-433-1212
