What is Pellet Fuel?
Pellet
fuel is a renewable, clean-burning, and cost-effective alternative
currently used throughout approximately 800,000 homes in the United
States. With environmentally-conscious practices on the rise, many
consumers have evaluated the commercial products they are using and made
the switch to those that are safer for the earth.
Benefits of using wood pellets as pellet fuel:
• Environmental
- Pellet fuel has proven to provide the cleanest burn of any
solid fuel. Pellet stoves exhaust an average of 1.2 particulate grams
per hour – well below the United States EPA wood burning limit of 7.5
grams. This is because the combustion air can be easily regulated, which
optimizes the burn efficiency, and because of pellet’s low moisture
content.
- Since wood pellets are produced from recycled sawdust, it
is a clean way to divert the 6.5 million cubic feet of sawdust, timber
by-products, and other waste materials from landfills and turn it into
energy. Wood pellets are virtually carbon neutral which means that, on
combustion, the wood releases as much carbon dioxide as it absorbed
while growing – and as it would release by degrading naturally.
• Convenient
- No dust or dirt is brought into the home with pellet fuel
and it is stored in less space. Four times more pellet fuel can be
stored in a given space than cordwood or wood chips. A winter’s supply
of pellets for an average home occupies a space roughly 6’ x 6’ x 6’,
which makes them easy to store in a small area of a dry garage,
basement, utility room or shed.
- It’s also easy to use loading your pellet stove once a day.
A precisely regulated fuel feed automatically operates the stove
according to owner-determined settings.
• Efficient
- Pellets have five to 10 percent moisture content in
comparison to 30 to 60 percent for cordwood and woodchips. This means
pellets are a more efficient fuel.
- Wood pellets have a BTU output content of 350,000 per cubic
foot of fuel, versus 70,000 to 90,000 for cordwood or wood chips. This
means pellets produce more heat.
