According to Hattie Bernstein of Cabinet.com “three hundred customers who want to buy pellet stoves have placed their names on a waiting list at Fireplace Village in Bedford NH and at the retailer’s other locations.

The recent rise in the cost of home heating oil has inspired many homeowners to rethink their heating options.

Firewood dealers and stove retailers are reporting brisk business that began last spring, almost six months earlier than usual all across the region.  They also say they have waiting lists, for both stoves and wood.  Many people are scrambling to get alternate heat.

Customers are concerned about not only the availability of stoves, but also the price. As demand goes up, prices are going up.

“Everybody’s scrambling to get alternate heat,” he said. “They sell quick. They’re selling quick right now.”

Finding firewood or wood pellets could also be a challenge this year, as demand continues to rise.

Sarah Smith, forest industry specialist at the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension forestry wildlife program, said people are panicking over the high cost of home heating oil.  As a result, they’re buying stoves, often with little, if any, knowledge about how to use them.

She recommended that first-time users of wood or pellet stoves educate themselves, learning what comprises a legal cord and how to maintain a stove to minimize the risk of fires.

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