The Wood Stove Accessories Blog

Apparantly wood and pellet stoves are getting harder to find with the recent jump in sales.

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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If you are joining the growing group of people that are interested in conserving on home heating costs by installing a wood stove you can choose the stove that is right for you by asking some simple questions.

Wood Stove Questions

1. Are the wood stoves I am considering EPA approved? 

You can normally find the answer to this question by finding the stickers on the stoves that tell you whether or not they are certified by the EPA. Certified stoves will be more environmentally friendly and burn more efficiently.  Other information about Btu ratings and square footage heating estimates may also prove helpful but don’t depend on them too much because there is no standard system for calculating these estimates. 

2. What is your main purpose for the stove?

Do you want it for heating, cooking, emergencies or just ambiance?  If it is just for emergencies or ambiance you can get away with a small stove.  If you intend to use if for cooking then you will want to look for stoves designed with cooking features.  If you want it for heat then you will want to get the stove that is sized correctly for the area you are trying to heat and that will do so as efficiently as possible.

3. How much heat does the wood stove need to provide?

It is important to get the correct size when it comes to wood stoves used for heating.  If you get a stove that is too small it will not be able to provide the heat you need.  On the other hand, if you buy a stove that is too large, you will pay more than necessary and you’ll be forced to cut down the stove’s air supply to control the heat, which will reduce efficiency, waste fuel and create a fire hazard.  It’s really not that complicated though.  If you are just heating one room you can get away with a small stove.  A small home will require a medium sized stove, while a large or poorly insulated home will normally require a large wood stove.  

Once you have answered these questions for yourself and found the stoves that fit your requirements it is simply a matter of taste.

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