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When we found our house (we're not owners right now), there was already a pellet stove. I don't really appreciate it because it uses electricity (I don't know how much but we now depend on it) and I don't know if pellets are very sustainable. If we buy the house, is it better to change for a wood stove or to keep the actual stove.

Edit : we live near the mountains, there's a lot of wood here, not difficult to find a local retailant. We are in the middle of the France. After reflexion, we can't use solar panels to produce electricity for our own house : the electricity compagnies must buy it and then re-sell it to us. The stove is use to warm the house, not just a as decorative.

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    I live in the middle of the France, continental climate (not as harsh as some other countries). Somehow, we can't use our own electricities in France, we have to sell it to the companies and re-buy it... France. So that's not a things to do (alternatively, we can use solar panel without the companies to hot water). There's a lot of wood here, I can't produce my own but there are local retailants. A lot of sun too (bit it's cold).
    – Phnix
    Commented Jan 26, 2017 at 18:14
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    The electricity consumption is likely to be minimal, to drive fans or control electronics. But you can test it.
    – Chris H
    Commented Jan 29, 2017 at 18:43
  • But what's more sustainable ? Pellet or entire wood ?
    – Phnix
    Commented Jan 30, 2017 at 15:01
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    Related: sustainability.stackexchange.com/questions/3143/… and sustainability.stackexchange.com/questions/5044/…
    – user2451
    Commented Feb 2, 2017 at 10:47

2 Answers 2

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First, independently between wood and pellets, it depends how sustainably the wood you will use is farmed. Let's assume its farmed the same, so we rule this factor out - and France forest are among the most sustainably farmed I think

Inconvenient of pellets:

  • (little) amount of energy to drive the feeding mechanism
  • mechanism can dysfunction
  • another amount of energy to produce the pellets, I mean "extra" energy compared to the production of simple firewood

Advantages:

  • saved heating energy because pellets should come with less moisture
  • storage is easier
  • automatic feeding
  • continuous heating

Except the first one, this is mostly for comfort... I see no real advantage in the use of pellets, put aside the fact that you'll probably need to by them from a remote place, compared to the closeness where you can buy your firewood (sorry poor English). Moreover, from JD answer here it looks like pellets aren't the best way to go in the long run: they become less sustainable because of increasing demand.

And not even sure pellets can apply right to the use of a mass stove heater, which on the other hand is said to have very high efficiency to burn wood.

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Pellets are sustainable, typically made from poor feed-stock wood products. The heat produced is also evenly distributed, unlike a woodstove-high when fully loaded and lower as the fire extinguishes itself.

I have been heating with pellets for 10 yrs in a cold climate-New England in the USA.

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  • But what about the electricity used by a pellet stove?
    – THelper
    Commented Feb 2, 2017 at 7:04
  • You are not answering the pellet <-> wood question
    – user2451
    Commented Feb 2, 2017 at 10:48
  • I would also consider transports.
    – Phnix
    Commented Feb 3, 2017 at 15:31

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