Lately I’ve been kept busy with our latest purchase: a new wood pellet stove. Previously we heated with wood. Which, sure, is quaint and all. But wood has serious drawbacks, while pellets have numerous advantages as a highly efficient biofuel. (I tried to Google for a quick and easy primer but couldn’t find anything too great, so I foresee a future post topic!)

We bought the England’s Stove Works 1,500 sq ft / 42,000 BTU model. ESW is one of the most widely available brands of pellet stoves, available at Lowes’, Home Depot, ACE, etc. We should have it up and running tomorrow.

Pellets are hard to come by this time of the year as supply and distribution is still catching up to demand. Most hardware or feed stores in the northeast carry pellets these days, but they typically only get a few pallets in at a time, which are then quickly snapped up. It’s smart to buy over the summer as prices are lower and you’re ensured a supply before it ever gets cold. But I placed an order on PelletSales.com a few days ago and will be calling tomorrow to get an estimated time of arrival. They deliver to your door and prices are competitive with the chain stores.

Until they deliver, however, we’re stuck scrounging for any 40 pound bags we come across. (Pellets typically come in 40lb bags, with 50 bags to a pallet. We’ve yet to experiment, but expect to burn somewhere in the range of one bag a day.) Regardless, I’m excited and will probably post more about it as we log time with this new “heat source of the future.” (har har har)