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Pellet Benefits
Wood
pellets were first engineered in the 1970s in response to an energy
shortage in the U.S. and are generally manufactured from wood waste
generated in saw mills, furniture manufacturing facilities, paper
mills, etc. Burning wood pellets can be used as a substitute for electricity;
wood-fueled fireplaces and stoves; or fossil fuels, such as propane
or natural gas. Pellet fuel is burned in appliances, such as freestanding
stoves, fireplace inserts, furnaces or commercial burners.
Convenience
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Clean and allergy-free. No dust or dirt is brought into the home
with pellet fuel.
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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.
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Easy to use. Load once a day. Precisely regulated fuel feed automatically
operates the stove according to owner-determined settings.
Efficiency
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More efficient fuel than cordwood. 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.
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Higher Btu content than cordwood. Wood pellets have a Btu output
content of 350,000 per cub. Ft. of fuel, versus 70,000 to 90,000
for cordwood or wood chips. This means pellets produce more heat.
Environmental
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All natural fuel. Once compressed and dried, pellets hold their
form with natural lignin, which means no glue or binders are required.
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Cleaner burn. 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 woodburning
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.
Sustainability
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Energy from waste. Pellet fuel is made of waste products, such as
pallets and manufacturing excess. It is a practical way to utilize
biomass materials from sustainable forest initiatives, especially
for commercial applications
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Other Biomass products. Cornstalks, straw, wastepaper and even animal
waste can be converted into pellets.
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