About 5 years ago when we still owned the Kingston house, we made an attempt at making the heating system more energy efficient. Not such a difficult task considering the home had electric baseboard heating.

We had a lovely stone fireplace in the living room and a wood burning stove in the basement that we used regularly as weekenders. Once we moved up there full time, chopping wood got old fast and we noticed a constant draft from the flue.

We decided to install a freestanding stove in the fireplace. This would take care of the draft problem because the system uses closed ducts inside the chimney. We researched wood pellets, corn and gas. We ended up with gas. Duh!

Our decision was based on a few factors. One, our electric went out frequently in the woods. The pellet and corn stoves require electric to run the feed and circulation blower. Although gas stoves require electric for the blower, it isn’t necessary at all times.

Secondly, with pellets or corn, we would’ve had to stay on top of things. The pellets don’t magically jump into the stove by themselves. We went through alot of logs with the wood stove and constantly had to feed it. We worried that might be the case with the pellets and if we were at work or away on vacation, we would have to rely too heavily on the electric baseboards as backup (to keep the pets toasty when we’re gone).

If you aren’t lazy bastards like us, obviously pellet or corn stoves are the way to go. They are a clean, sustainable source of heat. Some models burn both pellets and corn if you cannot make a decision. And, guess what? If you run out of kitty litter….what do you think Feline Pine is?

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Fireplace Lowdown
How To Choose a Pellet Stove
Alternative Heating Info
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