Pellet Stove Consumption & Cost Calculator

How it works

lb/h = (rated BTU/h × setting ÷ efficiency) ÷ BTU per lb; bags/day = lb/h × hours ÷ 40; hopper hours = capacity ÷ lb/h; season tons = lb/day × days ÷ 2,000; $/MMBTU = $/ton ÷ (2,000 × BTU/lb × efficiency) × 10⁶

A pellet stove meters fuel with an auger, so its consumption is simply the heat it is asked to produce divided by the efficiency and by the 8,000-odd BTU in a pound of pellets: a mid-size stove on a medium setting eats a little over a pound and a half an hour, roughly a 40 lb bag a day, and a typical northern season runs two to four tons. Because the stove also needs electricity for the auger and blowers — a hundred to a few hundred watts — it stops in a power cut unless backed up, and the ash pan and burn pot need regular cleaning. Buying by the pallet-ton rather than the bag saves 10–20%, and premium low-ash pellets keep the exchanger clean and the efficiency near its rating.

Worked example

A 40,000 BTU/h stove averaging 50% output at 80% efficiency burns 25,000 BTU/h of pellets — 3.05 lb/h, about 49 lb (1.2 bags) over a 16-hour day, so the 55 lb hopper lasts around 18 hours. A 150-day season uses 7,300 lb: 3.7 tons for about $1,170 by the pallet ($1,190 by the bag), plus roughly $60 of electricity.

Frequently asked questions