10 Best Pellet Stoves 2024 in the US

Waaaay back, in 1979, President Jimmy Carter proposed a thermostat control program: people were encouraged to not raise their thermostats more than 69 degrees in the winter. (President Carter adhered to his own suggestion and kept the temperature in the White House at 68 degrees.) The program was estimated to have saved 300,000 barrels of fuel every day!

Since the late 70s, other methods have become available so that you can heat your home economically and still keep your house warm in the winter, guilt-free. A pellet stove can supplement your home’s existing heating system and can help reduce your heating bill--manufacturers advertise that it can save 40-50% on your heating bill. A pellet stove runs on wood pellets, made from leftover sawdust produced when making wood furniture and constructions from wood. (Another fuel source is dried corn.) Using them as fuel is both economical and environmentally-friendly--a great alternative to using oil, gas, or even electricity. A pellet stove is capable of heating an area of 1500 - 2000 square feet. But they can be sophisticated as well, running on a thermostat and electronic control panel. That way, it will heat the house only when you need it, to the temperature that you desire. They also aren’t cheap--depending on how you heat your house now, it can take anywhere from 3-6 years to pay for itself.

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a pellet stove. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of pellet stove,

• See useful tips about that type of pellet stove,

• Read reviews of the different pellet stoves, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of a pellet stove, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

In a pellet stove, you load the wood pellets into a bin called the hopper. An auger turns and slowly deposits the wood pellets into the burn pot, where the pellets are incinerated. By adjusting the device’s thermostat, you are adjusting the speed at which the auger deposits pellets to be burnt. A heat exchanger allows the hot air to rise, while cool air gets heated by the stove. There will be a blower to circulate the heat over a greater area. And an exhaust blower gets rid of any gaseous by-products, that exit via a chimney or exhaust. There are three main designs of pellet stoves:

• Insert pellet stoves: If your house already has a fireplace, you can try an insert pellet stove. It fits into your fireplace, and the exhaust is sent up the chimney. An example is the US Stove Multi-Fuel Fireplace Insert.

US Stove Multi-Fuel Fireplace Insert

• Free-standing pellet stoves: A free-standing stove will require some installation, which is best done by a professional. You’ll have to provide some space for a vent pipe to get rid of the exhaust.  An example is the US Stove King Mini Pellet Stove.

US Stove King Stand-Alone Mini-Pellet Stove

• Pellet boilers: These are pellet stoves that provide central heating for an entire home. The pellet stove will boil water, which is then streamed through the radiators in the house.

We can also distinguish by how the pellets are loaded into the burn pot.

• Top-loaded: In stoves where the pellets are loaded from the top of the stove, there is less of a chance of the fire flaring up--so it is somewhat safer. At the same time, it produces more ash.

• Bottom-loaded: Here the pellets are loaded in right next to the burn pot. Any ash will collect in the ash pan, instead of possibly clogging the vents. But it tends to burn less efficiently, yielding more ash.

• Warranty: The various parts of the stove will have different warranties. For example, ComfortBilt offers a 1-year warranty on their stove’s electronics, 3 years on the ceramic glass, and 7 years on the steel parts.

• Easy access and maintenance: The ComfortBilt pellet stove has several features to allow for easy cleaning and access. It has a lever handle to get to the burn chamber, as well as magnetic doors that open easily. There is also a lift-out ash pan, which, depending on the model, can go for 1 or even 3 months without being emptied! It’s suggested to either dump out the accumulated ash, or vacuum them out. The burn pot itself might have to be scraped and vacuum to get out all the residue.

• Getting rid of the exhaust: Pellet stoves burn very efficiently--in fact, much more than a wood-burning fireplace. But nonetheless, there is a danger of carbon monoxide building up in the room. Also, it can consume the oxygen in the room as well. So you have to allow for a way of venting the exhaust while allowing fresh air to enter the room. Therefore, it’s best to have a professional do the installation (something that can go for $250 - $1000), to allow for proper ventilation.

• Auto- and manual ignition: You’ll see that pellet stoves can have either auto-ignition or manual ignition. Auto-ignition uses electricity to light the initial fire, while you can light a stove running on manual ignition by means of a match and an accelerant such as lighter fluid or ignition gel. The auto-ignition might give a problem if you suffer a power outage. The Wise-Way 2,000 Sq. Feet Non-Electric Pellet Stove uses a propane torch to get started--so you’re all set, even if you are stuck without electricity.

Wise Way Non-Electric Pellet Stove

• Not recommended for other types of fuel: Pellet stoves are designed for burning these specialized pellets. It’s not recommended trying to use firewood, which can strain the components and not burn efficiently anyway.

• Specifics about the pellets: There are some specs that apply to the pellets that you use. In particular, a top-loading stove will require a higher-grade of pellets, that yield less ash. When buying pellets, look at the following details: 1) the grade of the product (e.g., premium), 2) the amount of ash that the pellets produce--it should be <1%, and 3) fines/particulates--this should say .05 or less.

• Size of the hopper: A rough estimate is that a pound of wood pellets will provide fuel for 1 hour. But if you want to burn the pellets at a faster rate to get the house warmer, it can be 2 pounds/hour. you can order them in bulk. So a hopper that holds 60 pounds of pellets, as in the US Stove Wiseway Pellet Stove (Model No. Unit 040) can give around 30 hours of heat.

• Buying pellets: It’s recommended to buy the pellets in bulk. That way, they are delivered by truck, in the form of sacks that are stacked on pallets. Just make sure you have space where to store all that!

United States Stove Company was formed by a 1926 merger between Wetter Manufacturing and Perry Stove Works, two businesses that were founded in the 1860s. The company has its headquarters in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. They make wood stoves, cast-iron heating stoves, pellet stoves, and air circulators.

Comfortbilt is located in Morrisville, North Carolina. They make pellet stoves from high-quality steel. Their pellet stoves can be operated either by the device’s control panel or by remote control.