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Are Super Premium Wood Pellets Worth The Price?
Recently, the average price per
ton of premium wood pellets
has fallen 8% to $240 per ton
from $260 per ton.
You could probably attribute this
in part to the stalled housing
industry (less competition for
sawdust) and the soft demand
for pellet stoves due to
unfavorable economic conditions.
Whatever the reason, this is
welcome news if you currently
own a pellet stove, or plan to
buy one.
ton of premium wood pellets
has fallen 8% to $240 per ton
from $260 per ton.
You could probably attribute this
in part to the stalled housing
industry (less competition for
sawdust) and the soft demand
for pellet stoves due to
unfavorable economic conditions.
Whatever the reason, this is
welcome news if you currently
own a pellet stove, or plan to
buy one.
At $240 per ton, wood pellets now equal the cost to heat of natural gas - or around
$15.00 per 1 million Btu. This of course is the cost before the efficiency of your furnace
is factored in.
For instance, the cost to heat with an 80% efficient furnace or pellet stove would
actually be $18.75 per 1 million Btu since 20% of the fuel is not consumed. And, just as
stove efficiency affects the cost to heat, so also does the ash content of the pellets
you burn.
Due to advances in manufacturing almost all pellets sold for fuel are premium grade.
The maximum ash content for a pellet to be considered Premium is .99%, or “less than
1%.” When the ash concentration is less than .5% it is deemed “Super Premium”
according to a new standards category defined by the Pellet Fuels Institute.
Less ash means more combustible fuel per pound, a higher Btu rating and, as you
would expect, a higher price - but are “Super Premium Wood Pellets” worth the extra
cost?
The easiest way to judge the cost effectiveness among various grades of wood pellets
is to compare Btu yield per dollar spent.
First we’ll look at a “Premium” pellet labeled Maine’s Choice which contain “less than
1% ash” and cost $210 per ton for a 3 ton order – the most common size. At 7,700 Btu
per pound, the Maine’s Choice pellets yield 73,333 Btu per dollar spent.
(2,000 lbs x 7700 Btu ÷ $210).
Next we’ll look at the Comfy Cozy “Super Premium” brand containing .26% ash costing
$240 per ton for a 3 ton order. At 8,271 Btu per pound, Comfy Cozy pellets yield
68,925 Btu for every dollar spent – or 4408 fewer Btu per $1 expended than Maine’s
Choice “Premium” brand.
When you factor in the total cost for a 3 ton order of the super premium brand the
yield in total is 3,174,000 Btu’s less than the Premium brand. Depending on your
climate, three million Btu’s represents 2-6% of the annual home heating Btu
consumption.
So in this example it would cost 14% more for 6% less heat if you opted for Super
Premium pellets instead of standard Premium quality.
Of course this isn’t the whole story. Super Premium pellets contain about 1% less
moisture than Premium pellets which helps to control creosote build up somewhat. And
the reduced ash content of Super Premium brands means a bit less maintenance and
clean up.
Other factors to be aware of are seasonal fluctuation in prices, purchase incentives,
the Btu content per pound for each brand, and delivery costs.
$15.00 per 1 million Btu. This of course is the cost before the efficiency of your furnace
is factored in.
For instance, the cost to heat with an 80% efficient furnace or pellet stove would
actually be $18.75 per 1 million Btu since 20% of the fuel is not consumed. And, just as
stove efficiency affects the cost to heat, so also does the ash content of the pellets
you burn.
Due to advances in manufacturing almost all pellets sold for fuel are premium grade.
The maximum ash content for a pellet to be considered Premium is .99%, or “less than
1%.” When the ash concentration is less than .5% it is deemed “Super Premium”
according to a new standards category defined by the Pellet Fuels Institute.
Less ash means more combustible fuel per pound, a higher Btu rating and, as you
would expect, a higher price - but are “Super Premium Wood Pellets” worth the extra
cost?
The easiest way to judge the cost effectiveness among various grades of wood pellets
is to compare Btu yield per dollar spent.
First we’ll look at a “Premium” pellet labeled Maine’s Choice which contain “less than
1% ash” and cost $210 per ton for a 3 ton order – the most common size. At 7,700 Btu
per pound, the Maine’s Choice pellets yield 73,333 Btu per dollar spent.
(2,000 lbs x 7700 Btu ÷ $210).
Next we’ll look at the Comfy Cozy “Super Premium” brand containing .26% ash costing
$240 per ton for a 3 ton order. At 8,271 Btu per pound, Comfy Cozy pellets yield
68,925 Btu for every dollar spent – or 4408 fewer Btu per $1 expended than Maine’s
Choice “Premium” brand.
When you factor in the total cost for a 3 ton order of the super premium brand the
yield in total is 3,174,000 Btu’s less than the Premium brand. Depending on your
climate, three million Btu’s represents 2-6% of the annual home heating Btu
consumption.
So in this example it would cost 14% more for 6% less heat if you opted for Super
Premium pellets instead of standard Premium quality.
Of course this isn’t the whole story. Super Premium pellets contain about 1% less
moisture than Premium pellets which helps to control creosote build up somewhat. And
the reduced ash content of Super Premium brands means a bit less maintenance and
clean up.
Other factors to be aware of are seasonal fluctuation in prices, purchase incentives,
the Btu content per pound for each brand, and delivery costs.
Related topics:
How To Purchase Wood Pellets
Find A Wood Pellets Dealer
How To Purchase Wood Pellets
Find A Wood Pellets Dealer