A wood stove may be a cost-effective option for heating your home this winter
PORTLAND (WGME) -- Maine has already had some cold nights, and it’s only going to get colder.
Whether it’s a pellet stove or a wood stove, installing one may be a cost-effective way to heat your home this winter.
But there is one important thing to keep in mind.
“A pellet stove is all mechanical, so in case of power outages, you will not be able to use your pellet unit. On the other hand, with a wood-burning unit, you don’t need electricity at all. So in case of a power outage, you’re still going to be able to get heat output,” Embers Stoves and Fireplaces Sales Associate Kyle Googins said.
While a wood stove requires more manual labor by adding your own wood, it uses a lot less energy.
“A wood-burning unit, on average, is quite a bit less per BTU compared to other heating types such as oil, gas stoves and even pellet stoves. So it’s very cost-effective in the long run,” Googins said.
Embers Stoves and Fireplaces in South Portland explained how the process might look from purchase to installation.
“Normally, we start off with photos of everything where a customer would have an idea of where they want to put the stove. From that point, we figure out the exact model and the perfect unit to fit their needs based on what they want the look of, square footage,” Googins said.
And with any heating appliance, safety is key, especially if you have kids in the house.
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“Our general rule of thumb is about three feet away from any chair, coffee tables, couches, anything like that. You can get these things called a KidCo gate, which is almost like a safety gate, and that produces a barrier so they won’t get near the stove,” Googins said.
As for this winter, you’ll likely need to wait at least a month or two before it can be installed, meaning you could get one set up before the end of the winter season if you act fast.