According to the latest report by Bioenergy Europe, the global production of pellets and its consumption would be constantly growing. This is not surprising, as it is an eco-sustainable and economical fuel, as the report itself highlights.
Even in our country, more and more people are choosing to use pellets as fuel to heat their homes. But how to choose the best pellet for stoves to save on maintenance costs and heat the home?
The cost of the pellets
A 15 kg bag of pellets has a price ranging from 3 to 5 euros and which can vary depending on some of its characteristics.
Cost is certainly not the only factor to consider when purchasing. When buying pellets it is important to make sure that it has certain characteristics in order to maximize the caloric yield of the heating system.
We also remember the importance of buying a quality stove that is suitable for your needs. Indeed, to warm up in winter here is the best pellet stove to buy among these 20 according to a survey.
How to choose the best pellet for stoves to save on maintenance costs and heat the house
Make sure there are certifications
By carefully examining the package you can be sure of the presence of certifications that guarantee the quality of the fuel. At a European level, ENPlus is authentic, whose presence ensures that we are faced with a product that meets the minimum quality standards along the entire supply chain and is free from harmful chemical agents.
It is necessary to ensure both the presence of the certification mark and the identification code of the product as well as the quality class (A1, the best, A2 and B).
The Pellet Gold quality mark, developed and awarded by the Italian Agroforestry Energy Association, is also known in our country.
Check the amount of ash
The use of pellets with a high percentage of ash forces you to perform maintenance on your stove more frequently and consequently to spend more money. It also pollutes more and makes cleaning the appliance more difficult.
According to the European reference scale, the A1 pellet should, for example, have an ash content of approximately 0.7%. It is worth spending a little more to buy pellets and save time and money on cleaning and maintaining the stove.
Make sure the humidity is between 8 and 12%
Otherwise, the pellets will tend to be rich in resins, which will stick to the walls of the stove making it difficult to clean. Furthermore, a pellet with an excessive moisture content will offer a low energy performance. This indication is also usually reported on the pellet packaging.
Pellet size and material
The ideal pellet for most stoves has a diameter of 6 mm and a length of 10 to 40 centimeters. A fuel of the right size makes the fuel system easier and burns better. The material of which the pellet is made must also condition the purchase.
Better to prefer pellets made from a single type of wood and not mixed. A 100% beech wood almost always has a higher yield than a mixed 50% fir and 50% beech pellet.
Depending on your needs, you can choose which wood the pellet of your stove should be. Woods are divided into two categories: soft and hard.
Softwood essences
The best known are spruce and white fir, larch, alder and poplar. They burn easily and wear out rather quickly, giving off high temperatures.
Hardwood essences
There are woods such as beech, ash or oak. They develop a lasting but not very intense thermal heat and are also more difficult to ignite. They are generally considered to be the woods capable of guaranteeing better performance.
There are also pellets that are not made from wood but from other raw materials. An example is corn pellets, which have a lower cost but higher amounts of ash and humidity than wood pellets. To overcome this problem, it is generally mixed with biomass of woody origin.
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