The Best Pellet Stoves – Top 10 (2018 Review Guide)

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Pellet Stove Guide FeaturedWhen the temperatures drop, your first move is to turn up the thermostat in the home. Of course, this keeps you toasty and warm, but at the end of the month when your energy bill shows up in the mail, you might regret that decision. You don’t want to freeze all winter long, but isn’t there a more energy-efficient solution that warms your home and keeps your costs down? While many people use fireplaces, not all homes are equipped with these, and the cost of gas and wood can also be an issue.

If you’re looking for an eco-friendly and affordable way to beat the chill on the coldest days, a pellet stove may be a good investment for your home.

Compare: The Best Pellet Stoves of 2018

PictureNameBrandPriceRating
Comfortbilt HP22Comfortbilt HP22
Comfortbilt$$$$4.9
Pleasant Hearth Medium 35000 BTUs Pellet StovePleasant Hearth Medium
Pleasant Hearth$$$$4.8
Castle 12327 Serenity Wood Pellet Stove with Smart ControllerCastle 12327
Castle Pellet Stoves$$$$4.8
Pleasant Hearth Cabinet Style 50000 BTU's Pellet Stove with 120-Pound HopperCabinet Style Pellet StovePleasant Hearth$$$4.7
Comfortbilt Pellet Stove - HP61- 50,000 btuComfortbilt HP61Comfortbilt$$$$4.7
US Stove 5660 Bay Front Pellet StoveUS Stove 5660US Stove Company$$$$4.7
Comfortbilt Pellet Stove HP50Comfortbilt HP50Comfortbilt$$$$4.7
Comfortbilt-Pellet-Stove-HP22Comfortbilt Pellet StoveComfortbilt$$$4.7
Pelpro Pellet StovePelpro PP60Pelpro$$$4.6
US-Stove-5500M-King-Pellet-BurnerUS Stove 5500MUS Stove Company$$$4.5
PictureNameBrandPriceRating

Start Here: Pellet Stove Reviews

Contents

Best Affordable: Castle 12327

Castle 12327 Serenity Wood Pellet Stove with Smart ControllerYou can heat up to 2,800 square feet with this stove, which is very efficient and EPA certified, so you can keep your home comfortably warm without harmful emissions. This unit has a greater than 78 percent thermal capacity and a 40-pound hopper that can fit almost a full bag of pellets. You can run this unit all day using just one bag of pellets.
This has five different feed rates and five blower speeds, so you can easily control the amount of warmth being put out in your home.

The automatic ignition prevents you from having to struggle to light a fire, and you can warm up immediately. You can schedule your stove to operate exactly as you want it to with three different modes: Manual, Thermostat, and Weekly. It has a space-saving design that fits easily in smaller spaces, and it has an attractive design that blends with any décor.

Pros:

  • One of the most affordable stoves on the market
  • It has a smart controller that allows you to program the thermostat, and it has multiple blower speeds and feed settings to perfectly control the heat in your home
  • EPA certified
  • The automatic ignition is easy to light
  • Classic design
  • Easy to clean

Cons:

  • The hopper is quite small
  • The fans in the unit are loud when running
  • You cannot turn the backlight off when it is running

Best Value: Pleasant Hearth

Pleasant Hearth Medium 35000 BTUs Pellet StoveEfficiently heat your home with this unit, which puts out 35,000 BTUS of heat to effectively heat up to 1,750 square feet. This stove is EPA certified and has an 85 percent efficiency rating, making it one of the more efficient and eco-friendly stoves on the market at this price point. It has a 40 pound hopper for continuous loading, and an auto ignition for easy lighting.

Other standout features of this unit include an attractive design, easy assembly and installation, and a 5-year limited warranty from the manufacturer. It includes an outside air kit and convection blower, and it is approved for use in mobile homes. It was also made using high-quality materials in the USA.

Pros:

  • Not too expensive when compared to other units
  • Comes with a warranty
  • It is ideal for use in single family homes and mobile homes
  • Effectively and efficiently heats larger spaces
  • Requires little assembly
  • It has an air wash system that makes the air cleaner
  • Easy to clean

Cons:

  • The instructions are not detailed about installation and use
  • The fans inside of it are noisy
  • Hopper is a bit small

Overall Best: Comfortbilt HP22

Comfortbilt HP22Comfort is what you’ll get with this model from Comfortbilt, which pumps out 50,000 BTUs to heat up to 2,000 square feet, making it a great choice for a large room, open floorplan, or single story home. This unit is EPA certified and has an 86 percent burn efficiency, outperforming many other models on the market.

This has an auto ignition for easy startup and a programmable thermostat to always maintain the perfect temperature. The bay design and charcoal gray exterior with viewing window makes this a very attractive unit which looks great in any room. It’s easy to clean and has an ash pan to make cleaning it even easier. It comes backed with a 1-year limited warranty to protect your product from defects, and it’s easy to assemble and install. The large 55-pound capacity hopper means you’ll spend less time refilling your stove and more time enjoying your clean heat.

Pros:

  • Very attractive design
  • It has a large hopper
  • It is very efficient
  • EPA certified
  • The programmable thermostat makes it easy to set the perfect temperature
  • It efficiently heats a large area
  • It is easy to clean
  • Minor assembly is very simple

Cons:

  • It is a bit expensive
  • The warranty is not that great when compared to other units at this price point

A Smart Buyer’s Guide to Pellet Stoves

As opposed to a patio heater and fire pits, which are used to heat the exterior of a home, a pellet stove is a device that is used to warm the interior of a home or office. It’s similar to a fireplace in that fire is the primary heating source. However, instead of using logs and kindling, dense wood pellets are used to keep the fire burning. This is an eco-friendly solution that can easily keep one room or an entire home warm without raising your energy costs.

What are the Advantages?

One of the biggest advantages is that one of these stoves can keep you very warm, even on the coldest days. In addition to keeping you warm, it does so affordably. You can turn down the thermostat of your heat pump or other central unit and enjoy saving money without sacrificing your comfort.

These aren’t messy like wood burning fireplaces, they are easy to get started, and they born continuously as long as the pellets are in place. These are also eco-friendly and don’t produce a lot of smoke like regular wood burning fires.

What are the Different Types?

Whether you’re making the switch to a greener lifestyle or you just want to keep your home warm without spending thousands of dollars running your heating unit this winter, a pellet stove may be the ideal solution for you. If you’re interested in making a purchase, the first step is distinguishing between the two different types and determining which best fits your needs.

Freestanding stoves

As the name suggests, these stoves stand alone. These can be placed anywhere in a room and moved around if needed.

Fireplace inserts

If you have a wood burning fireplace that you just don’t ever use, you can convert it to a pellet stove with one of these inserts, which allows you to burn compressed pellets for a cleaner, more efficient burn.

Which Models are the Best on the Market in 2018?

Castle 12327

Heat your home on your schedule with this stove, which is easy to use and has an attractive style that looks great in any room. The smart controller allows you to personalize your home heating experience. This is a practical heater that has a space-saving design for smaller rooms.

Pleasant Hearth Medium

With very little assembly required, you’ll be warm and toasty in no time with this heater, which is EPA certified, has an attractive design, and is easy to control. This heats up a large area, so you’ll stay warm and comfortable all winter without seeing an increase in your energy bill.

Comfortbilt HP22

You’ll get a classic design combined with modern technology with this great stove, which looks great in any home, heats a large space, and even has a programmable thermostat for the perfect temperature.

Features to Think About

Fight the chill this winter without spending a fortune by adding a pellet stove to your home. Even though the initial cost seems a little expensive, you’ll save a lot of money over time, and it will pay for itself very shortly. Once you’ve made the decision to buy a stove, you want to make sure that you buy the right one, which is why you should take note of the following features in any model you may purchase.

Price

You should expect to pay around $1,000 for a top rated pellet stove that effectively heats a larger space. However, you will pay additional for more advanced features like smart controllers and programmable thermostats. While it’s okay to set a budget, you should make sure that you’re not sacrificing features you need just to save a little bit of money.

Heating Area

If you plan to just heat one room, like an unheated bonus room or a large sitting area where you spend most of your time, a smaller unit may meet your needs. However, if you plan to heat a larger space or an entire home, you’ll want to make sure that you purchase a larger stove that has a greater heating area.

Hopper Capacity

The hopper is what feeds the wood pellets and keeps the fire burning. A unit with a larger capacity hopper will operate for longer without having to be refilled. If you plan to use your unit regularly, make sure that you pick a model with a larger hopper.

Warranty

To ensure you get plenty of use out of your new stove, you want to make sure that your unit is free of defects. If you have a warranty in place, you won’t have to worry about paying for costly repairs or a full replacement if your unit fails due to poor craftsmanship.

Price

Castle 12327

This model is priced near the lower end of pricing when compared to similar models.

Pleasant Hearth

This model costs right about average when compared to other units.

Comfortbilt HP22

This is approaching the higher end of the pricing scale when compared to similar products.

Heating Area

Castle 12327

This model heats up to 2,800 square feet.

Pleasant Hearth

This unit heats up to 1,750 square feet. Perfect for just one room or even for an entire home depending upon the layout.

Comfortbilt HP22

This unit heats up to 2,000 square feet.

Hopper Capacity

Castle 12327

This unit has a 40-pound hopper.

Pleasant Hearth

This model is equipped with a 40-pound hopper.

Comfortbilt HP22

This has a large 55-pound capacity hopper.

Warranty

Castle 12327

This unit does not come with a warranty.

Pleasant Hearth

Your purchase is backed with a 5-year limited warranty from the manufacturer.

Comfortbilt HP22

This is backed with a 1-year limited manufacturer’s warranty.

All in All

Quit worrying about outrageous utility bills and enjoy a warm home for less with a pellet stove. It is not only efficient but is good for the environment as well. You won’t have to worry about starting a fire and keeping it burning with one of these stoves. Pellet stoves are easy to use and can keep your whole home comfortably warm. If you’re unsure of what model to choose, consider the Comfortbilt HP22.

This EPA-certified unit is efficient and has an easy-to-use programmable thermostat. It comes backed with a warranty, and will be an attractive addition to any home. This unit will save you money over time, and it will actually pay for itself with all of the money you save on energy bills. It’s a worthy investment for your home.