A pellet stove uses pellets made from compressed wood or other biomass sources like sawdust instead of traditional firewood. In general, pellet stoves are environmentally friendly due to their high energy efficiency compared to other heating options.
Pellet stoves have a simple design that involves transferring pellets from a hopper to the stove itself. This is usually accomplished with a powered auger, but there are also some gravity-fed designs. Burning pellets can produce a substantial amount of ash, so many stoves are equipped with features to streamline the cleaning process.
In terms of size, pellet stoves come in a range of dimensions to accommodate different needs. After all, someone who wants to heat a tiny home won't have the same needs as someone who wants to heat a 2,000-square-foot house. It’s simply a matter of finding the best stove for your specific circumstances.
Choosing the Right Pellet Stove
There’s no single pellet stove that can meet the ideal requirements of every customer. Instead, it’s up to you to weigh each set of factors and consider how they match up against your personal priorities.
Some key considerations are:
- Cost
- Energy efficiency
- Hopper capacity
- Controls and settings
- Dimensions and size
- Ease of use and cleaning
Pellet stoves can cost as little as $1,300 or as much as $3,000 for smaller or medium-sized models. More expensive pellet stoves usually come with additional features such as WiFi connectivity and programmable thermostats.
Instead of focusing solely on heating capacity and British thermal units (BCUs), you should also take note of a stove’s energy efficiency. Energy-efficiency ratings vary widely, but most EPA-certified pellet stoves will be above 70 percent.
Small Space Considerations
For a small space, it shouldn’t be difficult to find an appropriate pellet stove with the proper square footage to match your home or structure. Pay careful attention to the square footage—more isn’t always better.
If you purchase a stove with a heating capacity that’s too high, you’ll end up running the stove on the low end of its temperature band, which can negatively affect the efficiency of the stove or even cause the fire to go out.
Lastly, measure where the stove will go before you make a purchase, and don’t forget to consider the necessary standoff distance between a pellet stove and any nearby materials or walls.
Pellet stove dimensions can vary based on design, so finding the perfect stove may simply be a matter of choosing a taller or wider model to fit the space you have in mind.
The Best Small Space Pellet Stoves
We have included a round up of small pellet stove ideas suitable for small homes with less space. Always compare the size of your room with the capacity of the pellet stove to determine the right fit for your home.
Cleveland Iron Works PS20W-CIW Mini Pellet Stove
This EPA-certified mini pellet stove by Cleveland Iron Works has exceptional energy efficiency with a rating of 87 percent. It’s best suited to tiny homes, small apartments, or parts of a larger structure since its maximum heating capacity is only 800 square feet.
The PS20W-CIW mini pellet stove has compact dimensions of approximately 20 x 34 x 22 inches. It features a “whisper quiet blower” and built-in WiFi for added convenience and control. A limiting factor of this pellet stove is the 18-pound hopper capacity, which is far smaller than other stoves of comparable size.
ComfortBilt HP50S
The ComfortBilt HP50S is thoughtfully designed and includes convenient additions like a programmable thermostat and a removable ash pan that can last for up to two weeks before it needs to be emptied.
This EPA-certified stove has a rating of 42,000 BTUs and can heat up to 2,200 square feet. The large hopper has a 47-pound capacity, and the overall unit has dimensions of 20.5 x 36 x 24 inches.
Wiseway GW1949
The GW1949 Wiseway made by US Stove stands out from other models because it doesn’t require electricity to run. This makes it an appealing option for emergency use, off-grid living, or areas of your home that aren’t wired with outlets.
Instead of an electric auger and blower, the GW1949 Wiseway uses a gravity system to feed pellets into the stove and special tubing that allows heat to radiate without the use of a fan.
This intriguing design fits into a small package of 15 x 52 x 24 inches. The GW1949 Wiseway is narrow and tall, making it easy to fit into places with limited side and rear clearance.
It can even be used safely in mobile homes. Despite its compact dimensions, this EPA-certified stove comes with a 60-pound hopper and can produce 40,000 BTUs to heat areas as large as 2,000 square feet.
Castle Pellet Stoves Serenity 12327
Compared to similar stoves, the Serenity 12327 by Castle Pellet Stoves is an affordable small pellet stove model. At roughly 18 x 34 x 24 inches, it doesn’t require much depth and has a shorter height than many other models. It’s EPA certified and approved for use in mobile homes as well.
The Serenity 12327 comes with a smart controller that allows you to program your stove around your schedule. There are also manual controls if you need to adjust the burn level directly on the unit. This stove can heat up to 1,500 square feet with approximately 32,000 BTUs of output and a 40-pound capacity for pellets.
- Browse our full selection of pellet stoves for sale.