Most Spanish homes are heated in winter by a gas boiler, but given the rise in its price, more and more families are opting for other, cheaper alternatives. One of the cheapest are pellet stoves, which spend much less than other systems such as diesel, electric or oil radiators, for example.
Pellets are a natural product (solid biomass) that is made up of cylinders a few millimeters in diameter. They do not contaminate or are toxic, so if they spill, nothing happens. They can be used for heating and hot water in any home. Thus, it is a very respectful system with the environment and that provides significant economic savings.
Pellet stoves expel hot air from the front or distribute it through a circuit that reaches the rooms of the house. It is recommended for large houses or that at least have enough space to accumulate the bags. The main disadvantage is maintenance, as you have to remove ashes and clean the combustion chamber every few days. Almost all of them must have a smoke outlet and need a plug, since they are going to light, even if it is only for the first ignition and the thermostat.
How much will the house heat with pellets?
Normally, they are bought in 15kg bags at an approximate price of between 6 and 8 euros, despite the fact that they have become more expensive in recent months. An expense of 1 kilo per hour is estimated, that is, about 40-55 cents per hour. Thus, it will vary depending on the hours of use. For example, if the stove is on in the winter months for about 10 hours a day, the daily consumption would be between 4 and 5.50 euros. The OCU estimates the average cost per year for a house of 90 square meters at around 545 euros.
There are different types of pellet stoves, but the consumption of all of them is very similar to that discussed, and their performance is also similar. It will depend, to a large extent, on factors such as the location of the home, the geographical area and the isolation. They are the following.
forced air stoves
They are the most common and their operation is based on a stove that generates hot air and a fan that expels it outside. You can program its ignition and its shutdown, as well as select the power of the fan and the flame to suit the desired temperature. It is recommended for heating large spaces in a room or a few rooms close to each other and on the same floor.
Ductable air stoves
They are similar to those of forced air, but in addition to expelling the air through the stove, the great advantage is that they can also direct it to the sockets that can be connected to several rooms. Even to rooms that are on different floors.
hydro stoves
These stoves heat the water and take it to the radiators. They have electronic ignition, programmer and various security systems. They can even be connected in parallel with gas or diesel boilers.
Pellet stoves without smoke outlet
Using water filters to condense the smoke, they avoid the need for a chimney to expel it. In this way, they adapt to any space, although there are various regulations in Spain that limit their installation and use.
Pellet stoves with oven
The great advantage of these stoves is that they have a space at the top that works in oven mode. They work like a household appliance, since the temperature can be adjusted to keep the oven at the required degrees of cooking for the desired time and this does not affect the temperature chosen to heat the home with the stove.
Pellet stoves without electricity
They are recommended for rural areas. They work manually and by natural convection. That is, the pellets fall by the force of gravity and push the ash, which is deposited in an ashtray. You only need to use a tablet and ignition fluid to ignite the pellets. Among the advantages of the machine is that it is a simple one with few risks of failure as it does not have electronic components, it hardly emits noise as it does not have a turbine, fan or extractor. On the downside, you can’t schedule it to turn on or off.
