Adding alternative fuel to the fire (wood pellets, Maine)

[jpak]

http://www.bangordailynews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=160659&zoneid=500

When you’re paying more than $3,000 a year for heat, it doesn’t seem unrealistic to expect the house to be warm.

So when the Green family found themselves layering on the clothes even as the heating bills piled up, they decided to explore replacing the two propane units in their Bangor home with something more efficient and effective.

Two years later, the Greens are among the growing number of Maine families who have returned to wood, albeit in a more modern form.

David Green said heating with their new wood pellet stove costs two-thirds less than with propane. But more important, Green said, the wood heat makes their spacious home a lot more comfortable during these long Maine winters.

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[eShirl]

1. the pellets in the photo at the link

look just like those natural pine cat litter pellets

[madokie]

2. we've been heating with wood pellets since the winter of '92

the pellets have gone up but they're still only 210 bucks a ton tax included and we will use 2 tons a winter max, or has been so far. We were heating with propane before and our first pellet stove paid us back the purchase price in a little less that two heating seasons.