How much does a ton of wood pellets cost and how long does it last?
In Swannanoa, where homes are being rebuilt and renovated after recent storm damage, a lot of new fireplace and stove installs are going in — and pellet stoves are on the list. Worth knowing up front: a pellet stove needs electricity, so it's not your outage heat. A ton is fifty 40-pound bags, lasting weeks to a couple of months on main heat, priced by season.
Building heat back better
The rebuilding across Swannanoa's Grovemont and Bee Tree neighborhoods is a chance to put in heat that works harder than the original open masonry fireboxes many of these 1940s-to-60s homes had. A sealed pellet or wood insert, or a direct-vent gas unit, all put far more heat into the room than an open hearth — and if a home took on water, we inspect and make right any gas connections before anything fires. This is our lane in Buncombe County: appliance, venting, permit, inspection.
What a ton gives you
Swannanoa's river-valley fog and cold-air pooling make for damp, chilly winters, so plan on a stove earning its keep. A ton — fifty 40-pound bags — burns about a bag a day on main heat, roughly six or seven weeks, and a whole-house plan runs two to three tons a season. Keep that ton bone-dry and off the floor; the valley's damp air will ruin pellets as surely as it rusts a damper. Suppliers price them, cheapest before winter.
Choosing for the next outage
Here's the honest steer for a town that lived through days without power: a pellet stove won't heat you when the grid's down, because it runs on electricity. If riding out the next long outage is the reason you're rebuilding with a hearth, a wood stove or a battery-backup gas fireplace is the surer answer. We install and service all three and can lay the options side by side. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Swannanoa
We install and service fireplaces throughout Swannanoa and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.