If you don't have a pellet stove, consider how the investment in such a stove would impact your decision. A multi-fuel pellet stove would allow use of other materials besides wood/sawdust. There are all sorts of materials that can be used-hay, grass, leaves, among other things. These must be sized to produce pellets. A
lawn mower can handle some of this material, a chipper shredder can handle leaves and
hay. Cleaning the material before putting it through the pellet mill may be needed to remove rocks lest you damage the die or roller. A winnow would be desirable if you are gathering leaves or grass in a rocky area.
I read somewhere that the average home in the US requires 50 million BTU of heat for a season. Wood pellets burn efficiently, but you are still looking at 10k pounds of pellets. Sawdust is kinda hard to get a hold of: a slow economy means slow lumber mills, less sawdust at the same time pellet stoves are selling well because of high oil prices.
If you can get the stove, pellet mill, shredder or hammer mill, and winnow for a
fair price, and have the time to process a few tons of material, you can heat your home for the cost of running machinery. With the equipment, there is the opportunity to pelletize material for paying customers, or even rent the equipment if you dare.
If you can produce your own pellet fuel in sufficient quantity to supply all your own needs, there is a return on the investment in just a few years.
Is it also worth the time and effort?
