Heating
How many pellets do you need for a heating season?
Kilograms of pellets per day, 15 kg bags per week and monthly cost based on stove power, hours and settings.
Quick answer
Pellet consumption follows simple physics that the stove brochure never spells out: a kilogram of certified pellets contains about 4.8 kWh of energy, and a modern stove converts roughly 90% of it into heat. So an 8 kW stove running 8 hours at a medium setting burns around 8-9 kg a day — about four 15 kg bags a week. The wildcard is that pellet stoves modulate: they rarely run at nominal power, which is why the calculator asks for your average setting rather than assuming full blast.
Pellets per day
8.9 kg
- Bags per week (15 kg)
- ~4.1 bags
- Cost per month
- $97.78
Cheaper than gas heating? Gas heating cost calculator
Pellets deliver about 4.8 kWh per kg and modern stoves are ~90% efficient, so consumption = power × load × hours ÷ 4.3. A modulating stove rarely runs at nominal power — the "average setting" accounts for that. Certified A1 pellets (low ash, moisture under 8%) burn noticeably less than cheap ones and keep the burn pot cleaner.
How it works
The lever most owners underestimate is pellet quality. Certified A1 pellets (ENplus or DINplus, ash below 0.7%, moisture under 8%) deliver more heat per bag and keep the burn pot and heat exchanger clean; bargain pellets can burn 10-15% more for the same warmth while coating the stove in clinker. The other lever is maintenance — a stove cleaned weekly and serviced yearly keeps its efficiency; one full of ash slowly turns into a pellet incinerator. Buying the season’s pellets in late summer, when prices bottom out, routinely saves 20-30% versus January panic-buying.
Frequently asked questions
How many bags of pellets do I need for a winter?+
A typical 8-10 kW stove heating the main living area 8 hours a day for a 6-month season burns roughly 1,200-1,800 kg — that’s 80-120 bags of 15 kg, or about one pallet (70 bags) plus a top-up. Homes using the stove as the only heat source, or in cold climates, can double that. Run your numbers above and multiply the daily figure by your heating days.
Is pellet heating cheaper than gas?+
Per kWh of heat, pellets at €5.50 per 15 kg bag cost about €0.085/kWh, while gas at €1.10/m³ costs about €0.115/kWh with a modern boiler — so pellets win by 20-30% at typical prices. But the comparison swings with market prices (pellet spiked violently in 2022), and a stove heats one zone while a boiler heats the whole house. The strongest combo is usually the stove covering the living area and the boiler only topping up.
How do I recognize good quality pellets?+
Look for ENplus A1 or DINplus certification printed on the bag with a traceable ID number — not just the words "premium quality". Visual checks: pellets should be shiny, 3-4 cm long, with little dust at the bottom of the bag; dull, crumbly pellets with lots of sawdust burn poorly. A practical test: good pellet sinks in water (high density), bad pellet floats.
Why is my stove consuming more than usual?+
In order of likelihood: dirty burn pot and heat exchanger (weekly cleaning restores efficiency), a batch of poor or damp pellets, air/pellet ratio drifted out of tune (a technician recalibrates it during the annual service), worn door gaskets letting air leak, or simply colder weather and longer hours. If consumption jumped suddenly with the same pellets and weather, book a service — it usually pays for itself.
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