Fuel Savings Calculator

How did we get these numbers?

Heat output for your home heating is measured in BTU (British Thermal Unit). One ton of standard hardwood or softwood pellets has about 16.5 million BTU, while premium Douglas fir pellets pack about 18.2 million BTU. Heating oil has about 115,000 BTU per gallon.

So, one ton of standard pellets = approximately 143 gallons of heating oil (about 158 gallons for Douglas fir).

Consumers heating living areas directly with a pellet stove can achieve a 20-40% gain in energy efficiency.* Savings may vary by household, but is estimated here at 20%. Because of this efficiency gain, a homeowner may actually require 80% of the fuel they would have required for central heating.

So, taking the efficiencies of space heating into account, one ton of standard pellets can roughly displace 179 gallons of heating oil (about 198 gallons for Douglas fir).

We assume that the appliance efficiency for a modern pellet stove is nearly equal to that of an oil, gas, or propane boiler or furnace.

* According to an American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) study.

** Initial oil price based on an average price of oil in the Northeast from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.