What are Wood Pellets and How are They Made?
LacWood’s CANADA ‘A’ wood pellets are a product resulting from the compression of ground wood fibres under extreme pressure, that are then formed into a uniform shape, size and density. LacWood’s pure CANADA ‘A’ heating pellets and quality animal bedding are made from clean, quality wood co-products left over from the milling of softwood lumber, which comes from timber harvested in sustainably managed forests.
Why Wood Pellets Over Other Fuels?
When considering options to heat your home or business, only you can determine what your priorities are. But there are factors – pros and cons – that have to be measured. In North America, conventional sources of heat include natural gas, oil, propane, coal, electricity, cord wood and wood pellets.
Location is usually the first determining factor. Are you in an urban or rural setting? Where you live or conduct your business will determine what heating fuels are available to you, and, at what price.
Growing concerns with global climate change are making many of us consider not heating with non-renewable energy sources.
Unlike fossil fuels, wood pellets are a sustainable, renewable fuel. As a result of their almost complete combustion, they are efficient, cost effective, and non-polluting. Because they are also carbon neutral, they are doubly environmentally friendly. When compared to stove wood and wood chips, LacWood’s premium wood pellets are much more combustion-efficient in stoves and boilers thanks to their low moisture content.
This clean and efficient fuel is packaged in 40 lb bags which emit a pleasing, natural, fresh, pine scent upon opening. And so easy to use, all you have to do is pour the pellets into your stove’s hopper, sit back, relax and enjoy the warmth and ambiance of a natural wood fire. LacWood’s pellets are clean, virtually dust and allergen free, and will keep your pellet stove running on a single bag for up to 24 hours.
Heating with clean burning wood pellets
Wood pellets are a renewable fuel when the fibre has been harvested from sustainable sources. At LacWood we utilize materials left over from the production of lumber, meaning that no trees are cut and processed specifically to make our premium quality wood pellets.
Wood pellet fuel significantly helps to reduce our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, propane and coal. As well, when heating with wood pellets instead of fossil fuels, you will be doing your part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
Some urban environments restrict the burning of wood in conventional stoves and fireplaces because of the resultant smoke and carbon emissions that impact air quality. On the other hand, due to near total combustion (around 98.5%), pellet stoves & boilers produce virtually no creosote and very little smoke making them perfect for use in such environments. Emissions from heating with a pellet stove or boiler are almost non-existent!
Another reason to choose wood pellets is their carbon neutrality. This means that when burned, they emit the same amount of carbon as is absorbed when a tree grows in the forest. Talk about being green!
Investment and Savings
When deciding how to heat a new home or business, or changing your existing heating system, you also have to consider the purchase and installation costs of the heating appliance or equipment and not just the cost of the fuel.
Unlike wood stoves for instance, pellet stoves require minimal clearance from walls, and do not require an expensive chimney. Pellet stoves utilize an inexpensive direct vent system, similar to the exhaust vent for a gas furnace.
Energy sources such as oil, gas and propane, are known for their price fluctuations. Wood pellets prices are much more stable from year to year. Due to the volatility of fossil fuel and electricity prices, it is impossible to set definite and accurate price comparison charts for these fuels against the cost of one ton of wood pellets. Consumers are advised to exercise due diligence to ascertain current energy costs which can then be compared using tools available online.
Although electricity and fossil fuel prices fluctuate considerably, one constant is the heat energy that is produced by these fuels in comparison to wood pellets. For heating, one tonne of wood pellets is the equivalent of:
- 545 litres of heating oil
- 773 litres of propane
- 453 m3 of natural gas
- 4,775 kWh of electricity
- 1.5 cords of dry firewood
And one tonne of wood pellets has the heat value of about one and a half cords of seasoned stove wood and takes up about one third the storage space, which is 4’w X 4’h X 4’h. Storing an average four tons of pellet fuel for the entire season can be easily done in a garden shed with lots of space to spare.
- Heating Oil
- Propane
- Pellets
- Electricity