Pellet heating: basics

In short: Pellet heating burns pressed wood pellets to generate heat for heating and hot water, and is considered a comparatively climate-friendly alternative to fossil heating systems. Pellets are made from sawdust and wood residues from the timber industry.

In more detail: Since burning wood only releases the CO2 previously absorbed during its growth, pellet heating is considered largely CO2-neutral.

In detail

• Automatic feeding: Pellets are automatically transported from a storage room or silo to the combustion chamber, offering the same convenience as oil or gas heating systems.
• Space requirements: A dedicated storage room for pellets takes up significantly more space than a comparable oil tank but must be dry and easily accessible.
• Efficiency: Modern pellet heating systems achieve high efficiency and burn fuel very effectively with little ash residue.
• Subsidies: Switching to pellet heating is government-subsidised in many countries, since it contributes to the energy transition in the heating sector.
• Fuel costs: Wood pellets are often more price-stable than fossil fuels, since they’re less affected by global energy crises.
• Maintenance: Regular cleaning of the burner and ash disposal are part of necessary maintenance but require less effort than a classic wood stove.
• Combination with solar thermal: Many pellet heating systems are combined with solar thermal panels to reduce pellet consumption especially during summer months (waermepumpe, fernwaerme-grundlagen).