Clean-Burning

Pellet stoves burn cleanly. They emit very little pollution, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In fact, they are so clean that they do not even require EPA certification, unlike traditional wood burning stoves.

Energy-Efficient

Pellet stoves have an efficiency rate of between 75 and 90 percent, which is much higher than standard wood stoves. This means that most of their energy goes to producing heat. In fact, pellet stoves have such a high rate of efficiency that they don't even require a traditional chimney -- they can simply be vented through a small opening to the outside wall. This is because the pellets burn very hot. The compression process squeezes most of the moisture out of them, which also means that pellet stoves produce very little ash.

Requires Electricity

Pellet stoves require electricity to run the hopper. The hopper determines when more pellets must be added to the stove, ensuring a continual supply of heat. Some pellet stoves have thermostats so you can set the stove to feed a smaller or larger amount of pellets into the flames, depending on your heating needs. This is a con because if your power goes out, there is no way to run the stove and heat your house. In addition, you are paying for the electricity use.

Hard to Find Pellets

Another con with pellet stoves is that it can be difficult to find pellets. If you are using the stove as your main source of heat, you are going to use between two and three tons of pellets per year. That is a lot of trips back and forth to the home and garden center, or it may be just a few large truckloads, in which case you also have to have room to store the pellets.