On this page, you will find out how many watts a pellet stove draws.
If you’re new to the pellet stove then it might seem strange to think that it needs an electricity supply. After all, they use fire to create heat. While this is true, they are ‘smart stoves’ which run on compressed wood pellets.
Once switched on it automatically feeds pellets into the burner in order to maintain a constant temperature. For the sensors and automation to work it requires electricity.
In addition to this, an internal motor operates a fan to move air and smoke around efficiently.
So how much electrical power does it consume?
Below we will discuss and test pellet stove wattage, explain how to work it out for yourself, and calculate the total electricity required.
How Many Watts is a Pellet Stove?
The average pellet stove uses between 30 and 70 watts during normal operation. You should also know that it can hit a peak power of over 400W when igniting.
The exact number depends on the size and model of your pellet stove. For example, a small economy unit runs at less than 40W, while larger stoves with higher heat output reach a running power of 70W or more.
Why is there a difference between these appliances? Well, it simply comes down to the internal components. You will find that larger stoves have bigger motors and fans to increase airflow. Adding to this, a stove with a higher hourly pellet consumption uses more electricity to feed the fuel more often.
How to Find Out Your Pellet Stove Wattage
There’s 3 ways you can work out the wattage of a pellet stove.
- Check Product Specification
The quickest way is to look at the pellet stove’s specification. The watts (W) is usually written on a sticker on the base of the appliance. If not, you can check the user manual or the manufacturer’s website for technical details.
- Use a Wattmeter
A wattmeter is brilliant for getting a live wattage reading and tracking total energy usage of any appliance. You can plug it into your pellet stove to get instant information.
I used one to test a pellet stove which gave an average reading of 33W.
- Wattage Formula or Calculator
If you know the amperage and voltage of your pellet stove you can use this to find the maximum watt rating. Simply use the formula Amps x Volts = Watts. Or you can head over to the ‘Watt Calculator’ to work this out.
Pellet Stove Wattage Examples
Let’s take a look at specific examples of how many watts a pellet stove draws. Below is a collection of modern pellet stoves with their listed power ratings.
| Pellet Stove Model | Power Consumption (Watts) |
| La Nordica Giusy Evo 2.0 | 35 – 60 |
| La Nordica Ketty Evo 2.0 | 20 – 70 |
| La Nordica Dahiana Plus | 35 – 130 |
| La Nordica Amika | 19 – 62 |
| La Nordica Annabella AD Evo | 35 – 55 |
| La Nordica Souvenir Steel Evo | 39 – 65 |
| La Nordica Serafina Lux Evo | 25 – 60 |
As you can see, the power ratings vary between different pellet stoves. So you should take the time to check your own appliance.
How Much Electricity Does a Pellet Stove Use?
You can use pellet stove wattage to work out how much electricity it uses. Plus this can be useful in understanding how much it costs to run your pellet stove.
A watt (W) is a measurement of power at a single point in time. A watt-hour (Wh) is the total amount of electricity used in an hour. For example, a pellet stove drawing 50W would use 50Wh when running for an hour.
Electricity bills are recorded in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt is simply 1000 watts. So a 50W pellet stove running for 1 hour uses 0.05kWh.
You might use a pellet stove for 8 hours a day. This means a pellet stove uses about 250Wh or 0.25kWh electricity a day. That’s 7.5kWh a month and 91.25kWh a year.
That’s a rough electricity cost of $1.12 a month or $13.68 a year to run your pellet stove for 8 hours every day.
Of course, the exact numbers vary from house to house. You might not run your appliance at all during the summer months and more in the winter.
Using a Pellet Stove Off-Grid
If you’re planning to use your pellet stove in an off-grid situation, like a power outage or remote cabin, the information above is crucial. You can accurately install the correct electrical equipment and ensure you have enough run time.
At first, you might consider using a non-electric pellet stove which uses gravity instead of electricity.
For AC powered appliances you can either use a power inverter, portable power station, or a generator.
To make sure everything runs smoothly you should check two things on this equipment – wattage capacity and total energy capacity.
Your power source, like an inverter, should have a wattage capacity of at least 20% more than your pellet stove. This ensures it will be able to deliver enough power as they are never 100% efficient.
Secondly, you need to ensure your energy source, like a battery, has enough energy to run the pellet stove for the required amount of time. As we already know, it will use about 50Wh electricity for each hour. This is the equivalent to 4.16Ah on a 12V battery.
How Many Watts Does a Pellet Stove Use Summary
I hope you now understand how many watts a pellet stove uses.
There’s no doubt that it is an efficient way to heat your home. You can heat your living room directly, plus hook up to your hot water system and central heating. Many people forget that a pellet stove requires electricity. So remember to factor this power consumption into your calculations when working out the cost. These are relatively low powered appliances, they use a lot less electricity than a space heater! It will be running for long periods at a time so the total energy usage mounts up over time.
