How much does a pellet fire cost to run?

It depends on how many bags of pellets you burn and the price per bag. A typical winter might use one to two bags a day in cold weather, so the seasonal cost is the bags burned times the bag price.

Are pellet fires cheaper than a heat pump?

It varies with pellet and power prices. Pellet fires give a strong, cosy heat and work in a power cut, but a heat pump is often cheaper per unit of heat. Compare the seasonal cost of each for your home.

Do pellet prices change?

Yes, pellet prices vary by supplier, region and whether you buy by the bag or the pallet. Buying in bulk before winter is usually cheaper per bag.

Wood Pellet Cost Calculator

This calculator works out what it costs to run a pellet fire through a New Zealand winter, using the figures that actually drive the bill: how many bags you burn, what each bag costs, and how long your heating season runs. A pellet fire gives a strong, cosy heat and keeps working through a power cut, but because pellets are bought bag by bag, the seasonal cost is easy to lose track of until the receipts pile up. You enter the bags you burn per week in cold weather, the price per bag, and the number of weeks you run the fire over winter, and the calculator returns the pellet cost for the season, the cost per week, and the total bags you will burn. That gives you a real number to budget against, rather than guessing from a handful of bag purchases. Use it before winter starts to work out how many bags to buy in bulk, since buying by the pallet ahead of the cold months is usually cheaper per bag than topping up as you go, and use the weekly figure to compare against running a heat pump for the same space. Pellet use swings with the weather and how long you run the fire each day, so treat the result as a planning estimate, and adjust your bags-per-week figure if a cold snap pushes usage higher.

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Bags per week (in winter)

Price per bag

Weeks of winter use

pellet cost for the season

Per week$0

Bags for the season0

Pellet use varies a lot with the weather and how long you run the fire. Buying by the pallet before winter is usually cheaper per bag. Compare with a heat pump for the cheaper option. Estimate only.

How it works

The calculator multiplies the bags you burn each week by the price per bag for the weekly cost, then by the weeks of winter use for the seasonal total, and shows the total bags. It is a simple but useful budget tool, since pellet use climbs in cold snaps and the bills add up across a long winter.

Worked example

Burning 7 bags a week at $11 is $77 a week. Over a 20-week winter that is about $1,540, using 140 bags, which you can weigh against the running cost of a heat pump for the same warmth.

Related calculators

Firewood vs Heat Pump Calculator: compare heating.
Heat Pump Savings Calculator: heat pump savings.
Home Heating Cost Calculator: heating costs.
Firewood Calculator: firewood needs.

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