Pellet Fireplace Insert

[elkrub]

Hey all,
We are looking to replace our wood furnace. We have a 3 level split and currently get cooked out upstairs and downstairs with the main floor being chilly (it is over a crawl space which is well insulated) We have a wood fireplace in the living room and are thinking of replacing it with a Pellet Insert.
What are your thoughts??? Has anyone experienced the same situation??
I'm Puzzled...

[alanjh595]

Pellet fuel produces fewer harmful emissions than conventional wood fuel, and newer high-efficiency pellet-fuel inserts are much more efficient than older models, but they are still significantly less efficient than high-efficiency gas furnaces.

What Are the Disadvantages to a Pellet Insert Stove for Heating Your Home?

Pellet-fueled heaters are usually less efficient than gas-fueled furnaces.

How Much Does it Cost to Run a Pellet Stove?
How to Compare Oil Heating With Pellet Stoves
How to Select a Furnace
How to Maintain an Attic Furnace
How to Replace Oil Heaters With Greener Alternatives
The prospect of turning your old fireplace into an efficient and inexpensive source of heat for your home is an attractive idea. But the reality of a wood pellet-fueled fireplace insert is not necessarily without drawbacks. Pellet insert stoves are generally more efficient than traditional fireplaces, but they can also be inconvenient and costly.


Fuel Cost
Costing $200 to $250 per ton, wood pellets are not extremely inexpensive. A ton of fuel will typically last a few weeks, but the true cost of running a pellet-fuel insert is also influenced by the heater's efficiency. The best way to compare fuel costs is to determine how much it costs for a particular heater to produce a million BTUs and then compare that to comparable figures for other types of heaters. On a cost-per-BTU basis, pellet heaters are cheaper to run than oil furnaces or electric heaters, but they are more expensive to operate than natural-gas-fueled heaters. They may even be more costly than a traditional wood-burning stove depending on the price of firewood.

Fuel Storage
Fuel storage is not an issue with natural-gas or electric heaters, but if you want continuous heat from a wood-burning stove, you'll need to have a steady supply of fuel on hand. Wood pellets come in 40-pound bags, and a one-ton pile of bags will take up 50 to 60 cubic feet of space. You'll also have to deal with manually adding fuel to the heater's storage hopper, a chore that isn't required with oil- or gas-fueled heaters.


Environmental Concerns
Wood is not a clean-burning fuel. Burning wood products produces environmentally unfriendly gases and particulate matter. Additionally, wood-burning heaters are typically less efficient than those that use nearly any other type of fuel. Pellet fuel produces fewer harmful emissions than conventional wood fuel, and newer high-efficiency pellet-fuel inserts are much more efficient than older models, but they are still significantly less efficient than high-efficiency gas furnaces.

Installation
Installing a pellet-fuel insert is not a matter of simply dropping it into your existing fireplace. Not all fireplaces are suitable for the installation of an insert, and any insert must be installed by a professional to ensure that the unit operates safely and effectively. The space around the insert must be insulated, and the connection between the insert and the chimney must be as air-tight as possible. Cleaning the chimney after the insert is installed is not an easy task, either. If the unit does not have a clean-out door, a professional chimney sweep will likely have to move the entire insert to access