Our Favorite Wood Burning Stove Is Under $1,000 and Can Heat a Small Home Entirely

When the temperatures outside begin to drop there's nothing we'd rather do than curl up by the fire, sip hot cocoa, and read a good book. But if your home doesn't have a traditional fireplace, this is obviously a bit of a problem. Fortunately, wood burning stoves can be installed in just about any home and they provide just as much of a chill-busting warmth as a traditional fireplace.

Not to mention, wood burning stoves can save you more than a pretty penny when it comes to your gas or electric bill in the winter. Burning wood as a heat source can be easier on the environment than gas or coal and won't have any affect on your power or gas bill. Of course, these stoves will cost a bit more on the front-end due to installment, but they could save you hundreds if not thousands in the long run.

How to Select the Best Wood Burning Stove

Type

There are two types of wood burning stoves you should know about: catalytic and non-catalytic. Both types burn gasses and other byproducts twice for fewer emissions and therefore better efficiency. The difference comes in with how they generate the second burn. Catalytic stoves use a combustor for even better efficiency, whereas non-catalytic stoves use a series of air tubes, which is slightly less efficient.

Since catalytic stoves use a more technical approach to achieving a more efficient second burn, they run more expensive than non-catalytic stoves. If you're going for top-of-the-line efficiency and a burn that will last you overnight and into the morning, then you should pay the extra money for a catalytic stove. Otherwise, a non-catalytic stove should suit most households.

There are also newly released hybrid catalytic stoves that burn gasses and byproducts a total of three times using both methods, though those are harder to come by.

BTUs

BTU stands for British Thermal Unit, which is basically just a way of measuring how much heat a wood burning stove can put out per hour. The size of your home or the area you'd like to heat should determine what BTU score you're looking for. A small home or apartment could do with 50,000 BTUs while a mid-size to larger home would want at least 75,000.

Efficiency

Wood burning stoves are give efficiency ratings based on their BTU, so if a company doesn't list the BTU of a stove or you'd like an easier metric to remember, then this is what to look for. A general rule of thumb is to look for at least 70% efficiency. The higher the efficiency, the less wood is needed to fuel the fire, therefore saving you money once again in the long run.

Emissions

No one wants a house that's filled with smoke, which is why it's essential to evaluate emissions rates for wood burning stoves. Any wood burning stove you purchase should be EPA-certified. These stoves produce 4.5 g/h or lower.

Style

Wood burning stoves can come in a variety of different styles, from insert to freestanding to pedestal. Insert stoves sit directly in the wall to free up floor space, but cost more money to install and will most likely need to be professionally done. Freestanding and pedestal stoves will sit directly on the floor, most likely near a wall.

Burn Time

A couple of different elements factor into overall burn time: efficiency and size. Wood stoves that burn efficiently can produce more heat with less wood, meaning you'll have to add wood less often. The larger a stove is, the more wood it can hold, also meaning you'll add less over time. If you plan to leave your wood burning stove on overnight, you'll want a burn time of at least five hours.