BTU Insert Vs Free Standing Pellet Stove

[doublewide]

I think I am more confused now then I was when I posted the original question.

My stove is rated at 55,000 BTU

It has 5 settings I will run it at 2-3 (the lower end of the scale)

I have an electric heat pump SEER 15, I keep my thermostat at 70 degrees for my 1st and 67 degrees for the 2nd floor. On the coldest months Jan + Feb In NE PA my electric bill is about $340- $380 per month (including hot water, dryer, etc.) 2700sqft house

I just put in the Pellet stove in our basement about 900 square foot. We finally got some furniture for the basement and are starting to hang out down there. At least my dog and I are with my newly installed buddy pelly. I get my premium pellets for $230 a ton pre season.

My question is am I going to save any money by running the stove in the basement. I figured it would heat the first floor and keep that much warmer and also the warm air from the basement/pellet stove would be circulated through the central heat/ heat pump.

 

[rona]

hot air rises so eventually you will feel warm floors. Are your walls insulated? if not the block will always feel cold.
I was fortunate to have two stairways and hot air comes up one stairway and cool air goes down the other. Works real good

 

[doublewide]

hot air rises so eventually you will feel warm floors. Are your walls insulated? if not the block will always feel cold.
I was fortunate to have two stairways and hot air comes up one stairway and cool air goes down the other. Works real good

The basement foundation is poured concrete 8" thick, there is an 8" breather between the foundation and the back of the 2x4 wall that makes up the basement walls. The walls are insulated with an R-13 in the basement and throughout the rest of the house, there is also tyveck under the vinyl siding and stone that is on the exterior of the house.

 

[DAKSY]

ok, i'll correct you.
pellet stove btu's are rated as output, not input.

According to my latest documentation from HHT, the Harman stoves are rated by the BTU INPUT.
The output is a factor of the efiiciency x the input...

 

[rona]

To a large extent the output of the stove is determined by the amount of fuel it can burn in a given time. This would be a total of btus being distributed in the house plus the amount being pushed out the exhaust.
I think most stoves efficency is peaked at about 3/4 open. As you know some stoves will only burn wide open a short time before tripping a high temp switch. Plus when you are burning wide open a bigger percent of heat is being wasted going out the exhaust.
The different brands of stoves will each be different and dealers should stress that instead of pushing the different colors available and special trim effects.
My experience was I tried to heat a house using one stove running flat out wide open resulting in wasting fuel and many shutdowns due to over heating. Finally bit the bullet and installed another stove which resulted in both running trouble free and I can put my hand on the exhaust pipe without burning it. Oh, I also run both with a thermostat.