Generally, fireplaces are not an efficient means of burning wood.  They do not burn as cleanly as an EPA-certified wood stove.  Furthermore, fireplaces provide less heat to your home, since most of the heat from a fireplace goes out the chimney.  Most fireplace owners do not use their fireplaces as a primary source of heat.  They may burn wood in their fireplace as supplemental heat on chilly days, or to provide ambiance to their home.

A pellet stove burns small, compressed pellets made from ground, dried wood and other biomass wastes. Pellet stoves are typically among the cleanest wood-burning heating appliances available today and deliver high overall efficiency. Unlike wood stoves and fireplaces, most pellet stoves need electricity to operate.  A small, electrical device controls the flow of pellets into the stove, where they are burned.  Some models even include a thermostat.

With an EPA-certified wood stove, you can expect to use up to one-third less firewood than you would using an older, less efficient stove.  The smoke that you see coming out of the chimney is really lost energy.  In an EPA-certified stove, most of the smoke is burned, resulting in more heat for your home from the same amount of wood.  It will also save you time because you will need to haul less wood.