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Free pellet stove vs gas furnace cost calculator. Enter the same annual delivered heat load (MMBtu), pellet price and stove efficiency, pellet energy content, gas $/therm, and furnace AFUE to estimate annual fuel cost and fuel quantities. More tools in our energy and sustainability calculator category.
Last updated: April 18, 2026
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Useful heat to the home—same load for both systems (audit estimates or fuel history).
Pellet stove
Natural gas furnace
Outcome
Lower annual fuel: Gas furnace
Spread ≈ $517/yr (85.34% higher on the expensive option).
Pellet stove
$1,122
4.01 tons/yr
Gas furnace
$605
526.32 therms/yr
Planning note
Important
Match MMBtu scope
If the stove only heats part of the home, reduce annual heat MMBtu to that zone only.
Efficiency
90–98% AFUE
Higher AFUE lowers therms for the same delivered heat.
MMBtu/ton
Tune input
Lower energy content increases tons burned for the same heat.
Sensitivity
$/therm band
Run low and high gas rates to bracket the crossover.
Retail vs bulk
$/ton
Include delivery when comparing to utility gas.
Next tool
HP vs furnace
Compare this fuel-only view to heat pump operating cost scenarios.
Default scenario: pellet fuel about $1,122/yr vs gas furnace about $605/yr for 50 MMBtu delivered heat.
The model holds annual delivered heat constant. It divides that heat by pellet stove efficiency to find fuel MMBtu, then divides by MMBtu per ton to find tons per year and multiplies by dollars per ton. For the furnace, it divides delivered heat by AFUE to find fuel MMBtu, converts to therms using 0.1 MMBtu per therm, and multiplies by dollars per therm. The lower annual fuel cost indicates which option is cheaper on an energy-cost-only basis under your assumptions.
Pellet fuel MMBtu = delivered heat ÷ (stove efficiency)Pellet tons/yr = pellet fuel MMBtu ÷ (MMBtu/ton)Gas fuel MMBtu = delivered heat ÷ (AFUE)Gas therms/yr = gas fuel MMBtu ÷ 0.1Swap in your pellet spec, utility gas rate, and measured heat load for actionable estimates.
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