Why you should use pellets to heat your vacation house.

Heat in the Vacation Home During Winter

Deciding on the best heating method during the winter months when the house is not used (or not used as much) is something most vacation homeowners ponder. It's important to maintain indoor temperatures a few degrees higher than outdoor temperatures. However, defining the "right" indoor temperature can be difficult because indoor climate and humidity levels vary throughout the year.

One option is to maintain a relatively high indoor temperature to ensure it's always warmer indoors than outdoors. Nevertheless, it may be more energy-efficient to monitor and adjust heating based on current climate conditions.

Also read: Heating a House - Which System Should I Choose?

Various Heating Options for Vacation Homes

Pellet Stove

Heating the vacation home with pellets is always a good idea. The pellet stove presents an advantageous option for heating in vacation homes with electric heating or where one only stays occasionally throughout the year. The pellet stove also serves as an excellent complement to other heating methods such as oil heating, wood burning, and heat pump/geothermal heating.

Many pellet stoves are equipped with a fan that efficiently spreads warm air throughout the house or property. The system is so energy-efficient that it can be powered by, for example, a car battery during power outages.

An important difference between a wood stove and a pellet stove is that the pellet stove, like the pellet burner, has a small reservoir of pellets. This automatically feeds pellets into the stove based on heating needs.

Aesthetically, the pellet stove often resembles the wood stove and is available in various models. Some models can also be used to heat water as a supplement to a water heater. See our full range of pellet stoves here.

Direct Electric Heating and Air-to-Air Heat Pump

Direct electric heating is a practical heating system but can become costly, especially in large vacation homes that are not optimally insulated. Some choose to add an air-to-air heat pump to the system. In this case, it's important to choose a model tailored for vacation homes and that can be set for maintenance heating. Under the right conditions, the heat pump can function as a primary heat source, thus reducing operating costs.

Solar Energy

Vacation homeowners may consider solar energy as an alternative energy source with various technological solutions. Solar collectors offer the opportunity to generate hot water, and solar panels convert solar energy into electricity. The challenge with solar energy is the limited number of sunlight hours during the winter months.

Solar collectors for hot water are suitable if you consume large amounts of hot water in the vacation home. Solar panels have become more cost-effective, making them a reasonable investment even for vacation homes. They can be used for both household electricity and heating through an electric heater. Did you know that you can streamline your heating by combining pellet burning with an accumulator tank and solar panels? This way, you can also save up to 20% on pellets per year.

Wood Stove

Having a wood stove or a wood cooker is common in vacation homes. The stove serves as a temporary heat source and can reduce the need for expensive direct electric heating. From a purely energy-economic perspective, justifying the investment in a new wood stove can be challenging. The investment becomes more justified if you have access to cost-effective wood and use the vacation home regularly.

Heating the Vacation Home with Pellets - A Cost-Effective Alternative

Heating the vacation home with pellets is both an efficient and environmentally friendly option. Additionally, pellets are a cost-effective alternative for those seeking the most economical heating system. By purchasing pellets in large volumes, you can lower the price to between 50 and 70 öre per kilowatt-hour (kWh), including VAT and delivery costs. This contrasts with the price of oil, which is around 1.8 kronor per kWh, and electricity, whose price continuously increases.

At a forward flow temperature of 55 degrees Celsius and an outdoor temperature of -7 degrees Celsius, pellet burning is currently more economically advantageous than both geothermal heating and air-to-water heat pumps.

Why You Should Heat Your Vacation Home with a Pellet Stove from Ulma

A modern pellet stove from Ulma stands out for its efficiency and environmental friendliness. The pellet stoves also operate automatically and can generate heat for up to one or two days after refilling.

When installed in a vacation home, it's advantageous for the stove's thermostat to be set for maintenance heating during shorter periods, reducing pellet consumption. The general rules for installing stoves also apply to pellet stoves.

Since energy consumption in vacation homes is relatively low, it's seldom economically justifiable to invest in larger heating systems such as geothermal or air-to-water heat pumps.