Which is cheaper to run?+
It depends on local fuel prices in the year you are asking and on whether you cut your own wood, so a fixed answer here would go stale immediately. What is stable is the shape of it: wood rewards effort and access to fuel, pellets buy convenience.
Does a pellet stove keep running when the power goes out?+
No: it halts. The auger, the fans and the igniter all draw current, and certain models will push a wisp of smoke back into the room as the exhaust fan winds down. If pellets are your heat here, plan around it with battery backup, a generator, or a second appliance that needs no electricity.
Which needs less maintenance?+
Neither, really: they need different maintenance. Wood needs more flue attention; pellet needs considerably more appliance attention. The pellet annual service is a genuine teardown instead of a tidy-up, and skipping it is what causes most mid-winter failures.
Can I put either into an existing fireplace?+
Both are available as inserts, and both need a correctly sized liner run up the chimney, not venting into the open fireplace flue. That requirement is the same for either and it is not optional.
Which heats better in a power outage?+
Wood, unambiguously, since it needs nothing but fuel and a working flue. The single strongest argument for wood in rural Vermont and it is why many houses here keep a wood appliance even alongside another system.
Do pellets need seasoning like firewood?+
No: they arrive ready to burn. They need to stay dry, which is a storage problem instead of a seasoning one. Damp pellets swell and jam the auger, so a dry indoor or weatherproof store matters more than people expect.
Is one cleaner in the house?+
Pellets involve less mess in handling and produce fine ash, not bulk ash. Wood brings bark, splinters and dust in with every load. Against that, a pellet appliance running poorly puts fine ash into the room in a way a wood stove does not.
Which is better for a whole house?+
Either can carry a house if it is sized and sited correctly, and siting matters more than fuel type. A single appliance in one room heats that room best regardless, and how well the heat moves depends on the layout.
How noisy is a pellet stove?+
There is a constant low fan noise and an intermittent auger sound. Most people stop noticing it; some find it a genuine irritation in a quiet room. Worth standing next to one running before deciding.
Which has more appliance failures?+
Pellet, since it has moving parts and electronics and a wood stove essentially does not. Well-maintained pellet appliances are reliable, but the failure modes exist and they arrive in January instead of in July.
Can I burn pellets in a wood stove or vice versa?+
No. They are different appliances with different combustion arrangements and different venting requirements. Burning the wrong fuel in either is a way to damage the appliance and produce a flue problem.
Does either affect my insurance?+
A solid-fuel appliance is something insurers commonly ask about, and some want evidence of a compliant installation or a recent inspection. That applies to both, and it is worth confirming with your insurer before the appliance arrives, not after.