On line you can check out the cost of various fuels per million btu. Cut wood is one of the least expensive ways to heat a home. Growing up we never paid for wood, always sought out free junk wood and I just cleaned the chimney a few times a season. Now that I have a child with asthma and a home that is only served by electricity I have had to rely on heat pumps and a pellet stove. (Puffs of smoke from wood stove when opening the door to feed wood are a problem for asthma.) Cold days when the heat pumps start cutting in electric resistance heat we run the pellet stove. It was the largest I could find (E----o Maxx) and holds three bags of pellets. The fan is LOUD - similar to a window AC unit on high (moved the TV to another room). Having used a wood stove for many year (before child) I can give first hand benefits of a large pellet stove. 1. No smoke or dust in the house. 2. We leave it unattended all of the time, it can even be wired to a thermostat. 3. Simple operation - don't have to adjust or babysit the fire. 4. This year I bought 2 tons of pellets for about $360 stored in the garage. I am fine with spending the money for the convenience.

HI Jake, I have the QuadraFire 1200i. It's going on its 5th year and has been a fine stove. We have it hooked up to a digital thermostat so it sets back at night, yet is warm and cheery when we wake up. Neither stove will thoroughly heat your house in your climate if the house is not tightly insulated with good windows. If it is really cold outside and blowing hard, then it is likely that your furnace may come on while the pellet stove is running. But the furnace will shut off much more quickly than if it was trying to heat the house alone. Chimney height is not an issue, the exhaust is presurized and will need it's own 3" pipe inside of the existing stack. The Quad and the Harmon are both good stoves. I think the Quad is easier for maintenance, but I don't think you would go wrong either way. If you're having trouble buying locally, consider buying from a NW dealer and have it shipped. They're made in WA so I would expect freight to be approx $400.

I agree, I'd go with the freestanding stove in the great room. My theory is if you heat the larger mass of air, you'll have more convection to the rest of the house. Whether that actually works or not, beats me. And remember, if your power is out for any length of time, a lot of the heat that insert would recover is going up the chimney because your fan is off. Also, what's the coal situation like in Utah? A coal stove is better for prolonged heat, in my opinion, but you can't run them like a wood stove.

Anyone have any feedback on the newer units that have been manufatured in the last year or two? Thinking about buying one.