The 5 Most Efficient Wood Stoves for Home Heating in 2022

A wood stove offers you a cost-effective home heating solution. You will be sure to provide sufficient warmth to your home while keeping the heating costs to a minimum.

What’s more, many wood stoves are energy-efficient, meaning they use less wood to provide maximum warmth over extended periods.

Since wood is a renewable energy source, wood stoves offer the best home heating solutions, especially for your off-grid home.

But you want to invest in the most energy-efficient wood stove to have the most cost-effective home heating solution.

However, finding the wood stove using less wood is a daunting task since the market has plenty of wood-burning stoves when not all of them are best for your home.

That means you will require a guide to help you spot worthy wood stoves.

We’ve rounded up the five most energy-efficient wood stoves for your home. They use less wood to provide sufficient warmth that covers extended spaces reaching a whopping 3,200 square feet.

The wood stoves also boast steel plate construction for durability and excellent performance. We have even included a buyer’s guide to help carefully narrow down your options to the final wood stove.

So, be sure to read on for more information.

The most efficient wood stoves for home heating in 2022

Ashley Hearth AW2020E-P 2,000 Sq. Ft. Pedestal Wood Burning Stove

This Ashley Hearth AW2020E-P wood stove is the perfect option for your 2,000 square feet room. It produces 89,000 BTUs, ideal for your spacious home.

Its massive heat output ensures it has no trouble keeping such extensive rooms warm and cozy for extended periods.

It is a medium-size wood stove using America’s oldest power source: wood. As such, you will always keep your cabin warm and comfortable since wood is a renewable energy source.

The material quality of this wood stove is also exceptional to make it serve you for years.

Precisely, this unit boasts steel plate construction to handle heavy-duty usage for extended periods. It is a pedestal wood stove with a base that provides excellent stability.

And that means your wood stove doesn’t stand a chance to tip over when providing heat to your entire home.

The 2 cubic foot firebox holds your nicely split 21-inch-long logs excellently. Since the firebox is spacious, it holds more logs to extend the burning period and reduce load-ups.

Also, the firebrick-lined firebox prevents heat loss to extend the burning time further. 

You will also clean it easily since it features a large ash pan. The brushed nickel handle makes it elegant and safe to use. Also, more elegance comes from the pedestal design.

Even if you have a mobile home, you can still provide warmth to your space with this wood stove. So, consider buying it if you want incredible performance and elegance.

Manufacturer	Ashley Hearth Products
Model Number	AW2020E-P
Product Dimensions	21 x 29.4 x 31.25 inches
Item Weight	283 pounds
Heat Output	89000 British Thermal Units
Log Size	21″ in length

Pros	Cons
89000 British Thermal Units.	Pricey.
Accepts logs up to 21" in length.	Blower sold separately.
Brushed nickel spring door handle and pedestal base provides an elegant look to any room.
Most Efficient Wood Stoves Review

US Stove US1269E Wood Cast Iron Stove

This US Stove US1269E wood stove is rustic to meet your nostalgic taste. It boasts cast iron construction that makes it a heavy-duty wood stove.

It offers more functionality since it features an integrated cooking surface. Therefore, it is a genuine wood stove since you can cook meals from it.

The construction and design of this unit make it a perfect option for a rugged outdoorsman. You can also use it if you want a reliable heat source for your 9,000 square feet room.

It provides 54,000 BTUs to warm your 900 sq. ft. room excellently.

As you’d expect from a rustic wood stove, it has a wide application, and you can warm pretty much any space.

Whether it is your shop that needs heat or you want to keep your log cabin comfortable and warm, this wood stove does an incredible job.

Also, you can use it to keep your garage warm. Therefore, it has a wide application and is truly versatile. The firebox isn’t as large as the first one.

But it still offers ample space for 19-inch-long wood. The handle remains cool, making it safe to operate your wood stove. However, this is not the wood stove you want for your mobile home.

So, consider other options if you want to warm your mobile home.

But the unit still checks all the boxes for the best wood stoves using less wood to provide maximum warmth.

Besides, it meets the stringent 2020 EPA standards. As such, it is a worthy investment.

Manufacturer	US Stove Company
Model Number	US1269E
Product Dimensions	33 x 18.5 x 23 inches
Item Weight	128.7 pounds
Heat Output	54000 British Thermal Units
Log Size	19" in length

Pros	Cons
Burns wood very well	Smoky at first
Heat well	Heavy item
Best use to warm your home
Most Efficient Wood Stoves Review

Ashley Hearth AW1120E-P Pedestal Wood Burning Stove

Ashley Hearth AW1120E-P is elegant right out of the box. It also features the pedestal design that the first Ashley Heath wood-burning stove features. It is a durable wood stove that features high-quality construction materials.

First, its steel plate body ensures it handles heavy-duty usage. And the nickel-pewter trim makes it an elegant wood stove, as we’ve already seen.

The door boasts cast-iron material that makes it as durable as the rest of the body. But what makes this door different is that it features an air-washed ceramic glass window for magnificent viewing of the burning wood.

Besides durability and exceptional design, this wood stove is also more powerful than the second unit on the list.

It provides 68,000 BTUs, sufficient to keep your 1,200 square feet room warm and comfortable.

The firebox is slightly smaller than the firebox of the second wood stove. As a result, you can only fit logs that are 18 inches long.

That is still pretty impressive, given that you will not load the wood stove frequently.

Like the other Ashley Hearth wood stove, this one features a firebrick-lined firebox to provide heat for extended periods while using less wood.

The pedestal base makes this unit ideal for any space, including your mobile home. Besides, it meets the strict EPA 2020 certification standards.

The brushed nickel spring door handle also makes the unit elegant and safer to operate.

This wood stove works efficiently and consumes less wood. Therefore, you should consider this wood stove.

Manufacturer	Ashley Hearth Products
Model Number	AW1120E-P
Product Dimensions	21 x 22.5 x 31.7 inches
Item Weight	249 pounds
Heat Output	68000 British Thermal Units
Log Size	18" in length

Pros	Cons
Burn time up to 10 hours	Need professional installer
Accepts logs up to 18" in length	Need to check from time to time.
Burns the wood well
Most Efficient Wood Stoves Review

ZhoneQingXninRED Hearth Pedestal Wood Burning Stove

ZhoneQingXninRED features the same high-quality steel plate construction as the rest of the wood stoves on the list.

But it takes this high-quality construction a notch higher by using thick steel plates that make it more durable.

The plates boast a seam weld to seal off any potential opening on the body. And this works to improve the energy efficiency of the wood stove.

As a result, your wood stove will use less wood. Also, it will last longer, and it will not require maintenance later.

This wood stove has a thermal efficiency that is impressive at 90%. As a result, the unit provides 6kW of heat per hour, the equivalent of 20,472 BTUs.

This makes it an ideal wood stove for smaller spaces.

And that’s true since this wood stove is ideal for 450 square feet spaces. Therefore, it is an ideal option for you if you’re looking to keep a smaller area warm and comfortable.

The unit maintains its elegance even at high temperatures, and you have the temperature-resistant paint to thank. 

The large-size fire viewing window comprises high-temperature resistant glass-ceramic. This window doesn’t even deform after years of usage, making this wood stove even more durable.

As such, you can have a magnificent view for many years.

Cleaning the firebox is effortless; the drawer-type ash box will help you immensely. The firebox holds logs that are 13.78 inches long – pretty impressive for this small-sized wood stove.

If you have a small room you want to keep warm, this is the perfect wood stove for you.

Manufacturer	ZhoneQingXninRED
Model Number	-
Product Dimensions	20.87 x 18.5 x 16.54 inches
Item Weight	154.3 pounds
Heat Output	54, 000 Btus
Log Size	13.78in

Pros	Cons
The use of high temperature resistant paint is non-toxic and harmless.	The stove is air-tight.
The wood in the furnace is fully burned.	Pricey.
Our fireplace adopts zero-expansion.
Most Efficient Wood Stoves Review

Ashley Hearth AW3200E-P Pedestal Wood Burning Stove

This Ashley Hearth AW3200E-P wood stove is the perfect option for your extra-large space. It is an extra-large wood-burning stove that churns out massive heat.

Precisely, it radiates 152,000 BTUs of heat to its surroundings, making it the perfect unit for warming 3,200 square feet of space.

Unlike many Ashley hearth wood stoves we’ve reviewed, this one comes with a 100 CFM blower that you can adjust. This blower comes in handy when you want even heating for your space.

The construction is also reputable, making the unit very durable.

The door alone boasts cast iron construction for durable performance. Also, this door features an extra-large ceramic glass window for viewing your burning wood.

On the other hand, the furnace body boasts 3/16-inch heavy-gauge steel plates for heavy-duty usage and durable performance.

The pedestal design makes it very stable as it enhances the elegance. The brushed nickel door handle also makes this wood stove elegant. At the same time, it guarantees safety.

The firebox accepts longer logs ranging from 18 – 22 inches. As a result, you will not load this unit with logs frequently.

The drawer-type ash box is large to reduce the cleaning frequency while guaranteeing easy cleaning at the same time.

This is yet another wood stove that meets EPA 2020 certification standards. As such, it is high-quality and safe to use. Therefore, you should consider this Ashley hearth wood stove.

Manufacturer	Ashley Hearth Products
Model Number	AW3200E-P
Product Dimensions	39 x 24 x 32.5 inches
Item Weight	363 pounds
Heat Output	152000 British Thermal Units
Log Size	18" - 22" in length

Pros	Cons
152,000 BTUs.	Need to clean the glass door.
Accepts logs up to 18" - 22" in length.	Pricey.
Includes adjustable high speed (100 CFM) blower for even heat.
Most Efficient Wood Stoves Review

What Should You Consider When Buying Energy-Efficient Wood Stoves?

You don’t want just any wood stove but the most energy-efficient one. Besides, an energy-efficient wood stove will keep your home heating cost to a minimum.

The best wood stove will give you the efficiency you require and serve you for many years. And that’s why you want to invest in the best energy-efficient wood stove.

But finding the best wood stove for your home depends on checking for the following features:

Heat Output in BTU

The first thing you want to check is the heat output of your preferred wood stove. Usually, manufacturers express the heat output in British Thermal Units (BTUs). But they can also express it in kilowatts (kW).

So, it is the BTU rating you want to check for before buying any wood stove.

But you want to know your room size first before choosing a particular BTU output. Generally, you require 20 BTUs per square foot area.

That means your 1,000 square foot room requires a wood stove producing 20,000 BTUs per hour.

If you’re looking to warm a 1,200 square foot room, you will need a wood stove producing 24,000 BTUs. So, get your room size facts correct, then source the wood stove that provides sufficient heat for the room.

Once you’ve identified a suitable wood stove, you want to check for a few additional features before spending your money. You can choose more powerful wood stoves to heat your residential space faster.

Energy-Efficient Performance

Besides checking for the heat output, you want to check for energy efficiency. Besides, one of your goals is to find an energy-efficient wood stove.

So, you should check for the efficiency of a wood stove before buying it.

And the reason for this is that an energy-efficient unit consumes less wood but provides maximum heat for extended periods.

You want to check for efficiency no less than 70%. Of course, you could look for higher efficiencies for the best performances.

A highly efficient wood stove, say 70% efficient, uses 70% of wood to provide heat. At the same time, a 90% efficient wood stove burns 90% of wood to give off heat for warming your home.

As a result, only a small percentage goes to waste. So, look for higher efficiency to extract as much heat from wood as possible. This will reduce the heating cost.

The Emission Rate

Since your wood stove relies on wood as fuel, it is bound to emit smoke. That means smoke emission rate is another factor to consider when shopping around.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expresses smoke emission in grams per hour.

So, you want to check the emission in grams per hour before buying a wood stove.

Since you’re looking for low emission wood stoves, you want to opt for models with less than 4.5 grams per hour.

Some wood stove models produce as low as 2 grams of emission per hour. They should be your go-to wood stoves if you want a clean room with no polluted air.

EPA-certified wood stoves boast low emission rates, making them safe for use. Therefore, you can opt for EPA-certified wood stoves.

The Material Quality

Even as you check for features that make a wood stove provide sufficient heat and produce less emission, you also want to check for quality.

But the construction material a wood stove features determines its quality. If the construction material is high-quality, the wood stove will be high-quality.

Steel plates are quality materials that make any wood stove high-quality and durable. As such, you can opt for wood stoves featuring steel plates in their designs.

But you want to ensure the steel plates feature seamless welding for air-tight wood-burning, potentially increasing efficiency.

Also, cast iron is another quality material, especially for the doors. You also want to ensure the paint job handles the hot furnace excellently.

A high-temperature resistant paint will withstand the high temperatures of the wood stove.

As a result, your unit will maintain its elegance over the years. So, also ensure the paint job withstands the high temperatures.

The Firebox Size

Your wood stove can hold logs of up to a given length. That means you will check the firebox size since you will load wood to the firebox.

The larger the firebox size, the more wood your unit can hold. And the longer it can provide heat.

So, that tells you how important it is to choose the right-sized firebox.

Many fireboxes can hold 19-inch-long logs. But more spacious fireboxes can even hold logs boasting 22-inch lengths.

You want to go for large firebox sizes if you want fewer load-ups and extended heating performance. But this will mean loading more logs to your wood stove.

As a result, you will need more wood.

Usually, units with larger fireboxes are ideal for larger homes. If your room isn’t extensive, you can opt for fireboxes holding 18-inch-long logs.

Therefore, the size of the firebox is another factor you will consider before buying a wood stove. So, be sure to check it first.

Large viewing Window

Although not an important feature, a large viewing window can make a difference in the performance of your wood stove.

It allows you to watch the burning wood. And this means you can tell when your wood stove needs a refill.

So, prioritize wood stoves with large viewing windows.

Also, you want to check the window glass material. Ceramic glass material resists high heat excellently and doesn’t crack as your wood stove provides heat to the room.

Therefore, buy units with viewing windows boasting ceramic glass.

Automatic Ignition

An automatic ignition system starts the fire for you. It takes the hassle of lighting the wood on fire away from you.

An automatic ignition system is a real-time saver. It uses electricity to function. Therefore, you will connect your wood stove to a wall outlet. 

Once you load wood into the firebox, you can turn a knob or push a button, and your wood stove will start to burn, giving off the heat to warm your home.

So, prioritize automatic ignition over manual ignition.

FAQs

How long can a wood stove burn to provide heat?

Wood stoves can burn up to 6 hours straight. But this varies across the board. Many models provide heat only for 4 hours, but more powerful wood stoves run for 6 hours, as we have already seen.

One thing that impacts the burn time is the firebox size. 

Of course, efficiency and BTU heat output play a crucial role in determining the burning time.

So, you want to invest in a wood stove with a large firebox and higher efficiency to maximize burning time.

How durable is a wood stove?

Since many wood stoves boast steel plate construction, they last anywhere between 10 to 20 years. Again, this depends on your caring habits and usage frequency.

As you might already know, the thicker the steel plate, the better the durability.

So, opt for wood stoves featuring high-quality steel or cast-iron materials for excellent durability.

Can I cook with my wood stove?

Yes, your wood stove could allow you to cook on its cooktop. Some wood stoves, such as US Stove US1269E, feature a cooktop for your cooking needs.

You can place a skillet on their cooktop and cook whatever meal you want to have for breakfast or dinner.

So, you could cook a meal from your wood stove if it has a cooktop.

How much wood does my wood stove need to provide heat?

Even though the firebox accommodates a given length in inches, you want to place no more than two logs inside the firebox.

After loading a fresh log into the firebox, you want to keep the door open until the new log catches fire properly.

That is when you can close the door.

Wrap Up

Since wood is a renewable energy source, it makes an excellent fuel for heating your home. Even if you have a mobile home, wood can still be a useful fuel for warming your home.

But that will require you to buy a wood stove. And not just any wood stove, but the best wood stove on the market. Of course, you will consider some features to land the best deal on the market.

Fortunately, we have recommended some incredible wood stoves with unrivaled performances. They are energy-efficient to keep heating costs to a minimum.

They also boast reputable construction that guarantees excellent performance and durability.

Even if you can’t find a wood stove that meets your home’s needs from our review, you can still use our buyer’s guide to find one that checks all the boxes for you.

So, invest in the most energy-efficient wood stove and keep your home warm and comfortable.