When Laura and I agreed to move back up north in mid-autumn, there was a bit of trepidation on my part. I said something like, “I’m freaking out a little about the prospect of moving to Maine right before winter. I need time to plan. I need time to think about how we’re going to stay warm.” As you already know, oil ain’t my thing.
Since we’ve arrived here, I’ve been working diligently to get our situation settled. I already purchased and installed the pellet stove and bought five bags of pellets. I think we burned two of them. It’s been warm. What I really needed was go get my hands on at least one ton of pellets to keep in the garage. Over time, I’ll get a few more tons to keep a steady supply. There’s nothing worse than running out of pellets in spring, when it’s still chilly outside. I am so over the shivering and shaking thing as I sit here and try to type.
The five bags I bought from Home Depot the other night were priced at $4.19. That’s a really good price. I think the guy at the register charged me $4.68 for some reason, but I wasn’t in the mood to argue. I still hadn’t put the pellets in the truck yet or removed them from the store. I didn’t want to walk all the way over to them to correct him on the price.
Anyway, they cost $4.19 a bag. If I’m at the Home Depot again for one reason or another, I’ll pick up a ton. They’ve got a nice forklift that can extend the cargo pretty far out into the bed of the truck. Much better than placing something on the rear, near the tailgate, and then having to push it towards the front.
I did a quick search yesterday to see if there were any semi-local wood pellet dealers that I could acquire more pellets from. I think I hit the nail on the head when I found an actual pellet plant that sells to the public. They’re called, “Maine Woods Pellet Co.” and they’re located in Athens, Maine. They sell pellets directly to the consumer for $200 per ton, or $4 per bag. I think that’s the best price I’ve ever found for pellets. Considering I saw them for sale last spring up in Connecticut at a hardware store for over $8 per bag. Smoking something those people were.
Courtesy Google Earth
Now, just to let you know, I did see a big sign that said, “Wood Pellets – $199 Per Ton” as we rolled into town last Tuesday. I don’t exactly know how far out that was, so I thought it would be a better idea just to go to the plant today. In addition, I figured I would get some interesting pictures of a pellet plant, just in case anyone is interested.
I kind of took these incognito as I drove into and out of the plant. I wasn’t sure if these guys were down with the whole photo blog thing, but then I remembered a sign I saw in the office that talked about tours. I guess they’re okay with it.
Pellet plants are really cool places. They’re loud though and they have a lot going on. I was on edge the whole time I was there.
[…] soon. I already have a source directly from the dealer, so when I run over to grab them, I’ll write a post about that. For those of you who aren’t aware, buying pellets directly from the factory is a very […]