Size a wood, gas or pellet stove to the room it must heat.
Stove output is matched to room volume rather than floor area, since ceiling height changes the heated volume substantially. Input rating exceeds output by the efficiency shortfall, and fuel consumption follows from the input. An oversized stove is run throttled down, which produces incomplete combustion, creosote and glass staining, so matching output to the room matters more than buying headroom.
Fireplace/Stove
Output = volume × specific loss × ΔT; input = output ÷ efficiency
Output = volume × specific loss × ΔT; input = output ÷ efficiency Stove output is matched to room volume rather than floor area, since ceiling height changes the heated volume substantially. Input rating exceeds output by the efficiency shortfall, and fuel consumption follows from the input.
An oversized stove is run throttled down, which produces incomplete combustion, creosote and glass staining, so matching output to the room matters more than buying headroom.
This calculator takes 5 inputs: Room area, Ceiling height, Insulation quality, Appliance efficiency, Design temperature difference. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.