Wood Pellets Shortage Hurts California Homeowners: Demand for Pellets Goes Up

In the midst of the Deep Freeze, California homeowners can not find wood pellets to feed to their pellet stoves. In an effort to find a few bags, I set out to visit various local stores that usually carry the pellets. i stopped at Home Depot and Orchard Supply. I was unfortunate. I could not find any pellets. On these short journeys, I heard about a pellet-manufacturing plant that got burned. This rumor was dropped because it was only a rumor.

Lack of sawdust supply from home construction causes the severe shortage for those of us who pay big money to have these pellet stoves installed in our homes. In the past few years, wood pellet stoves have provided a reasonable heating solution to many Southern, Northern and Central California homeowners. After the shortage hits, many of us start asking, "What's the point of having done so much of this preparation when we can not get the pellets?"

The Pellet Stove Industry and manufacturers should pay attention to their product supply. It is a question of being left in the cold of the Winter months. Once again, this scarcity shows how many other industries depend on a robust housing industry. If many houses are not being built, a reduction in the production of sawdust will produce shortage. We, pellet-stove owners, want to keep our stoves burning. We want the pellets when we want them. We do not want this short supply to cause the prices to go up.