Pellet Heat for the Rare Cold Snap in Howe, Texas.

No, not really—and it's worth saying plainly. With an average winter low of 34°F and only about 2,727 heating degree days a year, Howe's heating season is short and mild compared to the cold-climate regions where pellet stoves function as a genuine primary heat source. Most Howe homes rely on central gas or electric heat, and where a secondary heat source makes sense, gas fireplaces are far more common locally than pellet stoves. That doesn't make a pellet stove a bad idea for the right household—it just means you're in a minority, and I want you to know that going in.

There's no dedicated hearth retailer in Howe itself given the town's size (just over 3,500 people), so most installations are handled by dealers based in Sherman, Denison, or the northern Dallas-Fort Worth metro who travel into Grayson County. Nationally, a freestanding pellet stove installation typically runs $3,000 to $6,500 including venting through an exterior wall, and a pellet insert into an existing fireplace runs a bit more once a liner is factored in. Because so few installers in this part of Texas specialize in pellet appliances specifically, get quotes from two or three dealers rather than assuming the first number you hear is competitive.

The honest reasons tend to be specific rather than about everyday heating. Some Howe homeowners want supplemental heat for a garage workshop, a converted bonus room without ductwork, or a detached space central HVAC doesn't reach. Others like the low-maintenance look of real flame—no wood splitting, no chimney sweeping—for the handful of genuinely cold nights each winter. And some install one specifically as a hedge against events like the February 2021 freeze, when ERCOT-wide outages left North Texas homes without heat during a hard freeze that Howe's own climate data would call rare but not impossible.

Not on its own, and this is the single most important thing to understand if you're considering a pellet stove specifically for storm backup. Pellet stoves rely on an electric auger to feed fuel and a blower to circulate heat, so a standard installation goes dark exactly when the grid does—during the same ERCOT outages you're probably worried about. If backup heat during a power outage is your main goal, either pair the stove with a battery backup or small generator sized to run the auger and igniter, or look at a wood-burning or vented gas option that doesn't depend on electricity. Ask any dealer you talk to about battery backup compatibility before you buy.

Because Howe is a small town of around 3,500 people, dedicated hearth retailers are based in nearby Sherman, Denison, or farther south in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. Regional pellet brands including Forest Energy and Lignetics are distributed through those dealers and through farm and feed stores across Grayson County, particularly in the fall as the first cold snaps arrive. Pellets typically sell in 40-pound bags by the ton, and it's worth buying early in the season—supply at small-town retailers can run thin once North Texas gets its first hard freeze warning.

For most Howe homeowners, gas is the more practical choice. Natural gas and propane fireplaces are far more common in this part of Grayson County, install cleanly into existing fireplaces or new construction, and don't require hauling and storing bags of pellets for a heating season that only lasts a few months. A pellet stove makes more sense if you specifically want the visual and radiant feel of a real flame fed by wood pellets, or you have a detached workshop or shop building without a gas line. If convenience and universal local support matter most, ask a local dealer about gas options alongside any pellet stove you're considering.

Most likely yes—new solid-fuel appliance installations, including pellet stoves, typically require a building permit through the City of Howe or Grayson County's building department, along with an inspection of venting and clearances. Requirements can vary depending on whether you're inside city limits or in unincorporated Grayson County, so confirm with your local building office before installation. A reputable local dealer installing your unit will typically pull the permit and coordinate the inspection as part of the job, which is one more reason to work with an experienced pellet installer rather than a general handyman.

Given Howe's mild winters, most homeowners are sizing a pellet stove for supplemental or zone heat rather than whole-home heating—a small to mid-size unit rated for 1,000 to 1,800 square feet is plenty for a bonus room, workshop, or open living area. If you're the rare Howe homeowner looking to offset most of your winter gas or electric bill with a pellet stove, a larger unit sized for your square footage and insulation level makes sense, but that's an unusual goal here given the short heating season. A local dealer can size the unit correctly based on the specific space you're heating.

For most of the year, electric heat through Oncor Electric Delivery, Texas-New Mexico Power, or Denton County Electric Cooperative handles Howe's mild, short winters just fine—residential rates run around 13.77 cents per kWh, and central electric systems don't require fuel storage or venting. A pellet stove makes more sense as a supplement in an uninsulated or unducted space, or for the ambiance of real flame, but it adds a fuel-storage and maintenance routine—ash removal, annual cleaning, keeping pellets dry—that electric heat doesn't. If your main goal is low-hassle heat for a whole home, electric is simpler here; if you want one specific room to have a real-flame heat source, pellet is worth a look.

Open fireplaces suck—literally. As the fire burns, it consumes air your furnace already paid to heat and pulls it out through the chimney, so the house is actually colder after the fire goes out than before you lit it. An insert fixes this: it seals the chimney, puts fixed glass across the front, and turns that hole in your house into a real heat source.

A clean pellet stove is a happy pellet stove. Plan on cleaning the burn pot about once a week when you're burning regularly—ash and clinkers gum up the air holes just like a pellet barbecue. Most pellet stove problems trace back to skipped cleaning that nobody explained up front. Some designs make it easy with a trapdoor burn pot: pull a lever and the gunk drops into the ash pan.

On average, a fireplace adds back to the home about the same amount you spent installing it. Add the monthly savings from heating the rooms you actually use instead of the whole house—often hundreds of dollars a year—and the value case is strong before you even count what a fire does for how your family uses the room.

For an average home—covering the fireplace, the vent pipe, and basic installation—a budget between $3,900 and $5,500 gives you a lot of options across wood, gas, and pellet. By the time you add finish work, gas line, and electrical, the average complete installation lands between $5,000 and $12,000 all-in. In a remodel or new build, a good rule is to put about 2.5% of the total project cost toward the fireplace.