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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Wood pellet stoves are becoming so popular that one Yellowknifer supplier is having hard time keeping up.

Rolly Comeau of Hearth and Home Central Mechanical Systems said the response to the city's first-ever wood pellet fair Oct. 3-4 was excellent but he can't make any promises to customers because so much relies on getting units from his suppliers.

Bill Aho of Hearth and Home Central Mechanical Systems is showing one of the wood pellet stoves that his company sells. The high cost of heating fuel has brought a lot of interest in the appliances from the public. - Jason Emiry/NNSL photo

"Right now I'm not installing till the end of November," said Comeau. "The suppliers cannot keep up. The demand is outweighing the supply. That is for any pellet stove manufacturer. Whenever they offer me something I take it."

The wood pellet fair attracted many people interested in cutting down on their heating costs.

Comeau aid his company has had a busy year selling 50 units due to the high cost of oil for heating.

"Since people have been getting their prepayment bills from oil companies", said Comeau. "They've got to cut down on the oil somehow. It's ridiculous the price we're paying for it. They're looking for an alternative."

Comeau said the pellet stoves can be used as supplementary heat. People will still need to have a central heating system.

Andrew Cunningham from NAAS Enterprises said that the fair was very positive for his company. NAAS had a wood pellet furnace and hopper storage unit on display at the fair.

"They were happy to see a long term storage solution so they don't have to keep filling the bags manually into their heating appliance," said Cunningham.

Cunningham said that he had hoped to be busier with NAAS this year but there are problems with getting insurance on these units. He said insurance is easier to get in B.C. and Alberta because these units have been used there longer.

"They (insurance companies) don't have the data," said Cunningham. "They all crunch numbers and look at risk assessment. Arctic Insurance Brokers are one of the few companies that will provide insurance."

He said it will typically take a month to get the furnaces from their supplier and one month to get it installed. The products come from Cornell, B.C.

Thomas Wunderlin said the fair went well for Arctic Green Energy.

The company installs industrial boilers, but now also installs residential systems.

Wunderlin said his company uses European technology. They now sell a Bosch residential boiler that is designed for North America. They are going to bring in 40 and they have already pre-sold 15 units

Arctic Green Energy has a truck that delivers pellets. There are a variety of storage systems that are available.

"That is a crucial part of a residential pellet boiler operation," said Wunderlin. "You do need bulk delivery."