Stove merchants see sales stoked by threat of electricity failures

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Stove merchants see sales stoked by threat of electricity failures By JEFF JARDINE BEE STAFF WRITER (Published: Thursday, December 28, 2000)

A year ago, many folks prepared for the dreaded stroke of Y2K by purchasing gas-burning fireplaces and inserts.

Of course, the great computer-assisted Armageddon didn't happen. Y2K went off without a glitch. And the stove merchants braced themselves for significantly fewer sales in 2000 than they enjoyed in 1999.

As it turned out, the real Y2K disaster came later, in the form of energy shortages. Electric bills have soared. So have natural-gas prices. The threat of rolling brownouts is real and routine.

Consequently, stove dealers are still selling gas stoves and inserts at a brisk pace, and for the same basic reason: Gas stoves will work even if the electricity goes out.

"Before the energy crunch, we were anticipating a flat year in stove sales," said Jim Ftacek, sales manager at the Spa Doctor stove and spa store in north Modesto. "Last year's sales were nearly double the year before (1998). But this year, it's kept up."

So have sales of pellet stoves, second in efficiency only to the natural-gas stoves. Pellet stoves still require electricity to run the augers that spit the small wood pellets into the flame.

Nancy Cheever, owner of Ultimate Stove and Spa in Modesto, said she has one pellet stove left on the showroom floor. It's sold, waiting to be installed. So is the one due in next week.

"We can't keep 'em in stock," Cheever said.

Sales of new, efficient wood stoves are up, too, but not to the extent of the gas and pellet stoves. Part of the reason is that the price of a cord of firewood has gone up by as much as $15 over last year, said Raul Arteaga, who owns a firewood business in Modesto. Last year, he charged about $160 per cord. This year, it's $175.

Opportunism? Hardly.

"My costs have gone up, so I've had to raise my prices," Arteaga said. "Last year, I was paying about $1.20 per gallon (for unleaded regular gasoline). This year, I'm paying about $1.60. And my labor costs have gone up. My employees pay higher gas prices, too."

The higher prices haven't slowed business. Many firewood suppliers report average or above average sales -- a sign that people don't want to be left in the cold even at prices of up to $200 per cord delivered.

The San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Control District, of course, prefers the more efficient gas and pellet stoves over traditional open-hearth fireplaces.

Bee staff writer Jeff Jardine can be reached at 578-2383 or jjardine@modbee.com.

http://www.modbee.com/metro/story/0,1113,225313,00.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), December 28, 2000


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