Charcoal versus pellet cost.
When I got my first pellet grill I was worried that my fuel cost would go up, especially using premium pellets, versus charcoal.
After several cooks and keeping track of the pellet consumption and cost, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my pellet cost is just about tit for tat with what I was spending on charcoal (I use Royal oak lump or the Wal-Mart Briquettes - which are made by Royal Oak).
Even counting the extras:
With charcoal I also have the small additional cost of wood chunks.
With the pellet grill there's the small additional cost of electricity. The MAK's power usage while running is <62 watts. My Stoven uses even less electricity.
A good example: The old-school picnic hams we did this past holiday season took about 5 1/2 hours to hot smoke.
To keep the grill at 225° - 250° I used 2 chimneys full of briquettes - (approx. half a bag). Cost: approx. $3.50
At those same time & temps on the pellet grills, I would have used approx. 3.5 - 4 lbs pellets (0.66 - 0.75 lbs per hour at 225° - 250°).
Pellet cost = $1 per lb. 5 1/2 hours @ an average of .66 - .75 lb/hr My Estimated cost: $3.63 - $4.12
Factor in the wood chunk cost vs. electricity used and the cost really is within pennies of each other.
My yearly cost for the past two years has confirmed that I am spending no more on pellets than I was on charcoal. In fact if anything buying the pellets in bulk this past year saved me about 20%. I am actually paying $.80 - .85 per pound, not $1.00.
