Not sure coal is for me.

Richard S. wrote:That's enough space for approximately 6 ton of coal. On average you could easily heat a 2000 sq. ft. home with that much coal. Typically a house that size is going to use 4 to 5 tons.

5 years of heating 1650sqft with a Channing III I can safely say 2-1/2 ton per will suffice based on Oct-March burn rate....4-5tons is just a really wacky estimate unless you're talking 12 month intervals.

I think the Mayor once provided an estimate of 5 tons per 2000 sf of heated living space, and that estimate has fit pretty well for two houses I've heated with coal and many other situations described in the forum. If you're heating a limited area within the house, or if you have exceptional insulation, or if you're using data from a mild winter, etc., you easily could come up with a smaller number, but as a rule of thumb I think it's pretty reasonable.

Mike

Pacowy wrote:I think the Mayor once provided an estimate of 5 tons per 2000 sf of heated living space, and that estimate has fit pretty well for two houses I've heated with coal and many other situations described in the forum. If you're heating a limited area within the house, or if you have exceptional insulation, or if you're using data from a mild winter, etc., you easily could come up with a smaller number, but as a rule of thumb I think it's pretty reasonable.

Mike

I heat the entire house, it's my primary heat source ( built in 1983 all electric home) finished basement (tap room and master bedroom) starting from Oct. 2007 never exceeded 2-1/2 tons in fact I've always had left over bags.

Yeah I guess my home is exceptional because I beat the "rule of thumb" by half...or maybe my stove is exceptional, go figure.

Ed.A wrote:
5 years of heating 1650sqft with a Channing III I can safely say 2-1/2 ton per will suffice based on Oct-March burn rate....4-5tons is just a really wacky estimate unless you're talking 12 month intervals.

Ed considering I have the data and knowledge of what 450 different households would use on an annual basis who is it you think might have a good judgment on what the average usage might be?

Every house is different as are the habits of the people in the house. If you want an accurate estimate of usage you need to do heat loss calculation and of course factors like teenagers going in and out of the house are hard to calculate.

I heat the entire house, it's my primary heat source ( built in 1983 all electric home)

These type of homes are typically 2*6 construction and super insulated. If it's 2*6 construction that alone will explain your lower usage.

Richard S. wrote:These type of homes are typically 2*6 construction and super insulated. If it's 2*6 construction that alone will explain your lower usage.

You're exactly right, and that's the reason I mentioned it. I'm certainly fortunate when I built it to have ridden the bandwagon back when electric was the cheaper source and it payed off when it was time wean off the ever rising costs of that , then (dirty) wood and then finally the best source.

homecomfort wrote:Burning anthracite coal is nice as a supplemental, keep part of the house or 1 room very warm in the coldest part of winter. sort of entertaining if free time is available, a feeling of some self sufficiency, and you will save on utility bill. I would hate to have to depend on it for all of my heating, there are better ways to keep your house warm.

That MAY apply if you are trying to heat your house with a stove but certainly not if you are using a boiler or other central coal heater. My home stays a nice even temperature top to bottom. It takes me maybe 15 minutes per week to empty the ash pan 2-3 times. Hardly cuts into my free time. And saving on my utility bill hardly states the reality. Coal costs me about $900.00-$1,000.00 per season. Oil which is my other option would be over $3,000.00. Do I feel more self sufficient? Damn right! I'm using American mined anthracite, not oil from who knows where. Plus I don't have to pay some guy like you to come clean and service my oil boiler every year.

Richard S. wrote:

Ed.A wrote:
5 years of heating 1650sqft with a Channing III I can safely say 2-1/2 ton per will suffice based on Oct-March burn rate....4-5tons is just a really wacky estimate unless you're talking 12 month intervals.

Ed considering I have the data and knowledge of what 450 different households would use on an annual basis who is it you think might have a good judgment on what the average usage might be?

Every house is different as are the habits of the people in the house. If you want an accurate estimate of usage you need to do heat loss calculation and of course factors like teenagers going in and out of the house are hard to calculate.

I heat the entire house, it's my primary heat source ( built in 1983 all electric home)

These type of homes are typically 2*6 construction and super insulated. If it's 2*6 construction that alone will explain your lower usage.

I hate to be contrary Richard but 5 tons sounds like a lot to me too.

My house was built in 1974 and only 2x4 construction. Original single pane double hung windows that are leaky as anything and I've never come close to five ton. I'm not even sure I've hit 2.5 ton but once. In fact, I leave my bedroom window open all winter because it's too hot to sleep at night.

About the only advantage to this place is maybe the 10" of fiberglass in the attic but that's it.

And that is with either my Mk I or Mk II holding the house at 75*.

The stove is in the basement of a 24'x48' raised ranch heating the whole thing. Sometimes I leave the door to the garage open so I can work out there comfortably.

jpete wrote:
I hate to be contrary Richard but 5 tons sounds like a lot to me too.

I said 4 to 5 tons. 2000 sq ft. home? FYI your average temperature is about 5 degrees warmer than Wilkes Barre and Wilkes Barre would have been the warmest place I was delivering too.

Look, my recommendations are based on knowledge of what the annual usage was for 450 different households over 15 years. You're basing it on a single household. Consider that for a second.

jpete wrote:I hate to be contrary Richard but 5 tons sounds like a lot to me too.
My house was built in 1974 and only 2x4 construction. Original single pane double hung windows that are leaky as anything and I've never come close to five ton. I'm not even sure I've hit 2.5 ton but once.

Must be the difference between Rhode Island and Maine, and between a house built in 1974 vs. 1860. I heat maybe 1600 square feet, and I have hit 4 tons some winters. Lots of heat leakage -- the infrared mapping satellites probably have me marked as a volcano.

rberq wrote:

jpete wrote:I hate to be contrary Richard but 5 tons sounds like a lot to me too.
My house was built in 1974 and only 2x4 construction. Original single pane double hung windows that are leaky as anything and I've never come close to five ton. I'm not even sure I've hit 2.5 ton but once.

Must be the difference between Rhode Island and Maine, and between a house built in 1974 vs. 1860. I heat maybe 1600 square feet, and I have hit 4 tons some winters. Lots of heat leakage -- the infrared mapping satellites probably have me marked as a volcano.

Well that I understand. Your heating season is long and as bad as my house is, I'm sure you have a lot more air infiltration than I.

And unless I missed it, I don't know where the OP lives so it is difficult to make a comparison.

In any event, if I lived someplace where I needed 5 ton of coal to heat my house, I'd look into buying insulation before I bought more coal.

Every house is different, and wind exposure makes a big difference.

Rob R. wrote:wind exposure makes a big difference.

Sure does. When the wind is from the northwest, and the only window I have open is on the east side of the house, the air goes out the window, not in.

I found this to be Very Interesting: http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/U ... winter.php
Rankings are hottests to coldest 1-50

Rhode Island 27th
Connecticut 30th
Pennsylvania 31st.

I'd say pretty evenly matched, but of course they don't break it down by region so that will distrupt any across the board comparison, such as altitude etc.

Pete and I are both well inland from the coastline (in fact we're only 30-35mins away from each other), and my temps do mirror the chart so our usage does not reflect a warm climate.
Richards estimates come from years of experience, I don't doubt that at all, but these 2000sqft homes must be really old and/or shabby insulation...or...a much colder region than Penn's winter avgerage.

Maine @ 47th doesn't surprise me.