Is the Use of Coal for Home Heating on the Decline?

Post by **Richard S.** » Sat. Aug. 16, 2014 11:55 pm

The market comes and goes, natural gas is hard to compete with at the moment so it's back to just the people with no access to gas.

Go back to 2007/08 and it was so good there was a 1 year wait for some units.

blrman07 · Post by **blrman07** » Sun. Aug. 17, 2014 7:16 am

When I was researching what heating system to put in our start-up church, it came down to two systems. Both were forced hot air scorchers due to the cost of running piping and putting in radiators for a hot water heating system in an 8k sq ft multi-floor rented building in downtown Ashland Pa.

We were looking at a nominal cost for a used natural gas fired unit plus the cost to get gas piping into the building and run it to the unit. Then we looked at the cost of a coal fired hot air unit. When we added everything up it was going to come out about the same general price range. Due to the low cost of nat gas we were leaning toward gas. Then I talked to the gas company and their rep decided since we were a church he would wave the charge for running the gas line into the building and installing a meter. Bingo that tipped the scale in the direction of natural gas. Then someone donated the natural gas unit so the cost came to the cost of running the piping inside the building and misc parts to run the ductwork. Slam dunk to natural gas.

Currently natural gas is cheaper to use than coal in Ashland Pa. but we are realist and don't expect it to remain that way forever. We were also not going to have to designate someone to put coal in the unit and take the ash out of a natural gas unit. But there is coal coal coal coal everywhere in this area. The market is going down for exports which means the yards will have a glut of coal on their hands and law of supply and demand says the price goes down for coal if they are smart. Don't worry about the availability of coal in our lifetime.
\
Rev. Larry
New Beginning Church
Ashland Pa.

revtim · Post by **revtim** » Mon. Aug. 18, 2014 10:38 am

Well, I'm in Dundee, MI (SE) and just bought an 1890's farmhouse with FALP heat. Couldn't believe the cost of heating this old place even after replacing the windows and blowing huge amounts of insulation into the attic. Will be converting to geothermal heat pump when I can get the extra $$ together but in the interim, I'm adding 2 coal stoves. One in the basement and one on the main floor. With 1850 sq ft, and around 170,000 BTU worth of coal burners, I will enjoy warm toes this winter regardless of the outside temperature and with minimum LP consumption. Just need to develop better sources of coal... that seems to be the big sticking point at this moment.

GoodProphets · Post by **GoodProphets** » Thu. Oct. 02, 2014 7:52 pm

As long as you have a good supply of coal, you may just stick with it.
Not sure on geothermal costs, but with the savings of coal you might just look past that option.

old post, but maybe you could give us an update if you found coal supplies?

Paulie · Post by **Paulie** » Fri. Oct. 03, 2014 9:09 am

Coal is a winner anyway you look at it unless 1) You are lazy-solid fuel needs some touching 2) You believe C02 is bad-it is heavy in coal burning. Personally, I think the market limiter is laziness. Market growth potential is all the wood burners out there. Like me-they would never go back to wood after
using anthracite. Think the industry is small enough that not even on the feds radar- so I do not think
we will be regulated out.

coalnewbie · Post by **coalnewbie** » Fri. Oct. 03, 2014 9:14 am

Think the industry is small enough that not even on the feds radar- so I do not think
we will be regulated out.

Never underestimate what a bored, feckless bureaucrat can dream up at the water cooler.

titleist1 · Post by **titleist1** » Fri. Oct. 03, 2014 9:27 am

Paulie wrote:2) You believe C02 is bad-it is heavy in coal burning.

This argument is easy to refute when you ask them to calculate the TOTAL carbon footprint of the system to get a barrel of oil / gallon of LP out of the ground ind delivered to your door....

Or ask for the TOTAL carbon footprint to get a kW of electric from the fuel used to create it to the line losses....

and then compare that to coal.

LoschStoker · Post by **LoschStoker** » Mon. Oct. 06, 2014 6:50 pm

HHT got rid of Harman coal stoves for a reason.
Probably in the know what's coming.

nortcan · Post by **nortcan** » Mon. Oct. 06, 2014 7:08 pm

revtim wrote:Well, I'm in Dundee, MI (SE) and just bought an 1890's farmhouse with FALP heat. Couldn't believe the cost of heating this old place even after replacing the windows and blowing huge amounts of insulation into the attic. Will be converting to geothermal heat pump when I can get the extra $$ together but in the interim, I'm adding 2 coal stoves. One in the basement and one on the main floor. With 1850 sq ft, and around 170,000 BTU worth of coal burners, I will enjoy warm toes this winter regardless of the outside temperature and with minimum LP consumption. Just need to develop better sources of coal... that seems to be the big sticking point at this moment.

Just an idea, maybe some improvements on the house's insulation could help to save $$$ and make the house more confortable.
I also did projects for a geo. heat pump but after a few years burning anth, nothing comparable and I forgot geo.
Sitting in front of the anth stove is much more funny than in front of a geo system

DennisH · Post by **DennisH** » Sat. Oct. 18, 2014 3:19 pm

If there's a decline, then why would every skid of coal on my dealer's lot be sold?? I seriously don't think so. I order my coal in April from my dealer and pick it up at my convenience in late summer/early fall. I just talked to him the other day, and every skid he has on his lot is spoken for, so obviously a lot of people are burning coal. In years past I could always call him in October or November and get another skid or two, but not this year!!

freetown fred · Post by **freetown fred** » Sat. Oct. 18, 2014 3:40 pm

Just curious, but exactly just what do you think, they think is coming?

LoschStoker wrote:HHT got rid of Harman coal stoves for a reason.
Probably in the know what's coming.

ntp71 · Post by **ntp71** » Sat. Oct. 18, 2014 4:13 pm

Lightning wrote:Electric power plants that use bituminous coal are being converted over to natural gas.

My coal man told me that some of his customers have sold their stoves because of cheap natural gas. But many people that don't have access to natural gas are turning to coal because of outrageous propane and fuel oil costs. As long as anthracite coal is cost effective for many people, I would think there will be a market for it..

Just remember.... as more power plants convert to natural gas the supply wil tighten which will lead to an increase in costs. Anthracite coal is a good hedge against the inevitable price gouging simalar to how oil spiked in the 70's.

Pacowy · Post by **Pacowy** » Sat. Oct. 18, 2014 4:26 pm

coalnewbie wrote:
Think the industry is small enough that not even on the feds radar- so I do not think
we will be regulated out.
Never underestimate what a bored, feckless bureaucrat can dream up at the water cooler.

FWIW the use of coal for residential heating got so small that DOE stopped collecting data on it in 2008 - http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/sec6_4.pdf .

Mike

ddahlgren · Post by **ddahlgren** » Wed. Oct. 29, 2014 3:05 pm

Never underestimate what a bored, feckless bureaucrat can dream up at the water cooler.[/quote]

FWIW the use of coal for residential heating got so small that DOE stopped collecting data on it in 2008 - http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/sec6_4.pdf .

Mike[/quote]

That is just fine with me. If off the radar then most likely left alone!

DennisH · Post by **DennisH** » Fri. Oct. 31, 2014 1:16 pm

Anthracite use not declining here in 'da U.P, eh? I just put the first of 325 bags of coal stored in my basement into my coal/wood furnace for this winter's use. Propane is now relegated to hot water, stove and dryer.