Typical daily low & high temps over the last 5 days: 22f-35f
Square footage of home: 2300
Coal used: Summit Rice. Ash: A lot
How well insulated is your home from 1-5: 3.5
Temp of the room that the stove is in: Garage, it raise the temp 10 degrees there
Home temp: 70
Daily usage: 80lbs. Includes 100% DHW
Side note comparison : For the last 3 years I "heated" the house on a 40 pound bag of wood pellets per day average. (my wife would argue the house was warmed, not heated
) She likes the coal boiler! A single heat point seems to be about 50+% more effective than heating every nook and cranny with a boiler. The numbers on this survey tell the same story. But having every room in the house 70 degrees rather than the stove room 80 and the rest 60-65 is very, very nice. And no more hauling bags in every day. Pellets minuses: Must be bagged and dry, I got tired of hauling bags. Only 75% the BTU's as coal per #. (So why does coal have so much more ash?
) Stove must be cleaned often. Availability can be a problem, but not if you buy in the summer.Pellets pluses: Less than 1% ash, empty a little drawer once a week, a season's worth of ash would fit in two 5 gallon buckets easy. Renewable energy, and cleaner to burn than letting it rot in the woods. Lights very easily, can be used with full thermostat function.
Coal minuses: Can be dusty/dirty, and a lot of ash. Cannot be easily lit as needed. Not a lot of flame to "sit by". (wife's comment)
Coal pluses: Burns hot, more BTU's per #, can be bought and stored in bulk, and although it is not renewable there seems to be a lot of it, unless Algore has his way. In some places it is cheaper by the BTU, although pellets were on sale for $200 a bagged ton here this summer.
) 55-60 lbs/day. Most we've burned in single days. Back on wood last night now that it is warmer.
