Sale of bagged coal & wet wood restricted

[Lancpudn]

Originally Posted by Georgies Dad

What about Heritage Railways,they burn tons of coal every day

Not sure if Steaming coal for Loco's is being banned like bagged house coal?

[trikey]

Looks like I’ll have to start burning the old tyres then...

[Dorset Bob]

The ban only applies to domestic consumption.
To put that in perspective that is only around 5% of our coal usage, with the other 95% not affected.

On a wider scale the UK only accounts for about 0.5% worldwide consumption of coal and China, alone, uses over 50%.
Our annual consumption of domestic coal can be measured in minutes when compared to China's massive coal eating power stations.
I suppose they have to get all that power from somewhere to make all of those batteries for our green vehicles.

I personally think that this is nothing other than environmental green propaganda, so people in the street think that good things are going on.
It is good for moral, rather like ripping up all of the wonderful Victorian railings around our parks, cemeteries and houses. Telling people that they are going to build Spitfires out of wrought iron, then dumping it all in the sea.

Rant over, I am now off to spark up the woodburner.

[Avulon]

Originally Posted by AndyN01

All very nice but I wonder what I and our neighbours are supposed to use?

There is no mains gas so simply changing the boiler and linking in to the existing heating isn't possible.

There is bottled gas - if you fancy a second mortgage to buy it and can get all the relevant permissions for storage etc.

There is oil but that's hardly the way forward is it? We'd be ripping out one form of pollution for another one which is probably just as bad.

There's electric but as the property is close on 200 years old it's not quite a simple as it sounds. Which also makes heat source/ground source practically impossible.

And then there's domestic coal - which, apparently, we can't buy anymore. Although maybe we could buy 2 cubic metres - that'll look pretty on the front lawn - I'm sure no one will mind .

It'll be nippy over the Winter .


Oh, and how is it more efficient when we'll have to buy all new stuff which, presumably, creates no pollution in getting the raw materials, transporting them to be refined and manufactured, getting the products to the shops and out to us to be installed. And then paying probably more for the privileged of being as warm as we are already.

You don't say what you're using now?

Originally Posted by bsafly

We only have a small open fire at home, that is the only heat source (other than a plug in fire if it gets really cold), we can't burn wood , our insurance prohibits it as the roof is thatched and the building is wooden framed.
We don't have mains gas (or water) and as we live over half a mile from any buildings with main supply, the price of connecting up is prohibitive.
We have an emersion heater we use in the warmer months for hot water, as the open fire has a back boiler when we use it in colder weather we get 'free' hot water (although we do have to keep as eye on it and run off some water if the system gets too hot!).
The only option we realistically have would be electric heating, but as our cottage is 400 odd years old and listed that would not be practical.
I guess we will continue to burn (smokeless) coal and as we are 'out in the sticks' hope that no one notices!

Well you can still burn solid fuels, even coal if you have it (no-one will be able to sell it to you though). The main issue with solid fuels are that they are too energy dense, burn too hot and eat through the grate... but then that justifies the price compared to coal.

Originally Posted by coolguy

I rarely have an open fire, but there is still nothing like one. My home is sufficiently original to still have open hearths in 3 lounges and 3 of the bedrooms, and although I rarely use them, I don't think my continued use will make a scrap of difference. The UK contributes less than 1% of the carbon footprint of the world, so a long way to go for the rest!

Seems to be some confusion. These bans have zero to do with carbon emissions (at least on paper) and are supposedly about local particulate pollution. No-one in their right mind burns wet wood deliberately unless that's all they've got it's hard to light, half the energy goes towards self drying (so doesn't give much heat). Most people that used to buy wet wood was for seasoning at home (often for 2 years). When buying a sizeable quantity there's a distinct saving over buying seasoned fuel from the log supplier. Solid 'smokeless' fuels are more energy dense than coal, but burn sometimes too hot, the burner and/grate used needs to be rated for it.
Both Coal and wet wood produce a lot of fine ash which goes up the chimney to come down somewhere else when it cools. I'm not sure why dry wood is different for airborne ash production.

Just less than a half mile from me we have a coffee roasting plant....... That creates a ton of dust (and an especially strong burnt coffee bean stink) whenever they do a dark roast session. The fallout over the neighbourhood puts all the local log burners to shame.

[Darcydog]

As Avulon says - this ban is little to do with CO2 and all about particulates.

Can I suggest those that like an open fire have a look at alcohol gel fires. We had one in our last house and loved it in the winter.

Relatively cheap and an be installed anywhere as they do not need a chimney or flue.

We bought ours with us as funnily enough the couple that bought our old house wanted a log burner!!

So we know have our stainless steel Gel Fire on an outside wall in the Garden where we light it in the evening and sit round it when the weather is good but a bit of heat is nice. We buy bottled ethanol online, 12 bottles in a box - not expensive

Do check them out. The ability to have an open fire on any wall in your home - and one you can easily move - and even take with you if you move - is quite a bonus.

I cannot post pics on here so if anyone wants to see ours in operation PM me with your email and I’ll send some pics. I’m happy for the pics to be reposted on here.

The downside is that the heat generated is not a “roaring fire” by any stretch. But the background heat is excellent. Similar to the alcohol gel pots caterers use in Chafing trays.

The alcohol tank on ours is a bit small. But lasts about an hours and a half. If I were doing it now I would order two trays so that of an evening, when the first runs out, a few minutes to cool, then take the empty one out and replace with the filled second one.

www.biofires.com

Is a site worth a look.

[AndyN01]

[QUOTE=Avulon;2879676]....You don't say what you're using now?....../QUOTE]

Coal. But we can only store about 1/2 ton at a time so we get most in "sacks" straight off the lorry into the bunker and then the balance of the order in bags.

[Avulon]

[QUOTE=AndyN01;2879711]

Originally Posted by Avulon

....You don't say what you're using now?....../QUOTE]

Coal. But we can only store about 1/2 ton at a time so we get most in "sacks" straight off the lorry into the bunker and then the balance of the order in bags.

Unfortunately you will be affected by this. You'll be forced to switch to 'artificial' 'smokeless' coal or coal substitutes. Yes they do cost more, the bonus is you don't use as much for the same heat value. But I can't say if it balances out or not. Our last home we had a multi-fuel burner and used a mix of coal and solid fuels. With these solid fuels it's vital that your burner or grate is up to the job of coping with the heat or you'll face issues. Our multi fuel need the internal baffle breaking to remove it for sweeping after about 3 years and needed replacing. Further back in time on an open fire the grates would last no more than 2 winters on solid fuels before wearing too thin.

[mbev51]

Just ordered two builders bags of wood from my local estate supplier, cannot see the legislation affecting this cash in hand sort of small scale business. His wood is mostly ash which is very dry anyway.

[Avulon]

Originally Posted by mbev51

Just ordered two builders bags of wood from my local estate supplier, cannot see the legislation affecting this cash in hand sort of small scale business. His wood is mostly ash which is very dry anyway.

Well it's unlikely to affect this sort of sale. the majority of 'propper' log merchants only sell seasoned or kiln dried logs anyway. Some of the bigger operations will, during the summer months, sell green wood for seasoning at home, but that is usually in larger qty's. Green wood seasoning naturally can take 2+ years to dry out. As far as logs are concerned the main target of this new legislation is the forecourt and similar sales of cheap netted logs that are sometimes of dubious provenance, and not guaranteed sufficiently dry enough (<20% moisture).

[COLVERT]

Quote---Darcydog.-I cannot post pics on here so if anyone wants to see ours in operation PM me with your email and I’ll send some pics. I’m happy for the pics to be reposted on here.



Is there some special reason you can't post pics on here if you able to E-Mail them to other folk ??--