Pros and Cons of a Coal-Burning Stove

Rising heat prices have forced many home-owners, especially in northern states, to look at alternatives to furnaces and boilers for heating their homes. Based on a national average, coal is a cheaper stove fuel to than wood, wood chips or pellets. However, national averages are misleading in the sense that a homeowner might live in an area where coal is scarce and must be shipped in, but wood or other sources are plentiful and relatively cheap. A homeowner living in Wyoming or West Virginia, the top two producers of coal in the United States, should find coal cheaper and more readily available than a similar homeowner living in Maine.

Con: Coal Is Dirty
Coal is a dirtier fuel than other stove fuels. Even anthracite coal, the cleanest coal type available and mined primarily in Pennsylvania, emits more greenhouse gas than wood. Burning coal also emits sulfur, which contributes to acid rain.

Coal stoves are dirtier in the literal sense too, in that such a stove requires more cleaning than other stoves. A coal stove that heat a home requires ash removal on a daily basis, and the chimney or exhaust piping demand more frequent cleaning due to the corrosive effects of coal smoke's sulfur content. Also, coal ash is a waste product that, unlike wood ash, cannot be recycled into fertilizer.

Pro: Efficiency
Coal-burning stoves are more efficient than their counterparts. One ton of coal contains 24 million BTUs. To achieve the same heat output from wood requires 1.4 cords of hardwood weighing at least 3 tons. A homeowner therefore requires substantially less coal to heat her home through the winter. Coal is a slower-burning fuel than wood or pellets, which means fewer trips to refuel the stove. It also means a homeowner can refuel the stove prior to going to bed and expect it to still be burning in the morning.

Mixed: Cost and Availability
Based on a national average, coal is a cheaper stove fuel to than wood, wood chips or pellets. However, national averages are misleading in the sense that a homeowner might live in an area where coal is scarce and must be shipped in, but wood or other sources are plentiful and relatively cheap. A homeowner living in Wyoming or West Virginia, the top two producers of coal in the United States, should find coal cheaper and more readily available than a similar homeowner living in Maine.

Sources: hrt.msu.edu/Energy/pdf/Coal%20Heat.pdf; eia.doe.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=coal_home-basics; woodstoves.newarchaeology.com/prosandcons.php; http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/C/AE_cord.html