Cost of running a coal-fired heating system?

ladybee

Looking at renting a 2-bed cottage, which has a coal-fired boiler (a Parkray). Just wondering how much coal would be needed to run the boiler over a typical winter? It has an electric immersion heater backup for hot water. Anyone with experience we'd be very grateful to hear from, as we've only had GCH before and we need to budget!

dizzydonkeys

we currently rent a 2 bed with only coal fire/back boiler.
Doesnt cost the earth to run really, prob go through 1 bag of coal (not sure how heavy they are standard size from coal man 50kg I think) a week plus wood(we chop up unused pallets and any other scrap wood we can get.
Problem we have is no DG, no insulation etc etc so it's freezing even with the fire roaring and you need it roaring to get the radiators hot other wise they just warm your tea towels if place on them!
Other problem is you need airflow (read draughts) to have a successful fire oh and will get damp/condensation if not very careful.

generally you have to get up 3 times in the night to keep the fire in or wake up to ice on the windows and icicles on your nose oh and need lots of clothes on standby for when get home from work (assuming you do) as obviously fire will have gone out if out of house 9 - 5 and takes til about bed time to warm up.

Plus bear in mind trudging to coal house in the snow etc etc

Hmm not to put you off but no wonder I want to move lol seriously it's not too bad I guess have done it for 5 yrs but had enough now!

ladybee

Thanks dizzy. Well we decided to get it anyway!! It feels a bit like we're going back 50 years!

muckybutt

Easy to keep a parkrayin overnight - use smokeless pearls or equivelant, keep fire nice and hot till say 9pm then add a really good ammount of smokeless, shut down the vents to nearly closed and when you get up in the morning the fire will / should still be in, then all you have to do is give it a slight riddle, add some wood or normal coal - open the vent and it'll be roaring away in no time. We had one years ago and was kept in 24-7 during the winter with smokeless.
oh price wise a 50Kg sack in my area now costs between £15 - £18 per bag and normally lasts about 5 days

happy35

i had a parkray in a house i lived in about 12 years ago and found it quite cheap to run as the house was always warm, we did have doubleglazing and loft insulation though.

The radiators upstairs are always warm and the house is never freezing when you get up either.

I used to keep my fire in all day and all night, i used to burn coke fuel and found that by banking the fire with large bits followed by small bits it would keep in all night.

I used to buy a bag a week all winter and a bag every 2 weeks in the summer to build up a stock and found i always had plenty, had an electric shower so didnt need to light the fire in the summer this is quite common so you may also have this and is cheaper than using the immersion

martinthebandit

dizzydonkeys wrote: »

we currently rent a 2 bed with only coal fire/back boiler...........

a parkray is a lot different (and a lot better and cheaper) than an open fire.

If I was thinking of renting, finding a house with a parkray driven central heating system would be a plus point for me.

The big advantage is that you have already paid for the fuel you are burning, seems to make it much easier to budget for me.

the major drawback is, if its anything like my multi fuel stove, when its -10 outside and plus 24 inside it makes it very difficult to get the mojo to actually go outside and do anything

Bogtrotter

Haven't got a Parkray but similar Stanley glass front on our fireplace.

During the cold spell last winter we were generally using 75kg of smokeless fuel per week + few wooden blocks. We tend to use anthracite fuel which is a little more expensive but allows the fire to burn 24/7 during the winter and with less ash only requires emptying ashpan 2-3 times per week.

Only problem the boiler output is not enough to run the whole central heating system without making the room with the fire uncomfortably warm so during cold spells the downstairs rooms (apart from the living room) are quite cold. We also have an oil boiler which we only use as a boost for the central heating during cold spells.

ihateyes

hi there!

I have a coal fire as well.... i use surefire, and go through about 7bags a month during the winter at £16per bag.

Generally from october til mid march/april my fire is lit constantly.

I put the coal on fire once a day generally before i go to bed.... and close the fire up. when i wake up the rads are nice and warm, then either at around 1pm or whenever my partner/i get home from work, and we open the fire til til bed time, to get best heat from the fire.

I love it, and its comparable with gas, for the amount of constant heat and hw you get,, oh and the realiability!

ladybee

Thanks for the interesting information here - something to think over! Interesting, we heard from the previous tenant that it cost her around £200/year in coal to heat the house, although we don't know the electric costs...

Aside, I see it as a bonus too, having an upfront cost, as opposed to an unexpected bill at the end of the month.

madpiano

I have an open fire in the front room and I fully intend to use it this winter to save on gas. I am just about to cut back my Bay trees in the garden. Is it worth drying the cuttings and leaves to use in the fireplace in the winter? Would I get any aroma from them?

My landlady used to burn all the junk mail in the fireplace once a week, but I am intending to use the fireplace more often. So I need to find some extra things to burn, preferably free. We do have pallets at work, but I thought I can't use them as they are treated wood and the chemicals are bad when burned?

How much do the wooden logs cost that I see at Shell Stations in the winter?