Coal vs Firewood: Which is Best for Winter Heating?

With all the changes in what you can and what you can’t burn for your winter heating, we thought it was time to sit down and review what are still the most popular solid fuels – coal and firewood – to see which is best. After all, the coldest months of the year are just around the corner!

Is coal or wood better for heating?

Obviously, you might be constrained by the appliance you’re using and you may just have a personal preference for one or the other. But, with all other things being equal, there are three main qualities that are likely to influence your decision as to which fuel is best. These are their cost, their efficiency as a fuel and their environmental impact.

Let’s examine these factors in turn.

Cost of coal vs firewood

When it comes to the matter of cost, you’re more likely to find firewood a cheaper option than coal, especially if you have a reliable local supplier. The caveat to that is that while you’ll always get better value the more you buy, you may be limited by storage space. Fire logs usually take up more space than coal, so this may also be a factor for you.

Here at KG Smith & Son, we always try to make all our solid fuel as affordable as possible. In addition to always great prices, you can save more with discounts and free delivery on larger orders. 

Burn time and heat efficiency

On pretty much all counts in this category – the main ones being burn duration, heat output and energy efficiency – coal comes out on top. Modern smokeless coals offer exceptional output combined with long burn times, meaning that once they get going you can enjoy the warmth for hours without having to top up.

When it comes to firewood, the results are going to be affected by which type of wood you’re using. The results you’ll get from our heat logs, or from hardwoods like oak and ash, aren’t that far off the performance of coal.

Environmental impact

As we’re talking about fuels that have been passed for use in smoke-free areas, they should both have minimal impact in terms of what they’re putting into the atmosphere. However, wood will generally score higher in this category because it is a renewable resource. Just make sure that you are using firewood that has been properly dried first – if you’re buying it, check that it’s Woodsure Ready to Burn approved. You can read more about why you should never burn wet wood in our previous blog.

For the ultimate in eco-friendly solid fuels, our heat logs and Homefire Ecoal50 are made from recycled materials, so you can enjoy exceptional warmth from wood and coal without harming the planet.

So there you have it! “But which is the actual winner?” you may be asking yourself. In the end, that’s really up to you, because you may find that some factors outweigh others when it comes to judging them.

We think both are great choices and that’s why we’re proud to supply them to our customers. If you’d like further advice, just get in touch and we’ll be happy to help in any way we can. Otherwise, you can place an online order for your favourite fuel right now!