[Big Dave]

Somewhat related to the thread on wood radiant heat.

As the price of natural gas goes up – it is $9.50/MMBTU for big users who can buy off the NYMEX and more like $12/MMBTU for regulated residential users – people will begin to be priced out of the natural gas market. Already we are seeing substitution for propane in rural areas. Premium wood pellets are already cheaper than propane @ $12.50/MMBTU. Old style firewood is not automatic and has limited utility for most people. I just cannot teach my cat to stoke the Papa Bear.

But ultimately, wood as fuel will let us down. That is why people began burning fossil fuel in the first place. Britain had been logged clean off for firewood, so they began burning coal.

There are still companies that make residential coal stokers (mostly in eastern PA where anthracite is common) and they aren’t even particularly expensive. They are designed to burn “rice” (5/16”x 5/16”) anthracite coal, but if you can get bituminous that doesn’t agglomerate too badly it would work as well. Rice coal is sold washed (and actually a little wet) to keep down dust. Coal is so energetic that a little sheen of water does not diminish its value.

Problem is that residential users cannot afford the extensive emissions controls that industrial, institutional, and utility users of coal can afford. Natural gas, because it burns so clean, needs no emissions controls.

But the big boys are being forced by excessively restrictive government regs to substitute gas for coal. Even the most efficient combined cycle turbine system burns a staggering amount of natural gas per hour. The big boys are simply bidding the residential customer out of natural gas. You gotta heat your house, gas is getting out of reach and heat pumps don’t always work. So what do you do? Already wood pellets bring a premium price – triple that of firewood. Coal may be the only option open to some people.