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It's small market mostly in the northeast US, anthracite is only mined in northeast PA so it gets more expensive the farther it's shipped. It's easier than wood/pellets. less storage space, safer to use and almost always cheaper. You'll ever hear someone that has burned wood and switched to anthracite coal make any complaints.
Other than heating it's also used for industrial processes and water filtration <gasp>. It's like glass and fractures into odd shapes, they last longer than sand filters.
Throughout my lifetime I have had everything from coal, oil, gas, and electric. As a young child in NYC, we had a coal stove in our tiny apartment. Very filthy. Mom used to get down on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor. Dad would get on a ladder and wash the walls and ceilings. My parents always kept windows open in the middle of winter to get air inside.
Oil is not much cleaner. We had a oil burner in our basement. It was always filthy. Natural gas you have a safety issue and need to make sure there are no leaks. My choice would be electric heating, but downside is very expensive.
Then there is a convenience factor. With coal, oil, wood pellets, or propane, you need to schedule deliveries, Forget to, or run out faster than normal, and you won't have any heat.
I now live in Pocono Plateau where Propane seems to be King. You see big tanks outside of's people homes, and some small businesses as well. Our house was built in 1987 and electric heat was put in. The previous owner put in propane and we have a huge tank in the backyard. The unit inside takes up a lot of room, and does not heat the entire floor. I generally use the electric heat in our bedrooms and bathrooms.
My neighbor down the street uses wood. He has enormous piles of wood on his front lawn with some kind of device where he burns the wood. Sorry, don't know the mechanics of that. It is probably very economical since he goes across the road to state game lands and cuts up fallen down trees and carts the wood back. More power to him, but I doubt many people would want to do that.
Throughout my lifetime I have had everything from coal, oil, gas, and electric. As a young child in NYC, we had a coal stove in our tiny apartment. Very filthy. Mom used to get down on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor. Dad would get on a ladder and wash the walls and ceilings. My parents always kept windows open in the middle of winter to get air inside.
The only dirt or dust inside the home should be from moving the coal or ashes. The same issue exists with wood and pellet stoves. There are ways to help prevent this, for example you can buy coal with a light coating of mineral oil. Most coal units will be in the basement, for example my parents have augured boiler. My parents have air tight sealed coal bin the auger goes into.
I'm not going to lie to you and say you can eliminate all of it but there are ways to minimize it to acceptable levels.
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Then there is a convenience factor. With coal, oil, wood pellets, or propane, you need to schedule deliveries, Forget to, or run out faster than normal, and you won't have any heat.
With the exception of oil most people that are not using these other fuels do not have access to gas. People that are using coal typically buy in bulk, best time is late spring to the end of Aug when it's the cheapest and cleanest. Half the customers I had would get their entire supply for the year in one delivery.
For example if you were using hand fired stove you might use 3 ton per year to "supplement" your other heat but this will take most of the heat load for the year. That conveniently fits in in a 4*4*8 outside bin.
Also note you can pick up bagged coal at most fireplace stores or even pick it up yourself in bulk at the breaker if you have pickup.
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The unit inside takes up a lot of room, and does not heat the entire floor. I generally use the electric heat in our bedrooms and bathrooms.
That can be two separate issues, it may not be making enough heat or you are simply not able to move the heat into those rooms.
Just a quick estimate, assuming $2 per gallon for the propane which is pretty conservative price, for every $2.50 you spend on propane you would spend $1.10 on coal. Assuming 12 cents per kWh for every $3.50 you spend on electric you would spend $1.10 on coal. That's based on delivery rate of $220 per ton. It's not an insignificant amount of money. thousands annually for most people.
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My neighbor down the street uses wood. He has enormous piles of wood on his front lawn with some kind of device where he burns the wood.
Depends on the species but roughly speaking seasoned hardwood is going to take up 3 to 4 times the space as coal.
Anthracite coal has less sulfur than bituminous coal, but still emits dangerous sulfur dioxide, as well as heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, and mercury.
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