[frankthetank]

I think thats the reason so many have turned to pellet stoves. The ease of use makes it so the stupidest can operate. Cost however can be expensive considering some stoves can run 3K+ (Harmen) and pellets are over 200/ton (if you can find both!).

Retired~is it easy to get coal here in SW Wi(for personal use)??? I know Genoa burns a lot of coal and upriver they do too. I have also noticed railroad cars full of the stuff...must come from WY.

[retiredguy]

Funny you should ask. I did some checking last year. The retail market for coal has certainly contracted. Noone in the Madison area sells it commercially. It can be purchased, however, in Superior and Sheboygan. Guess it's coming via ship. Don't know how much one would have to buy or how delivery could be arranged.

The UW-Madison burns both coal and NG for heat, and MG&E burns coal to generate electricity. The MG&E plant was featured in the paper yesterday as one of the most polluting in the nation.

[Kingcoal]

The problem with coal is that while it's cheap as dirt, it is dirty. The furnace must be attended to. The ash box must be emptied every day. Coal furnaces also have a tendency to go out when the outside temperature goes up. Coal is not easy to automate. However it is cheap - about $140/ton for rice size. One ton is equivalent to about 180 gallons of fuel oil. We have a plethora of anthracite eastern Pennsylvania. Anthracite is the most popular for home heating because it burns very clean.