Coal & Logs

Smokeless fuel is a manufactured solid fuel made by crushing coal or anthracite, removing most of the volatile matter that produces smoke, and pressing it into uniform briquettes or ovoids with a binder. Because the smoke-forming compounds are already driven off, it burns with little visible smoke, far less soot and a steadier, longer-lasting heat than ordinary coal. Our Homeflame Smokeless Fuel is supplied by bulk bag and suits open fires and multi-fuel stoves. It lights more slowly than house coal, so start it on kindling or firelighters and give it time to catch before closing the air controls.

Traditional bituminous house coal can no longer be sold for home heating in England or Wales, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules, so what you can buy depends on where you live and what you are burning it in. Manufactured smokeless fuel and anthracite remain legal to sell everywhere and are what most households now burn. Mick George supplies Homeflame Smokeless Fuel for domestic customers and Group A coal. If you have an open fire that used to burn house coal, a smokeless fuel is the straight replacement.

Group A is the top grade in the coal trade’s traditional classification of house coal, denoting a high quality, naturally bituminous coal with a low ash content, a traditional appearance and a quick, lively flame on an open fire. Lower grades contain more ash and stone and burn less cleanly.

Because it is bituminous coal, it is not an authorised fuel for smoke control areas and is subject to the restrictions on house coal described above 

Yes, provided it is an authorised smokeless fuel. In a smoke control area you can only burn fuels on the government’s authorised list, or any fuel in an exempt appliance, and the council can fine you for visible smoke from a chimney. Authorised smokeless fuels are tested to meet smoke and sulphur limits, and most manufactured smokeless ovoids and briquettes qualify. House coal and unseasoned wood are not authorised. Check whether your address is in a smoke control area on your council’s website before choosing a fuel, as many towns and cities are covered.

In a multi-fuel stove yes; in a stove designed only for wood, no. Multi-fuel stoves have a riddling grate and an ash pan that let air reach the fuel from below, which smokeless fuel needs to burn properly. Dedicated wood burners have a flat base with no grate, because wood burns best on a bed of ash with air from above, and burning smokeless fuel in one can overheat the firebox, damage the baffle and void the warranty. Check your stove manual or the data plate; if it says multi-fuel, use the grate and keep the primary air open. Never mix smokeless fuel and wood in the same fire.

For most people, yes. Smokeless fuel gives more heat per kilo than house coal, burns up to twice as long, produces far less smoke and soot, and can be used in smoke control areas where coal cannot. Against logs, it is denser and burns longer, so it needs less topping up and takes less storage space for the same heat, though it costs more per bag and does not give the same open flame. Logs are the better choice for a dedicated wood burner and for people who want a visible fire; smokeless fuel suits open fires, multi-fuel stoves and anyone who wants steady overnight heat with less cleaning.

Keep it dry, off the ground and ventilated. A coal bunker, lidded storage box or a bulk bag under a waterproof cover in a shed or garage all work; what matters is that rain and ground moisture cannot reach the fuel. Damp smokeless fuel is the bigger problem: the briquettes can crumble and become slow to light and dull to burn, whereas coal tolerates some weather but gives off more smoke when wet. Leave the bulk bag on its pallet or a few boards so air moves underneath, and store away from the house wall to avoid dust and damp. Properly stored, both fuels keep indefinitely.

A household using an open fire or multi-fuel stove most evenings through the heating season typically burns around one tonne of smokeless fuel, roughly one bulk bag [confirm bag weight]; a stove run as the main heat source all day can use one and a half to two tonnes. A fire lit only at weekends may need half that. Buying a bulk bag before the cold weather works out cheaper per kilo than pre-packed bags and avoids running short in a cold snap, when demand and prices rise. If you are unsure, order one bulk bag in the autumn and a second in the new year if it is running low.