Traditional housecoal is no longer available for sale or supply in England.

The ban, which came into force on May 1st 2023, is part of a government drive for cleaner air.

Here’s what it means for owners of…

Open Fires

Housecoal can still legally be burnt on open fires even though sale of it is now banned in England – provided you do NOT live in a Smoke Control Area (SCA). 

In reality though, housecoal use will naturally fall to practically zero anyway over time, due to its lack of availability in England. 

For the past few years, we’ve been advising housecoal users to start switching to approved smokeless coals. 

Not only is this better for environment, but it also gives out more heat over a long period of time compared to faster-burning housecoal.

If you still use housecoal, we’d advise you start mixing it with smokeless fuel as soon as possible, in order to get used to it.

Multi-Fuel Stoves

Generally, manufacturers warned against using housecoal on multi fuel stoves. This was due to the heat intensity which could damage stoves, and the dust which had been known to cause mini ‘flash’ explosions and break stove glass.

As a result, most multi fuel stove users would opt for approved smokeless coal, which is unaffected by the housecoal ban.

Woodburners

Coal can’t burn on a woodburner due to the fact they don’t have a grate. Mineral fuels such as housecoal and smokeless coal need air underneath them in order to burn, and wood stoves don’t have a grate. Therefore woodburner owners are the least affected by the housecoal ban.

Solid Fuel Boilers

In the North West, these heating systems usually work off naturally occurring smokeless fuels such as anthracite. Although similar in looks, anthracite is a completely different proposition to housecoal. Therefore the ban isn’t likely to affect many solid fuel boiler users in the North West.

Exemption – Forest of Dean

The only place where housecoal can still be sold is that which has been extracted and supplied locally from the Forest of Dean.

This is to preserve the ancient custom of ‘freemining’ in the area, which has been passed down through centuries.

In order to become registered as a Freeminer a person must:

• Be born in and live within the Hundred of St Briavels
• Be over the age of 21 years
• Have worked for a year and a day in a mine within the Hundred

The Royal Forest of Dean Freeminers’ Association successfully argued it needs the small amount of money made from selling the coal to keep the mines – and therefore the tradition – alive.

Our View…

Although the ban does bring to an end a huge chapter in our country’s history, housecoal use was outlawed in large parts of England a long time ago.

Nevertheless, it was still easily available up until recently. Therefore, it remained a firm favourite among some with open fires, even in areas such as Manchester, Liverpool and London, where it was prohibited.

So in a sense, this ban will help people who were perhaps unwittingly breaking the law.

From an environmental perspective, there’s no denying that housecoal is a very polluting fuel.

Thankfully though, there are many more environmentally-friendly fuels available, such as seasoned logs and smokeless fuels. 

If burnt correctly, these can help make the air we all breathe as clean as possible.