I think one of the main problems I see is the eggs in one basket issue of what happens when the Electricity goes off. Maybe some kind of back up generator is the answer here.
Alternatively, if there is no mains gas then almost anything you can store is good. I'm not sure myself being all electric, and I guess we all take the gamble that electric cars and all won't make the generation capacity too low and we all end up with rotating power cuts as we had in the three day week of the miners strike. Brian
Where are you going the store a a large pile of coal if an oil tanker cannot get to the back of your property nor can a vehicle delivering coal - as someone else has indicated, maybe on a pallet of 100 off 10kg bags. The delivery driver would just use a crane on the back of the vehicle to lift it off in one go to plonk it on your property (or on the pavement outside your property). The same could happen with a bulk delivery of logs in a large bag.
There are ongoing government plans to phase out the sale of "traditional" coal in the next few years so you may be able to get smokeless processed low polluting fuel to burn but likely at a much higher cost than traditional coal.
If you are going to use solid fuel get the chimney swept, lined and fit a modern dual fuel stove. These can push out a lot of heat very quickly but be aware that you may go through a large log store very quickly doing so.
Don't forget the annual cost of having the chimney swept. This may not be too bad in rural ares where many people use wood or coal burning stoves because of the absence of mains gas.
Most, perhaps all, gas & oil boilers need electricity to function. I remember when installing CH in the 1970s trying to fid a 12v pump - but beingb unsuccessfull
The other thing to watch is that the installers are certified and know what they are doing. There was a DIY LPG installation not far from me that went horribly wrong blowing the house to pieces and a massive fire. The insurers refused to pay out and it stayed as a charred ruin.
Although not encouraged oil is probably the cheapest annual running of the options once you have had a tank and boiler installed. New installs now tend to require a bunded tank which makes it bigger for a given capacity. Wood/coal is cheaper especially if you have a supply of scrap wood but it is a bit of hassle man handling solid fuel in all weathers.
Have you checked with the oil companies how far their hoses will reach? It's a surprising distance, but obviously it depends on your house/garden layout whether it could work.
Oil delivery hoses are quite long. Just paced out how far the hose run is here, 40 m. There is still a bit left on the drum when delivering so it'd be fair bet that the delivery hose is 50 m.
Many coal merchants use the web now to offer their wares and prospective purchasers can also shop around for the best deal for a particular coal product* on line. It will then arrive bagged on a pallet(s) by one of the many firms who deliver other palletised items using a tail lift lorry and a pallet truck.
You do need a suitable area with access for the lorry and a flat surface for them place the load on and most will only move the pallets a few yards on to a frontage that can be reached by the pallet truck easily, so a level hard surface and no incline. If a solid fuel user can fulfil those requirements and is prepared to move the 20 or
25 kilogram sacks to where they ultimately want to store them then prices cheaper than the local coal merchant may be found. OTOH the few remaining independent coal merchants are well aware of such competition and if not doing web sales themselves may still offer a price after some negotiation that is competitive or if it is only a little more per tonne is worth it if you want them to hump the sacks to a store that is not by the road side.
Too late now for the OP but many merchants have seasonal rates with coal ordered in the Summer months being cheaper than Autumn ,Spring . Some want the money or part of at time others like the one I use lets me pay at the time of delivery at a price agreed back in July. He will be ringing me up in the next few weeks to arrange delivery to myself and some other regulars so keeps his cost down by sending out a full wagon rather than just a few sacks for those who buy later and hence gives us a cheaper price.
Sweeping the flues is another cost that has to be budgeted for , it can be a DIY job but may require some investment in suitable tools without which it can be messy.
Not everyone lives in a smokeless Zone so can legally use products that are not certified as such and are often cheaper though some may also be more difficult use so the savings disappear if you have to use more of it or a lot gets thrown out unburned amongst the ash..
The house I lived in 65 years ago had one. I remember it coming out to be replaced by an immersion heater. After that the main open coal fires were replaced by Rayburns, one with a back boiler, for the London clean air act.
A lot easier to handle than what I remember from 1962. The local merchant dumped it all, a ton I think, in the back lane - leaving us (my mother and me) to move it down the garden path in my toy truck. My father was not pleased when he got back.
Well, you forgot to mention accessibility to the oil tanker. I could have a tank in my back garden but the oil tanker wont get to it. If it goes on my front garden it is both insecure, a hazard and an eye sore, not to mention, in both cases a major upheaval of what is already there.
Have you considered burying a fill and vent pipe system to an offset fill point in a convenient location for the oil tanker to use? Very common solution.
Oil tankers come with very long delivery pipes. No help if you live in the middle of a row of terraced houses though. Not sure how long they can go but it has quite a lot of flexible pipe on the back.
My tank is about 20m from the road and my neighbours is 40m.
Easy on level ground not much good on a hill with road lower than tank.
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