Coal is a fossil fuel that was created through millions of years’ worth of pressure and heat compressing dead vegetation into a hardened matter. In fact, there are actually several different types of coal that can be found deep within the earth’s surface and they are categorised depending on the length of time that they were subjected to these conditions. For many years, homeowners used wood as the preferred fuel choice, however, this all changed when coal became readily available. Read on as the team here at Pearson Fuels analyses the popularity of coal…

The Industrial Revolution

The industrial revolution took place throughout the 19^th and 20^th century and managed to change the way that many everyday tasks were carried out. In fact, coal became an important factor during this period because it was used in order to power steam trains, factories, mills and even provide electricity in the form of public street lighting. In addition to this, coal also became a popular source of fuel in the residential household as the industrial revolution made it much cheaper and easily obtainable in comparison to alternatives like wood and charcoal.

How abundant is coal?

Since coal is a fossil fuel, our supplies of it are limited and will only day run out, however it was actually available in abundance during the Industrial Revolutionary period of history. Prior to this, it was considered a luxury afforded to the rich and powerful, however, it quickly became a very reliable fuel source. Since coal was being transported into towns and cities by the wagon load, many homeowners found it more effective to purchase rather than traditional wooden logs, which had been the number one fuel source for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

Is coal a cost-effective fuel choice?

In order to understand the price of coal, it is important to recognise how its growing abundance made it more popular. After all, coal was once a luxury item reserved for the higher-class members of society, however, thanks to mining efforts throughout the industrial revolution, it became so abundant that the price of the fuel dropped considerably. As a result, coal became an affordable option for lower-class members of society as a residential heating option.

Here at Pearson Fuels, we stock a variety of different coal varieties, including traditional bituminous coal and anthracite. With this said, we believe that it is important to recognise the history of our industry and how residential coal use came into fruition. After all, our supply of the fossil fuel may be limited but it played an essential role during the industrial revolution. To find out more information about residential coal usage, get in contact with the best coal merchants around and speak to a member of the Pearson Fuels team today!