To make it through the winter it’s best to have a good store of coal. Without it you might find yourself taking trips to the shop every weekend to restock. Coal bunkers come in many different shapes and sizes, colours and materials, so how do you choose the right one for you?

Most fireplace owners buy their domestic coal from coal merchants, who normally deliver in quantities of 50kg bags. The range of coal bunkers are usually sized small, medium, and large. Small bunkers hold around 150kg of coal, equivalent to 3 bags; a medium bunker holds around 5 to 6 bags, which is between 250 and 300kg; the larger models can hold between 400 and 500kg which is about 8 to 10 bags.

You want to aim to have enough coal to comfortably make it until your next delivery. If you live in a remote area, it is recommended that you stock more in case something affects your delivery date.

The next thing you need to consider is how much space you have available. Luckily all models only take around a metre square of floor space; medium sizes take up a metre square, with small sized models taking up slightly less and a large one, slightly more.

Coal merchants may tier their prices depending on the quantity and the time of year, so it may be more beneficial to store more coal than you normally would, saving you money over the year.

Deciding on your perfect coal storage can be tricky, but to narrow it down you need to think about; how much fuel you burn on average, how often you have your coal delivered, how much space you have available to commit to storage, and money saving options if you decide to buy in larger bulk from your coal merchants.