Best value fire fuel?

Hi all,

Looking to try alternatives for heating the living room as that's where we spend most of out time.

Typical cost for one days fire:
1 X 1.79 for a firelog (those things that burn for 2 hours)
1/2 bag of logs @ 3.40/2 = 1.70
1/2 pack of briquettes : ~ 2 euro

So that's a rough total of €5.50 per night for a fire for fuel.

What are the alternatives out there? I picked up a pack of "strogs" last night and ended up putting three on the fire (5 in a pack at 2.99!) They wont last in this house.


havent tried coal yet but cant imagine that being cost effective either.

Anyone tried anything that is good value and burns longer than the norm whilst giving out great heat?

Coal. Not the cheapest but the most efective by far. Combne it with a few wooden logs once the fire has established to make the coal stretch a bit.

Briquettes, turf, compressed log type things...meh. They might be cheap or look/smell nice but for actual efficiency they come nowhere near coal. A 40Kg bag will do us 3 nights.

Also consider a small stove. Best investment we made 2 years ago. Went form a gas fire to a small stanley oisin stove. Buy timber/coal and it burns way less than an open fire.

At this time of year the fire is lit at about 2pm and kept going until bedtime. We use two bags of coal a week costing €30 - no back boiler. As fobs said the stove is something that should be looked at ! I've never met anyone who was disappointed after they replaced an open fire with a stove. Time to get my act together !

probably the wrong forum,but for an average 3 bed semi is it more economical to run oil heating(latest a rating unit)or gas heating(latest a rating).

Coillte sell forestry thinnings if you contact the local rep. About €1200 for a rigid lorry with a trailer behind in Cork.

Youl'll need to season them for about 2 yrs but if you have the space to store them they are good value.

Maybe you and a few friends could split a load.

I get the whole "come home to a warm fire" advert thingie, but it's terribly expensive. A 40 K bag of coal in my area is €20.00 and lasts about 3 days if used sparingly. Duncan Stewart had a guy on who said 70% of the heat went up the chimney. I lit one over Xmas & new year week, and then blocked up the chimneys with my own homemade version of a chimney bag. I made it with a strong plastic bag and left-over attic insulation. Works fine and saved me the €35 those things cost in the shops. I also noticed during the arctic weather, that the cold coming down the chimney was something else. The heating was on full blast until I blocked it up.