Anthracite & peat briquettes — two fuel options you may not have considered

Millions of people across the United Kingdom have wood burners in their homes, and many of them use firewood as their main fuel, whether that's hardwood or softwood logs. However, there are plenty of other fuel options out there, so to give you more of a choice, here are two that you may not have considered for your home.

Peat briquettes

Peat briquettes are usually formed of dried and pressed vegetable fibres, and are a great alternative to burning wood or coal in your home. Peat has been used as a fuel for fires for thousands of years, but recent innovations in technology mean that it is only now being harvested on a commercial scale with the distinct purpose of burning it as a fuel. The briquettes are very easy to store, and are ideal for indoor storage areas, as they give off very little soot and ash. What's more, at Logs Direct our peat briquettes are completely smokeless, so are a great option when you want to minimise smoke, especially for indoor wood burning fires. However, although they are smokeless, these peat briquettes are not approved for smoke-free areas.

When should you use them?

Peat briquettes are very slow burning, and give off a deep radiant heat, and as a result are mainly used where fires are left burning overnight, particularly indoors. They also give off a lovely, distinct aroma, which makes them a good alternative for indoor areas where the smell of wood smoke is not desired.

Anthracite

From the Greek word for 'coal-like', anthracite is a form of compacted coal, and is an extremely popular fuel alternative to firewood. Anthracite has a much higher carbon content than all other types of coal, typically between 91% and 98%; as a result, anthracite is not the most environmentally friendly of fuels, but it does have many different uses. It is estimated that around 1% of the world's coal reserves are anthracite, and China and Russia are its main producers.

When is it best used?

Anthracite comes in three different categories: standard grade (SG), high grade (HG), and ultra high grade (UHG). Standard grade and high grade are mainly used in power generation, either for domestic purposes, or on an industrial scale; ultra high grade is only ever used in metallurgy, mainly for powering burners used in smelting processes.