In the 19th century, house coal was the dominant domestic fuel in the UK. Delivered in sacks by coal merchants and stored in cellars or scuttles, it powered the open hearth, the centrepiece of most Victorian homes. Coal fires provided not only heat but also a focal point for family and social life. The ready availability of cheap coal made it accessible across classes, from working-class terraces to grand townhouses. From this point in time, through much of the 20th century, coal was the UK’s lifeblood, fuel for mills and foundries, locomotives and ships, and of course, for homes around the country.
By the 21st century, however, coal had come to symbolise smog, ill‑health and climate issues. The journey from pride to problem and the rise of cleaner alternatives has been shaped by public health crises, labour conflicts, technological change and, more recently, climate change and policy.
1850–1914: Coal as lifeblood
In Victorian and Edwardian Britain, coal underpinned almost every form of energy use. It heated most homes, fired industry, and powered the rapidly expanding railway network. The coal grate became a social symbol of comfort, even as soot and thick fogs polluted towns and cities. Municipal “smoke nuisance” by‑laws and early national measures chipped away at the worst excesses, but coal’s dominance went largely unchallenged.
In 1850, UK coal production was approximately 50 million metric tons. It rose to 149 million tons by 1880, and surged further to 269 million tons by 1910. The peak year was 1913, when output reached 292 million tons.
1914–1955: Comfort, scarcity, and growing unease
Two world wars and the interwar slump made energy security paramount, reinforcing dependence on domestic coal. Yet the mounting toll of smoky air, respiratory disease, grime, and frequent smogs slowly shifted public sentiment. The turning point arrived in December 1952, when the Great Smog of London blanketed the capital for five days, from 5th to 9th December, causing thousands of deaths. Visibility dropped so severely during the smog that buses, trains, and even ambulances had to stop; people literally felt their way along the streets. Parliament responded with landmark clean‑air legislation.
1956-1979: From smoke control to political power
The Clean Air Act of 1956 introduced “smoke control areas” and pushed homes and factories to switch to smokeless fuels, setting a new expectation: heating should not pollute the air. Still, the nation relied heavily on coal, both socially and economically. In the 1970s, industrial disputes underscored coal’s clout: the miners’ action and energy shortages triggered the Three‑Day Week in 1974, when commercial electricity use was rationed to conserve coal stocks.
The Three‑Day Week, which ran from January to March 1974, was an emergency policy that limited most businesses to using mains electricity on only three consecutive days each week. It was introduced to conserve coal and electricity during an escalating pay dispute with the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and related industrial action that was cutting coal deliveries to power stations. These shocks etched coal’s strategic importance into public memory.
1980s–2000s: Resistance, identity and a long transition
Coal’s decline gathered pace in the 1980s and 1990s. The 1984–85 miners’ strike, one of modern Britain’s fiercest industrial disputes, became a battle over jobs, communities and the country’s energy future. The strikes ran from March 1984 to March 1985. It was triggered as the National Coal Board planned to close 20+ pits, putting around 20,000 jobs at risk. The strikes collapsed in March 1985 with miners returning to work without a settlement.
Even after the strike ended and widespread pit closures followed, those who were pro‑coal continued to stress energy security, “clean‑coal” technologies and the livelihoods bound up with the coalfields. The 1990s “dash for gas” displaced much coal-fired generation with more efficient gas turbines, improving urban air quality and reducing power-sector CO2 emissions. Climate policy then moved to centre stage with the Climate Change Act 2008, which introduced legally binding carbon budgets and set a long‑term course away from high‑carbon fuels.
2010s–mid‑2020s: Coal becomes the exception
By the 2010s, coal had shifted from being the default to being a fallback. On the power side, plant closures and carbon pricing drove coal’s share of electricity towards zero, culminating in the closure of Ratcliffe‑on‑Soar on 30 September 2024 and the start of the UK’s coal‑free power era on 1 October 2024. On the home-heating side, regulators targeted the dirtiest fuels: England phased out the sale of traditional house coal (bagged from 2021, with remaining loose sales by May 2023, subject to narrow local exemptions), signalling coal’s end as a legal retail fuel for domestic use. Perception followed policy; coal was no longer “king” but a high‑pollution legacy.
How awareness shifted: health first, then climate. Three ideas steered attitudes:
Public health. The Great Smog made the cost of smoky fuels undeniable, speeding up smoke-control rules that favoured cleaner-burning fuels.
Energy security vs. social cost. Strikes and widespread pit closures highlighted both coal’s strategic role and the human cost of transition; resistance from miners, unions and coalfield communities slowed change but also kept fairness on the agenda.
Climate change. Beginning in 2008, the introduction of legally binding carbon budgets through the Climate Change Act reframed heating and electricity generation as part of a national emissions pathway.
This marked a shift from earlier policies focused on local air pollution, speeding up investment in renewables, efficient gas generation, and other low-carbon technologies. In doing so, it relegated coal from once the foundation of Britain’s industrial might to a symbol of outdated energy.
Alternatives to coal in homes today
1) Ecodesign wood‑burning stoves
Since 1 January 2022, stoves sold in the UK must meet Ecodesign performance limits for efficiency and pollutant emissions (PM, CO, NOx, OGC). When a stove is tested to see if it is Ecodesign Ready, it must keep within these very stringent, technical parameters, which cover:
OGCs – Organic gaseous compounds (OGC’s) from stoves will not exceed 120 mgC/m3 at 13% oxygen for stoves using solid fuel other than compressed wood pellets, and 60 mgC m3 at 13% oxygen for stoves using compressed wood pellets. The measurement of mgC/m3 means milligrams per cubic meter.
CO – Carbon Monoxide is a deadly, colourless, odourless gas that is produced during combustion. When a stove is being checked for compliance with Ecodesign, it is not allowed to exceed 1,500 mg/m3 at 13% oxygen using solid fuel other than compressed wood pellets, and 300 mg/m3 at 13% oxygen for stoves using compressed wood pellets.
NOx – Nitrogen Oxides are a combination of gases, which are composed of nitrogen and oxygen. NOx gases react to form smog and acid rain, as well as being central to the formation of fine particles (PM) and ground-level ozone, both of which are associated with adverse health effects. NOx from solid fuel stoves using fossil fuels shall not exceed 300 mg/m3 expressed as NO2 at 13% oxygen.
PM – PM stands for Particulate Matter, and Particulate matter (PM), also known as particle pollution, is a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets that get into the air. Once inhaled, these particles can affect the heart and lungs, causing serious health effects.
Below is our Ecodesign Woodtec 8kW wood-burning stove. Learn more about this fire here.
2) Hydrogen-ready gas fires
Manufacturers (including Charlton & Jenrick) and standards bodies have explored hydrogen‑ready appliances, devices that run on today’s gas and could be converted to hydrogen in future. While there is no green light for widespread domestic hydrogen yet, if you love a real flame with future-proofing in mind, look for gas fires which are hydrogen-ready. Below is our hydrogen-ready Panache 620 Hybrid electric fire. Learn more about this fire here.
3) Electric fires
Modern electric fires combine convincing flame effects with easy installation, requiring no flue, offering flexible placement, and delivering instant heat at the flick of a switch. They generate no on-site emissions, and their overall carbon footprint continues to shrink as the national grid decarbonises. With coal-fired power now phased out and zero-carbon electricity taking an increasingly larger share of the supply, the combination of electric ambience and resistive heating stands out as the cleanest, most convenient, and lowest-maintenance successor to the traditional coal grate. Below is our iRange i1250e Deep electric fire. Learn more about this fire here.
Moving Away From Coal – What resistance looked like, and why it mattered
Opposition to coal’s retreat has been vocal and often well‑organised. Industrial action defended jobs and communities intimately tied to coal, most dramatically in 1984–85; it left deep scars and shaped debates about energy, policing and fairness to this day.
“Cleaner coal” narratives were periodically sought to keep coal in the mix, but UK policy and market signals increasingly favoured renewables and gas, then pushed towards a coal-free grid, which was achieved by 2024.
This resistance slowed some changes and sharpened others; essentially, it made policymakers to reckon with ‘just transition’ concerns. ‘Just transition’ refers to the idea that the shift from fossil fuels (such as coal, oil, and gas) to low-carbon energy should be fair, inclusive, and socially responsible, protecting workers, communities, and vulnerable groups from being left behind.
A short timeline of changing perceptions
1850s–1900s: Coal equals progress and comfort; smoke seen as the price of prosperity.
1952–1956: Great Smog = Clean Air Act; public health reframes the debate.
1973–1974: The Three-Day Week highlights coal’s political power and vulnerability.
1984–1985: The Miners’ strike symbolises the human stakes of energy transition.
2008: Climate Change Act formalises long‑term decarbonisation.
2021–2023: England phases out retail sale of traditional house coal.
2024: Final coal power station closes; coal‑free electricity era begins.
Where we’ve landed
A century and a half ago, coal’s warmth powered daily life and national ambition. Today, public health evidence, climate policy and a modern energy system have transformed the story: coal moved from mainstream to an artefact of the past. The new range of home-heating options, including Ecodesign wood-burning stoves, hydrogen-ready gas fires, and electric fires, speaks to a broader cultural shift. Warmth is still welcome; smoke and soot are not.
