How many pounds of coal are you worth per day?

Post Reply
 
User avatar
lsayre
Member
Posts: 21781
Joined: Wed. Nov. 23, 2005 9:17 pm
Location: Ohio
Stoker Coal Boiler: AHS S130 Coal Gun
Coal Size/Type: Lehigh Anthracite Pea
Other Heating: Resistance Boiler (13.5 KW), ComfortMax 75

Post by lsayre » Sun. Mar. 07, 2021 10:08 am

1 Food Calorie = 1 KCal = 1,000 actual calories

252 actual calories = 1 BTU (rounded very slightly)

Let's assume that the average moderately active person consumes/emits ~2,200 calories per day.

2,200 x 1,000 = 2,200,000 actual calories consumed/emitted per person per day

2,200,000 / 252 ~= 8,730 BTU's per day consumed/emitted

It just so happens that 1 Lb. of anthracite outputs ~8,730 BTU's at a (likely rather typical) honest stove 'output' efficiency of about 68.2%, so each human living full time in your house is worth about a savings of 1 pound of coal per day (assuming the human stove to be 100% efficient).

Another way to look at this is that the average adult human emits about as much heat per day as would a 75 Watt incandescent light bulb, or roughly about 7 new fangled LED "equivalent output" bulbs, if left on for 24 hours.

When someone will be gone for a day remember to add an extra pound of coal to your stove to compensate. Or alternately, turn on a 75 Watt incandescent light-bulb, or 7 x 75 Watt equivalent LED light-bulbs.

 
User avatar
warminmn
Member
Posts: 8108
Joined: Tue. Feb. 08, 2011 5:59 pm
Location: Land of 11,842 lakes
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Chubby Junior, Efel Nestor Martin, Riteway 37
Coal Size/Type: nut and stove anthracite, lignite
Other Heating: Wood and wear a wool shirt

Post by warminmn » Sun. Mar. 07, 2021 12:03 pm

I'll never look at a pound of coal the same way again, lol. Thats interesting Larry!

 
User avatar
Lightning
Site Moderator
Posts: 14658
Joined: Wed. Nov. 16, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Olean, NY
Stoker Coal Boiler: Modified AA 130
Coal Size/Type: Pea Size - Anthracite

Post by Lightning » Sun. Mar. 07, 2021 12:19 pm

What about clothes? They would slow down heat transfer to the house. So therefore my question is, how many naked bodies would you need to keep the house warm?


 
User avatar
lsayre
Member
Posts: 21781
Joined: Wed. Nov. 23, 2005 9:17 pm
Location: Ohio
Stoker Coal Boiler: AHS S130 Coal Gun
Coal Size/Type: Lehigh Anthracite Pea
Other Heating: Resistance Boiler (13.5 KW), ComfortMax 75

Post by lsayre » Sun. Mar. 07, 2021 12:48 pm

Lightning wrote:
Sun. Mar. 07, 2021 12:19 pm
What about clothes? They would slow down heat transfer to the house. So therefore my question is, how many naked bodies would you need to keep the house warm?
Being naked all day only makes you need to eat more. As for coal, all of the BTU's you can get out of a human are in the fuel.

 
Holdencoal
Member
Posts: 673
Joined: Sun. Nov. 17, 2019 2:17 pm

Post by Holdencoal » Sun. Mar. 07, 2021 12:59 pm

You give off more BTUs when it’s cold in your house so depending on the warmth level it could be more. This is why it’s good to run in the cold. You omit more btus trying to stay warm which cuts the lbs faster.

Post Reply

Return to “Coal News & General Coal Discussions”