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Note: This table does not include particulars of
the fuel consumed in one large size plant,
three moderate size plants, and one small
plant, all of which use gas or electricity,
and do not have a direct bearing on the
problem of atmospheric pollution.
Domestic fires
The 1951 Census gives the number of structurally separate
dwellings in the borough as 41,390. Some of these are supplied
with space heating from central sources, and others may rely
on gas or electricity. It is not unreasonable to assume that
in 30,000 dwellings coal is burned, and if only 1 cwt. is
burned in each dwelling per week, the total consumed in these
domestic fires amounts to 1,500 tons per week. This compares
with just under 500 tons of coal consumed in industrial
buildings.
In a recent paper, an expert of the Department of
Scientific and Industrial Research stated that only 18% of
the total coal consumed in this country is used directly for
domestic purposes, most of the remainder being used in
industrial and other large-scale installations. But whereas
the efficiency of combustion in industrial plants has steadily
improved, the domestic use of coal has not improved to anything
like the same extent. Consequently, each ton of coal burned
in a domestic fire produces on an average two or three times
as much smoke as each ton burned in industrial furnaces. It
is estimated that over the country as a whole, the proportion
of smoke contributed annually by domestic fires represents
at least 40% of the whole; in winter the proportion rises
to about 60% or possibly more in some areas, including London.
It seems clear, therefore, that in any consideration of the
atmospheric pollution problem in the borough, the part played
by the domestic consumer cannot be overlooked.