HEC, it would be my guess that "rice coal" means finely ground up coal?? I went from firewood to pellets to electric heat - mainly because electric is so cheap around here, fire wood drags in so many bugs and is now too much work for me( 72 years, also) and pellets have become so darn expensive($275 per ton) this year. Electric is just my speed - just twist a knob and its all done, ha,ha.
I still use a rear blade on my open station tractor to clear the snow on my mile long driveway. Its just me & Eddie Bauer on these winter projects.