How to heat a private house. What is more profitable to heat a house - comparative analysis. Electric boilers: design features, advantages and disadvantages

Content

As you know, the most efficient energy carrier for the heating system of a private home is main natural gas. In addition, modern automated boiler equipment makes using gas simple and as safe as possible. But how to ensure cheap heating at home, if in the foreseeable future there is no possibility of connecting the house to the gas main?

The cheaper it is to heat a private house- looking for ways

Principles for choosing an energy carrier

Economical heating of a private home is based on the cost and availability of coolant. When choosing, you should focus not only on the current situation (for example, the opportunity to get coal or diesel fuel through an acquaintance at prices below the market average, or receive wood waste for free) but also to sensibly assess the prospects.

If the house is without gas, you need to choose at least two alternative energy sources - for the main and backup heat sources. This approach allows you to protect your home from serious problems, associated not only with low temperatures in residential premises, but also with defrosting of the water heating system.

Before comparing the efficiency of energy carriers (excluding mains gas), it is necessary to highlight those types of fuel that are most accessible to the average consumer.

For example, the solar collector should be taken out of line, since it can only be seriously considered as an additional source of energy due to the fact that there are not enough sunny days a year on the main territory of Russia, and in addition, the equipment is not cheap.

Also, let’s leave aside the heat pump for now - it produces free energy, but to get it, you need to use electricity. Plus, the system is difficult to install and requires serious costs for professional calculations and construction.

Thus, the list of available coolants includes:

liquefied gas in cylinders (installation of a gas tank requires a one-time investment of serious funds);
diesel fuel (diesel fuel);
electricity;
ordinary firewood;
coal;
pellets;
eurowood.

Attention! If you have access to fuel such as cheap peat briquettes, etc., you can calculate their performance for comparison using the method given below.

Calculation of fuel costs

To decide how to heat your home without... extra costs, it is necessary to calculate the consumption level of each available type of fuel.

Before starting calculations, it is important to understand the units of measurement of the amount of energy carrier and bring them into line so as not to compare cubic meters with kilograms. Apart from electricity, all other fuels can be measured in kilograms.

Finding out what's best for heating Vacation home, it is useful to make the following table:

Energy carrier	Calorific value (kW/h for 1 kg of fuel)	Quantity of heat, necessary for the home area of 100 m2 per heating season (kW/h)	Boiler efficiency
Propane	13	21600	0.9
Diesel fuel	11.9	21600	0.85
Firewood	4.5	21600	0.75
Coal	7.7	21600	0.75
Pellets	5.2	21600	0.8
Eurodrova	5.5	21600	0.75
Electricity (single tariff scheme)	-	21600	0.99
Electricity (multi-tariff scheme)	-	21600	0.99

To select the maximum economical heating private house, you should fill in the empty columns in the table.

This is done as follows:

Column 2. The cost of each energy carrier is entered, focusing on current prices in the region of residence or the price at which you can get this fuel. Remember to convert your units to kilograms (except for electricity).
Column 4. To calculate how much 1 kW of generated thermal energy will cost, you need to divide the price of 1 kg of fuel by the specific calorific value (divide the value of column 2 by the value of column 3).
Column 5. The approximate value is entered here (length heating season– 180 days, the average thermal energy consumption per hour is 5 kW for a house of 100 m 2, hence 5 × 24 × 180 = 21600 kW/h). Instead, indicate the figure obtained as a result of an accurate thermal calculation of your home.
Column 6. To calculate the estimated costs for the season, multiply the values in columns 4 and 5.
Column 8. The calculated costs must be divided by the efficiency of the boiler unit, since fuel consumption directly depends on the efficiency of the equipment.

So, by comparing the indicators in the last column, you can determine what is cheaper to heat the house in your case.

However, when looking for the most economical way to provide heat in your home, you need to take into account a number of other points so as not to be disappointed in your choice.

Ease of use

The heating system should not only be efficient and economical, but also comfortable to use. The less trouble it causes, the better, since the effort to maintain its functioning is an indirect cost of heating.

The ease of use of the fuel chosen to heat the house is assessed according to very specific criteria:

difficulty in servicing the heat source, its maintainability;
the need for fuel storage and what is required for this;
ease of everyday use (fuel supply, etc.).

Note! Fuel should be assessed according to the above criteria taking into account the characteristics of boiler units, etc. For example, a boiler long burning coal-fired stove is incomparably more convenient than a conventional brick solid fuel stove. That is, first decide on the type of heater you can afford.

Service:

The undoubted leaders are electric boilers. They are durable, the most they can require is sometimes to clean the oxidized contacts.
Propane gas boiler - unpretentious equipment, cleaning of igniter, burners, etc. required approximately every two years.
Pellet boiler. You will have to clean the combustion chamber several times a year, and once a year you will have to clean the chimney.
Coal and wood boilers, stoves - regularly require cleaning from ash, but this indicator greatly depends on the design of the heater and can range from once a day to once every two months or more. May require frequent chimney cleaning.
Diesel boiler. Depends on the characteristics of the unit and the quality of the fuel - it can work without being inferior gas boiler, or it can constantly “be capricious”, as a result of which you will have to systematically blow through the injectors, etc.

Fuel storage:

Electricity does not require storage. However, in case of an emergency, it is recommended to have a diesel electric generator on the farm. And for this unit itself and the fuel for it, it is necessary to allocate space.
Heating in a private house using firewood, eurowood, pellets requires storage space, and in the case of fuel made from sawdust, this must be a dry, closed room. It is also recommended to store firewood, protected from precipitation, since the higher the moisture content of the wood, the lower its heat transfer.
Coal. It is stored in a specially designated place, it gets very dirty and dusty, so it is not very convenient to use.
Gas cylinders. Requires storage in a separate building, measures must be taken fire safety. Preference should be given to an underground reservoir - a gas holder.
Containers with diesel fuel. Stored in separate room in the boiler room, away from the house, since the fuel has a sharp bad smell. However, today a tank with diesel fuel is often installed underground, like a gas holder. This makes the system more convenient to use, but increases the cost.

Ease of use:

It is most convenient to heat with electricity, since heating equipment does not require any intervention.
Pellet boilers are refueled approximately once every two weeks or less (depending on the volume of the bunker), and cylinders are changed at approximately the same frequency when heating with liquefied gas. A long-burning coal boiler can also operate on one refill for 1-2 weeks.
A diesel fuel boiler requires regular monitoring, especially if the fuel quality is low.
Solid fuel boilers require loading the firebox 1-3 times a day.

Give yourself a rating from 1 to 5 for each type of fuel (or heating unit) in all of the above categories. And determine for yourself whether the most economical heating is always preferable to a more expensive but convenient one.

Let's figure out how to heat a country house (dacha) without gas

When choosing cheap heating for a private home, also pay attention to such a characteristic of the boiler unit as energy independence. If it is decided to provide heating for a private house without gas using an electric boiler, the backup heat source should be, for example, a solid fuel non-volatile boiler or stove.

Boiler unit to heat the house

When choosing what is more profitable to heat a house, we must not forget about the costs of installing a heating unit. It is not always important how cheap the energy source is, since the equipment for its use (or generation, if we are talking about solar energy, etc.) can be expensive. Here is an approximate price range for heating equipment different types to determine which one is more profitable to choose.

Brick oven with stove. 20-100 t.r. and more, depending on the size, type, complexity of the design, the presence of tiled cladding, etc. A well-made stove is ideal for wooden house, it can last for several decades.

Liquid fuel boiler. The cost of the unit is 25-180 thousand rubles. Many models are suitable if the heated diesel fuel They plan to connect the house to the gas mains - it is enough to replace the boiler burner and there will be no need to install new equipment.

Solid fuel boilers. 20-400 tr. Inexpensive option will require frequent refilling of fuel. Long-burning boilers are included in the average price category. Automated units require large investments during the installation phase.

Choosing a boiler unit

Electric boilers. 15-100 t.r. depending on the power of the model. If the region has a cheap nightly electricity tariff, you can partially reduce heating costs by installing a heat accumulator in combination with an electric boiler. In addition, when choosing how to heat a house if there is no gas, you can pay attention to other heat sources that run on electricity: infrared heaters, fan heaters, film heated floors, air heating systems, etc.

Solar collectors. 15-60 tr. - price flat devices, about 80 tr. – vacuum. The energy of the sun is inexhaustible, but even in areas with a large number of sunny days a year, solar collectors serve only as an additional source of thermal energy for heating or preparing water in the hot water supply system.

Heat pumps. 200-1500 t.r. depending on the complexity of the system. The heat pump takes thermal energy from the environment. Its operation requires starting energy; on average, to deliver 10 kW of thermal energy, it spends 3 kW of electricity - this is high efficiency. But the heat pump is also not universal, since it is able to function stably only at an air temperature of at least -15 degrees, and completely loses its functionality at -30 degrees. In temperate regions, a heat pump would provide the cheapest heating if not for the significant initial investment.

Results

Everyone selects the most economical heating based on specific conditions; there is no universal advice on this matter. A good option is an electric boiler in combination with any other unit, primarily solid fuel. A heat accumulator to which you can connect several different heat sources, including a solar collector, is a real opportunity to spend a minimum of money on heating.

In addition, one should not forget about high-quality insulation Houses. You can save on fuel only if heat loss is kept to a minimum.

In Russia, where in most regions it is cold or very cold for six months at a time, the problem of heating a room is more pressing than anywhere else. So, when choosing a heating system for your home, it is important not to make a mistake. What do you pay attention to first?

The diagram clearly shows the comparative cost of heating a house with several of the most popular types fuel (to enlarge the diagram, click on the photo). An average house with an area of 200 square meters is taken as an example.

What is important for heating equipment

First of all, they are determined by the type of energy carrier and the power of the system. You need to have information about what the permitted power consumption is specifically for your home. If you already have answers to these questions, you can start selecting one or another heating system.

Of the currently known variations of individual heating of private houses, the most common is the water heating system. Heating devices such as stoves, fireplaces, and especially various types of electric heaters in the form of oil radiators, heat fans and guns, infrared heaters, and even the increasingly popular “warm floors” are in fact usually used as auxiliary heating sources. If you think about air heating systems, you will rarely see them at all.

What is a heating system

This concept includes the entire set of relevant devices, including pipelines, pumps, shut-off and control equipment, automation and control devices - in general, everything that ensures the transfer of thermal energy received by the generator directly to the premises.

The optimal choice of an individual heating system for a private house will depend on the chosen scheme, its correct calculation and installation, quality of components, competent operation and timely maintenance.

Electric boiler

If you need to maintain a comfortable temperature in the room of about 20 degrees when the frost outside is about -25, the required power of the equipment is calculated in accordance with the volume of the premises or their total area. For this, appropriate coefficients are used. So, if you need to calculate power consumption, you need to multiply one kW of energy by the area of all premises. This calculation would be appropriate for a house with an area of no more than 200–300 square meters. m. As practice shows, it is quite possible to use the boiler for about 8 hours a day.

Furnaces

Today's heating stove may look quite elegant, but modern users will find their maintenance a hassle.

This is the simplest traditional option for heating houses. It is still common in villages. It is difficult to do it correctly without being a trained specialist, and, as a rule, they use the services of a good stove maker who knows the nuances. Furnace structures usually last a long time. If a stove is installed between rooms so that one of the walls is heated, such a device simultaneously heats several rooms.

Stoves in Russia are heated with wood - there is a lot of wood, and they stock it up in advance. But coal is also often used. If we talk about firewood, then hard wood is preferable - oak, hornbeam or beech, and logs will give more heat if they are dry. In Siberia, heating is mainly done with birch and other firewood.

It is believed that stove heating- it's simple. But this is not entirely true, since it requires constant care. Not only must the stove be properly designed so that the chimney is properly equipped, but the ashes must also be removed regularly. And to keep the house warm, you need to add firewood to the firebox several times a day. Certain precautions are required to avoid fire. The floor directly next to the stove is covered with an iron sheet - a spark falling on the bare floor can cause a fire.

Fireplace heating

Heating with a fireplace is similar to a stove. True, there are differences. Traditional fireplaces are installed more for aesthetics and romance, and their heat usually warms a relatively small area.

A fireplace is associated with comfort, warmth and coziness in the home, but it can only heat small area around you

To the question of how to heat a house with a fireplace, the answer is: It will not be possible to warm the entire room with a fireplace in winter- if your room is not 20 square meters. m., you will have to worry about the heating system of the whole house. Fireplaces will provide only local heating. The design of an ordinary fireplace is such that it burns a lot of wood, and as for heat, very little of it is retained in the room. Fireplaces are usually heated with wood, sometimes with coal.

In people's minds, a fireplace is associated with coziness, comfort, and a romantic atmosphere - many people like to contemplate an open fire. Often a fireplace flame is simulated using various types of electrical devices.

Water heating

In order to do so, it is necessary to equip a heating system specifically for this purpose. For this purpose, a heating container is purchased - usually called a boiler, in which the liquid is heated (such heating is conventionally called “water”; in fact, in recent years, antifreeze, or “anti-freeze liquid”, is often used in pipes); liquid pipeline, heating radiators, pump and expansion tank.

Everyone is concerned about the price issue - how much does it cost to heat a house? hot water? There is no answer here in one word, it all depends on the equipment.

So, we purchased a boiler that will heat the water. The liquid in the boiler, having warmed up, increases in volume and is fed by gravity into the pipeline. Water flows through pipes to heating radiators located in the premises. Through warm radiators, the air in the room warms up. The cooled water (return) returns to the boiler, where it is reheated. And so on. The movement continues - the system operates in a closed cycle.

Pumps are used to force liquid into the system. Since the heating of the liquid occurs in the boiler, it is the central focus of the entire circuit. Therefore, you need to take the choice of a boiler seriously when trying to answer the question of what is the best way to heat a house.

Boilers

A gas double-circuit boiler will heat the house and provide it with hot water

There are boilers wall structures and and floor. The latter are more massive. Single-circuit boilers heat only water for heating. If there is not one, but several circuits, it is already possible to heat water for a shower and be able to heat water for the pool.

Boilers operate on various energy sources. Heating boilers are generally divided into categories:

electric boilers that heat liquid with electricity;
diesel (liquid fuel) boilers;
solid fuel boilers;
gas boilers;
biofuel boilers.

Electric or gas boilers are most often used in practice.. In Russia, gas supply is not available in all regions. The price of electrical energy is rising. So-called solid fuel boilers are capable of operating in different options: coal and wood fired. True, you will still have to regularly add fuel and remove ash.

How to choose the right gas boiler (video)

Heaters

A heating system is necessary if people live in the house all year round, and not just during the warm season or for short stays. IN latest version It would be optimal to heat the house quickly and temporarily with a simple electric heater. Often stop at oil cooler. This heater consumes little energy while maintaining heat for a long time.

When there is a real need to warm up only one room, it is not necessary to warm up the entire house. A small room can be locally warmed up effectively in a short time using infrared heater, which is both economical and safe. For a dacha, the option is quite optimal.

How to choose a heater (video)

Gas convectors, electric convectors

A well-insulated home can be warmed up quite quickly with a convector, but still this method is suitable mainly for small rooms, for example, country houses

Another way to heat a house is with a convector. The convector can be gas or electric.

A thoroughly insulated house can heat up quite quickly using convectors. Again this method good for country houses small houses. And you can install the appropriate automation on them, which will help turn on the heating and warm up the room before the owners arrive.

New technologies in heating

Describe everything in detail possible options heating houses in one article is difficult. Bio-fireplaces and heat or gas guns are used; various improved modifications of potbelly stoves fired with wood are also known.

In Europe, a number of countries have already adapted to successfully use the heat of the earth to heat their homes. In fact, it is a completely reasonable decision - at certain depths in the earth there is a lot of heat. And if special technologies allow water to be pumped deeply in winter, warming up, it will begin to give off heat to batteries placed in the premises.

While such heating is prohibitively expensive - similar equipment not widely mass-produced. But these technologies are attractive because they are renewable, just like heating from solar panels or from wind turbines.

Automated pellet boiler is easy to use

As we know, people have been using wood to heat their homes since primitive times. The stone hearths of ancient people gradually grew into various types of ovens and other devices. As man developed, fireplaces and various other devices were developed, opening up the possibility of using the heat obtained from burning logs to heat rooms much more efficiently. And although many places in Mother Russia continue to heat with wood, conventional “wood-burning” stoves have lost their dominant position.

According to current ideas about comfort, a heating system should, if possible, be automated, which means it should successfully operate without the participation of an operator (as a fireman is now fashionably called) - it is convenient for a modern person for the system to work “by itself” and not have to look into it more than once a week is normal!

The development and mass production of automated heating systems using wood fuel for heating and hot water supply of houses and cottages began actively when, by the end of the 20th century, they were invented in Germany. the new kind solid fuel. It's about about wood pellets, the so-called pellets. The calorific value of pellets is 5 kW/hour per 1 kg, i.e. 4500 Kcal/kg.
In appearance, fuel pellets are small cylinders-sticks, like fragments of pencils. They are compressed from sawdust or small shavings wood, usually coniferous. This is essentially industrial waste, and in the “forest” country of Russia there is plenty of such goodness. As a rule, pellets are made without any unnecessary additives such as glue and other unnecessary chemicals. They are simply pressed from sawdust under a pressure of about 300 atm.

Let's compare costs

All of us, of course, are primarily interested in prices. In the European part of Russia, where relatively high level gasification of farms, it is most profitable to this moment heated with gas. In places where gas is not available, other types of heating are considered. If we evaluate the cost of purchasing fuel, then today it is more profitable to heat cottages with sorted brown coal than with the same pellets. Coal is also available everywhere. And there is also automated equipment for coal devices that is quite effective, and besides, it is one and a half to two times cheaper than heat generators. (for example, Hungarian Carborobot boilers from PONT-GB-GANZ). Of course, in terms of calorific value, granular fuel is not inferior to brown coal (about 18 MJ/kg). But in terms of price, they are noticeably more expensive at the moment - it turns out that their price is 3-5 times higher than coal. Ecologically, however, pellets win.

Let's compare the calorific value

Gas - 1 t. pellet = 485 cubic meters of gas
Fuel oil - 1 t. pellet = 775 l. fuel oil
Diesel - 1 t.pellet = 500 l.diesel. fuel

As an example, consider the possibilities of heating with pellets autonomous house area of about 200-250 sq.m. With appropriate thermal insulation, heat a room of 10 square meters. m. will be enough, according to some sources, about 1 kW.

So it turns out that for the specified area of the house you will need a 20 kW boiler (or a little more - to have at least a small reserve).

It is believed that the heating boiler is approximately involved in operation per year on average about 1750 hours (based on 73 days) in terms of its full capacity.

The calorific value of pellets weighing 1 kg is 5 kW/hour, which means that 20 kW pellet boilers consume about 4 kg of fuel per hour, that is, about 7 tons/year.

If we take today’s average price for fuel pellets of 6 rubles per 1 kg, the average costs will result in 42,000 rubles.

conclusions

From this we can conclude: the price of heating an autonomous house with a pellet boiler is 200-250 sq. m area per year will approximately be about 45 thousand rubles.
On the other hand, if you have access to main gas, then at today’s prices for blue fuel there is still no alternative to it in Russia. Electricity is quite expensive, liquid fuel is even more expensive. Now, if you don’t have gas nearby, then yes, you can install a heat pump unit. By the way, you can also consider the option of heating from a solid fuel boiler, but not with coal, but with pellets - they are now quite affordable, more expensive than coal, but they are much more convenient to burn than coal.
There is an even more attractive option - in the opinion of our most meticulous readers - and it’s hard to disagree with them, this is to build a large Bubafonya-type stove from a large container and heat it with whatever comes to hand. How to make it so effective furnace installation like Bubafonya, read here.

As a result of the steady increase in energy costs, the demand for economical heating among owners of private houses is naturally increasing. The fact that the vast majority of dwellings were built in Soviet era and in the early 90s. Then people did not think about how much this or that energy carrier costs and how to heat a house with low incomes. Now to the owner country cottage It is important to figure out which heating is cheaper before organizing one in your home.

Which heating is more profitable in the Russian Federation

Before determining the cheapest heating method, we list all the energy resources available to residents of the Russian Federation:

various types of solid fuel - firewood, briquettes (eurowood), pellets and coal;
diesel fuel (diesel fuel);
waste oils;
main gas;
liquefied gas;
electricity.

To figure out which heating is the cheapest, you need to find out how much heat each energy carrier can produce and how much it will cost, and then compare the data obtained. The table containing the calculation results will help you determine the most economical heating:

Note. The prices in the table are taken for Moscow and updated as of July 15, 2019. Due to constant increases in energy costs and currency exchange rate fluctuations, the presented figures become irrelevant over time.

Anyone can perform a similar calculation by substituting the heat load on the heating system of their building and the cost of fuel in the region of residence into the table. The calculation algorithm is as follows:

Column No. 3 contains the values of the theoretical heat transfer per unit of fuel, and column No. 4 - the efficiency (efficiency) of heating equipment using this energy carrier. These are reference values that remain unchanged.
The next step is to calculate how much heat actually enters the house from a unit of fuel. The calorific value is multiplied by the boiler efficiency divided by 100. The results are entered in the 5th column.
Knowing the price of a unit of fuel (column No. 6), it is not difficult to calculate the cost of 1 kW/h of thermal energy obtained from this type of fuel. The unit price is divided by the actual heat transfer, the results are in column No. 7.
Column No. 8 indicates average consumption heat per month for country house with an area of 100 m², located in middle lane RF. For the calculation you should enter your heat consumption value.
Average monthly costs for heating a home are indicated in column No. 9. The figure was obtained by multiplying monthly heat consumption by the cost of 1 kW obtained from various types fuel.

The table shows 2 types of firewood usually available for sale - freshly cut and dry. This will help you understand how profitable it is to heat a stove or boiler with dry wood.

Analysis of calculation results

The calculations show that the most in 2019 for private houses in the Russian Federation is still provided by natural gas, this energy carrier remains out of competition. Please also take into account the fact that gas-powered equipment is relatively inexpensive, and is quite effective and comfortable to use.

When using condensing boilers, efficiency can be increased by another 5-6% compared to conventional gas heat generators. True, condensing equipment will not be cheap (30-50% more expensive depending on the model).

The problem with gas in the Russian Federation is the high cost of connecting to existing pipelines. To heat your home economically, you will have to shell out 50 thousand rubles. (in remote regions) up to 1 million rubles. (In the Moscow region) for connecting to a gas pipe.

Having learned how much a connection costs, many homeowners are wondering how and with what to heat their home. The remaining energy sources are listed in the table:

Firewood dried and wet. According to column No. 9, it is noticeable that it is much more profitable to burn good dry wood than fresh wood, even if purchased inexpensively. Wood heating equipment is quite affordable for a wide range of users.
Burning briquettes, pellets and coal can also be considered cheap methods of heating a private house without gas; their cost is approximately the same. One clarification: automatic pellet and coal boilers are more expensive than conventional ones (1.5-2 times).
Electric heating at night rate. Considering the minimal costs for equipment and its installation, it is quite possible to heat with electricity cheaply, but only at night. A suitable option for both a country house and an apartment.
Used engine oils occupy a middle position between cheap and expensive energy sources. But burning them is associated with certain difficulties, which will be discussed below.
Heating with liquefied gas can no longer be considered an advantageous heating method. Especially if you take into account the cost of a gas tank and its installation, cylinders can only be used to heat a dacha.
Diesel fuel, liquefied gas and electricity at a daily rate are the most expensive energy carriers in the Russian Federation; it is not possible to organize economical heating with their help in the near future.

Application is pure electrical equipment for 24-hour heating of the house cannot be called profitable, since the cheap night tariff is valid for 8 hours a day, and the rest of the time you will have to pay the full rate. So heating with electricity alone will not work cheaply.

The cheaper way to heat a house in Ukraine

Due to the increase in the price of firewood in 2019 big picture Considering the cost of heating in Ukraine it looks very interesting. The layout is reflected in a similar calculation table:

Note. Electricity tariffs are indicated based on 2 conditions: the housing is arranged according to all the rules electric heating and energy consumption does not exceed 3000 kW/h per month.

The first place in terms of cheapness of heating in Ukraine is still occupied by dry ones, used at night. But due to the rise in price, their cost is almost equal to the price of natural gas, which has fallen in price by 5...10% (in current conditions exact figure It’s not easy to voice 😊).

Please also take into account this point: the 2019 table shows average fuel prices. Pellets and briquettes of poorer quality can be bought cheaper, and electricity and gas cost the same everywhere. So, energy resources are arranged in the following order (from cheap to expensive):

electricity at night tariff;
main gas;
dried firewood;
pellets, sawdust briquettes;
freshly cut wood;
used oil;
anthracite coal;
electricity at a daily rate (for consumption up to 3600 kW/month);
liquefied gas;
diesel fuel.

It is impossible to predict the size of gas and electricity tariffs in Ukraine due to the unstable economic situation. It is unlikely that energy resources will become significantly cheaper; subsidy payments are decreasing annually.

On the issue of supplying main gas, Ukrainians are in the same position as Russians, whose houses are not connected to gas pipelines due to high cost services. Both have to burn different types of solid fuel or use electricity at night.

Comparative analysis based on other criteria

In addition to the purely economic calculation of the cost of heating, there are other factors that influence the choice of energy source. For example, it is difficult for an elderly pensioner to chop and carry firewood to the boiler room. Some people don’t like the smell of diesel fuel or the dirt from coal, while others don’t have the opportunity to store a supply of pellets or briquettes. That is, choosing fuel for heating only from the point of view of economy is wrong. Additional criteria need to be taken into account:

comfort during use;
possibility of storage;
frequency and cost of service.

Nuances of operation

It is most convenient to use electricity for heating, although it is difficult to classify it as an economical energy source. The electric boiler does not require supervision, the system is fully automated. The unit is easy to control remotely, and the boiler room is quiet, clean and free of unpleasant odors. Important point: electrical heating installation, which greatly simplifies and reduces the cost of installation.

Electric heaters and boilers are the cheapest heating devices, heat generators using other fuels are much more expensive

In addition to the high price, electric heating has another disadvantage. Not every private home has sufficient electrical power or a limit has been set that does not allow the use of energy for heating. And connecting units with a power of over 6 kW requires a 3-phase input with a voltage of 380 V.

It is almost as comfortable to operate boilers that burn natural and liquefied gas. But they require a chimney and good ventilation of the furnace room. Burning diesel and used oil is no longer so comfortable, since an odor inevitably appears and periodic replenishment of the fuel container is required. In this respect, a diesel heat generator is similar to a pellet heat generator, but the latter benefits from the absence of odors and dirt.

The champion in inconvenience is the wood and coal boiler, which requires constant attention and physical exercise. With the most economical method of heating with wood, the smell of combustion and dust mixed with dirt in the boiler room cannot be avoided (especially for coal). An exception is an automatic coal boiler, which operates on the principle of a pellet boiler, but it also requires periodic replenishment of the bunker.

Automatic boilers: pellet (pictured on the right) and coal (on the left)

About fuel storage

The nuances of warehousing and storage are easier to identify in the list:

Electrical and gas system heating of a private house operates from external sources, storage is not needed.
For reliable operation Any solid fuel boilers need a supply of fuel; accordingly, it is necessary to organize its storage. You will have to make a firewood shed under a canopy or a warehouse in a barn.
The supply of diesel fuel and waste also needs to be stored somewhere and, preferably, outside the residential building. It is necessary to purchase and install a container of sufficient volume.
The most difficult thing is to organize storage when autonomous heating liquefied gas as an alternative to natural gas. The cost of an underground gas tank and its installation will quickly make you forget about economical heating of your home.

Not everyone can afford to install a gas tank, and constantly carrying cylinders to refuel is hard work.

There is another, cheaper way to store liquefied gas - in cylinders. But “thanks to” frequent replacement and refilling of cylinders, comfort when operating a propane boiler is equal to exercises with firewood when loading a solid fuel heat generator.

Equipment service

Electric heating systems require virtually no maintenance (check and clean once every 2 years). If it were not for the draconian daily tariff, then with the help of electricity it would be possible to organize a “economical” system smart House" Gas boilers will have to be serviced more often; they require annual preventative cleaning of the heat exchanger and chimney. But here you can save money if you clean the unit yourself, as described.

Due to the low quality of diesel fuel, diesel heat generators will need to be cleaned as they become dirty, which can happen several times a season. The same applies to waste oil boilers, and the cleaning process is very dirty. Faced with problems like this in the middle of winter, you'll think twice about whether you need energy-efficient heating while working.

It is advisable to clean the smoke pipes with the firebox of a boiler using wood and pellets once a week, and the ash pan daily. When working on raw firewood It is important to remove soot and tar from the combustion chamber more often before they become completely stuck.

After conducting a comprehensive analysis, we can draw the following conclusions about choosing economical heating for a private home:

Residents of the Russian Federation, whose houses are connected to gas mains, can continue to sleep peacefully - more economical way They can’t find heating. Unless you properly insulate your home in order to reduce fuel consumption. In the near future, natural gas will remain uncompetitive.
The cheapest heating without mains gas is burning solid fuel. But for the sake of financial gain, you will have to sacrifice the time and effort spent on loading firewood and maintaining equipment. In this case, you should pay attention to solid fuel one of them.
If you have financial capabilities, the best option for economical heating is a pellet boiler. If you have little space for storing pellets, then the issue can be resolved by periodically supplying pellets during the season, although the purchase cost will then increase.
The best results in terms of efficiency are obtained by a combination of 2-3 energy carriers. For Russia, the most popular pair is solid fuel and electrics at a night rate. For Ukraine - electricity at night and natural gas during the day (including subsidies and without exceeding the limit of 3600 kW).
You can only tolerate dirt and odors in the boiler room if you can get used oil inexpensively. Like diesel fuel, working off is not the best option for a residential building, unless you place the equipment in a separate building.
Residents of the Russian Federation with above-average income can afford to heat their homes with liquefied gas for the sake of comfort. In Ukraine, this method is practically not considered as very uneconomical.

A combination of a wall-mounted gas and electric boiler, the second serves as a backup (night) heat source

At the moment, when energy prices tend to European ones, insulation of private houses is becoming increasingly important. This is also a way to get economical heating, because with low heat losses it becomes possible to constantly use an electric boiler with a water heating system or local electric heaters, which is very convenient.

I will divide this article into 2 parts:

How much heat does each type of fuel provide>
How much does it cost us?

Looking ahead, I will say that after main gas, the most profitable option is the nightly electricity tariff.

Every type of fuel has the right to exist. We will rely only on objective data: calorific value and price. Subsequently, you will be able to decide for yourself which type of fuel is most suitable for your conditions.
Your conditions for choosing fuel.

It’s not for nothing that I emphasize the concept of “your conditions,” because they often determine the choice of fuel. Conditions vary: someone’s home is country house for the weekend, for someone - this is the place permanent residence. Some were lucky enough to receive 15 kilowatts of permitted power, while others only 3. Some people like to heat with wood, while others’ grandmothers cannot carry firewood into the house. The combination of these conditions ultimately determines the choice of fuel.

What are the home heating options?

Let's consider only a few types of fuel. We will not consider main gas, since it is beyond any competition, and exotic fuels: hydrogen, coal dust, fuel oil, and so on. Let's consider only what can actually be used in a country house (electricity, liquefied gas, diesel fuel, firewood, coal) and all possible briquettes from waste wood production (firewood, pellets). This will be quite enough to make a future choice.

Incorrect information from sellers.

They say gas is 2.5 times cheaper than diesel. These statements can be found on the websites. Saying that a liter of gas costs 18 rubles, and a liter of diesel fuel 33 rubles, they forget to note that a liter of gas contains 530 grams, and a liter of diesel fuel 860 grams. If the cost of both fuels is reduced to a kilogram, then in the end it will turn out that liquefied gas is cheaper than diesel fuel, but not by several times, as advertising gives us information, but only in fractions of a percent.

Before we begin a comparative analysis of various types of fuel, I will clarify one circumstance. Many sellers, intentionally or unknowingly, give us incorrect information when comparing the volume and weight of different types of fuel. This cannot be done. Volume and mass are not the same thing. But the information is presented this way, and very often sellers get confused.

One strong connection has stuck in our heads, thanks to the most abundant substance on earth - water, that a kilogram of water occupies the volume of one liter. This correspondence does not exist for any fuel. In addition, volume and mass cannot be compared under any circumstances. Unscrupulous sellers do this.

Another example of an incorrect comparison

Euro firewood is compared to 5 cubic meters or 5 tons of ordinary firewood, but this is not true. If you calculate how much heat 5 tons or 5 cubic meters will provide, it will still be more than ordinary firewood and eurowood. We will see that there is no equality here. Ordinary firewood in this volume will provide more heat and will cost less.

the cheaper it is to heat a house with wood, diesel or electricity

How can one calculate correctly? economic feasibility use of one type of fuel or another? It’s very simple - you need to get rid of the confusion of cubes/tons, liters/kilograms. Reducing everything to a kilogram is the most correct way, because everything calorific value is calculated in kilograms and it is necessary to summarize it in one table.

Comparative analysis of different types of fuel.
Below is a table highlighting the cost of fuel, the cost of one kilowatt-hour for each type of fuel for ideal conditions and for the efficiency of each thermal unit.

The left column of the table shows the types of fuel considered. Electricity comes in three forms because it is the only energy carrier that has a variable cost.

In the third column is the price per kilogram of each type of fuel.
In the fourth column is the calorific value of this kilogram.
The fifth column gives us an idea of the cost of one kilowatt-hour for each energy carrier.
The sixth shows how much heat is needed for a conventional house of 100 m2 per heating season, in 205 days.
The last column indicates how much money we will have to pay for heating this 100 m2 house.

The given data does not take into account one figurative factor - the efficiency of the thermal unit, so let's look at another table.

Final calculation of different types of fuel.

The final calculation is shown in a separate table for clarity.

The second column contains the necessary costs without taking into account the efficiency from the first table.
In the third column is the boiler efficiency.
In the fourth column, costs taking into account efficiency for each thermal unit.
The fifth column shows the cost of fuel from cheapest to most expensive. Here you can see that the cheapest fuel is still firewood.

Electricity, under certain conditions of its use, turns out to be cheaper than liquefied gas and solyanka. This is worth paying attention to.
We've sorted out the economic indicators. It turns out that liquefied gas is not much cheaper than diesel fuel, and European firewood has lost some of its advertising appeal, and electricity is not as hopelessly expensive as many people think. That's not all. My discussion would not be complete if I considered fuel only from an economic point of view.

Ease of use.

There is one more aspect to the use of each type of fuel, which has a very indirect relationship to the economy and the price of fuel - this is the convenience of using this or that type of energy carrier. The convenience of using a particular type of fuel is almost always determined by the conditions of the facility.

So, we sorted out the confusion of prices for different types of fuel and were able to rank these fuels by price. Now I think you can clearly see which fuel is the most expensive and which is the cheapest.

The question of how to heat a house cheaper if there is no gas is faced not only by residents of regions where there is no possibility of connecting to a gas main, but also by almost every fifth new owner of a private house. As a rule, they rush to move into a house as quickly as possible, and then they drag out the process of connecting all life support systems for several years.

What types of heat sources are there?

There are not so many heat sources that solve the problem of how to heat a house in winter without gas:

Solid fuel. This group includes coal, firewood, pellets, pressed briquettes (peat, sunflower, wood, coal dust).
Liquid fuel. This is diesel fuel and used machine oil.
Electric Energy.
Solar heat energy converted through collectors (solar electric generators);
Liquefied gas (cylindered or from a gas tank).

For reference. Large-volume gas tanks successfully solve the problem of accumulating liquefied gas and can provide heating for a small cottage community.

By what indicators should you choose fuel?

When deciding how to heat a house if there is no gas, it is recommended to rely on the following characteristics:

price per kilowatt-hour of thermal energy of a given heat source (especially important for heating large areas);
the cost of the necessary equipment and installation costs;
ease of maintenance of the heating system (ideally, the heating boiler should not require constant attention).

If you analyze all these three parameters in detail, you can choose the optimal heat source option.

Comparison of thermal energy costs

If we compare the cost of a kilowatt-hour of thermal energy, then the scale of efficiency of heat sources (ascending) will look like this:

In the first place you can put solar collectors. (Energy is free if only solar radiation is taken into account). However, solar collectors are not used as a self-sufficient source of heat due to inconsistent thermal power. It depends on the length of daylight and weather conditions.
In second place are ordinary firewood. They are still the leader in cheapness among all other types of solid fuel.
When deciding which boiler to choose, if there is no gas, they often choose solid fuel equipment into which coal and pellets can be loaded.
The use of gas tanks ranks fourth in terms of cost per kilowatt-hour of thermal energy.
Liquid fuel boilers- next on the list. However, it must be taken into account that used motor oil is much more economical than diesel fuel. Sometimes motor oil is cheaper than natural gas (for example, on farms with a large fleet of vehicles).
Electric heat source is the most expensive. Even if we are talking about the most economical equipment. For example, an induction boiler, which is one of the most reliable, but in terms of efficiency is no different from heating elements.

Thus, if we compare the cost of a kilowatt-hour of thermal energy, then solar collectors are the most profitable. Electricity is the most expensive.

An important expense item: the cost of equipment and its installation

Despite the fact that, on a price scale per kilowatt-hour of thermal energy, solar collectors are leaders in terms of efficiency, in terms of the price of equipment and installation work they are the most expensive. Even the simplest Chinese models will not save you in terms of cost.

The price scale for equipment and installation looks like this:

installation of solar collectors is several times more expensive;
easy-to-maintain pellet boilers are the second most expensive;
then there are liquid fuel boilers (using diesel fuel and “working off”);
in fourth place are conventional gas boilers;
installation of solid fuel boilers (wood and coal) will be more economical than gas boilers;
electrical appliances are the cheapest.

As for the heat source from the gas tank, equipment costs increase almost ten times compared to installation conventional system, from the gas main.

We can conclude that based on these two indicators - the cost of one kilowatt-hour of thermal energy and equipment installation - firewood and coal win.

If used oil were an accessible type of fuel, then it would be the best option when deciding how to heat a country house.

Installation and maintenance of solar collectors, until the production of cheap equipment has been established, is very expensive for consumers.

Ease of maintenance

Today we have to save not only on energy resources, but also calculate how much time and labor costs will be spent on servicing this or that type of heat source in the house.

In this regard, as well as in terms of installation, electric boilers are the leaders in terms of unpretentiousness. It is enough to install a good electronic thermostat, and you can forget about how and with what the house is heated. Modern thermostats allow you to program daily and weekly temperature cycles in rooms.

For reference. With the help of electronic programmable thermostats, which allow you to reduce the temperature in the house while the owners are away, you can reduce energy costs by up to 40 percent.

Autonomous operation of the heating system throughout the heating season is ensured by a gas boiler powered by a gas holder.

Compared to gas and solid fuel heat sources, electric boilers have one thing: important advantage: no need to install a chimney.

Boilers operating on liquid fuel do not require attention until the fuel in the tank runs out. However, they are quite noisy, and many are not satisfied with the pungent smell of diesel fuel from diesel boiler rooms.

When it comes to heating a country house, many people choose a solid fuel boiler that runs on pellets. Automatic fuel loading allows you to avoid servicing the equipment for up to seven days.

As a result, you have to choose between an inexpensive solid fuel coal boiler, which needs to be heated every 7 hours even more often, or a very expensive pellet one. Or put up with high electricity bills.

What is the way out of the situation?

To find optimal solution and decide how to heat the house if there is no gas, you can go in two ways:

increase the period between loading coal by installing an inexpensive solid fuel boiler;
reduce energy costs when using electrical appliances as a heat source.

Both ways are quite possible. Familiarity with the operating principle of the equipment that solves these problems will help you deal with these problems.

Gas generator boiler

The principle of the gas generator (pyrolysis boiler) is as follows:

firewood or coal smolders in the firebox with limited air supply;
During the smoldering process of the fuel, gas is formed, which enters the next chamber and burns out completely there.

Boiler power adjustment is achieved in two ways:

by reducing or increasing the air supply to the firebox using a damper and a thermostatic draft regulator;
changing the speed of the fan pumping air into the firebox.

The fan is controlled by an automatic controller.

The efficiency of the gas generator is very high due to the afterburning of incomplete combustion products. The cycle of continuous operation until the next portion of firewood or coal reaches half a day with limited air access.

Operating principle of a top combustion boiler

An improved model of a pyrolysis unit - boiler top combustion. Here the smoldering process occurs in the upper part of the firebox. Such units are vertical cylinders with a telescopic air duct installed inside. It goes down as the wood (coal) burns, while providing an air flow for further smoldering of the fuel.

Some models of such boilers operate on one fill for up to 30 hours.

For reference. Great importance has fuel quality. For example, hardwood burns longer and produces more heat, while softwood burns quickly.

How can a heat accumulator help?

Engineering thought has gone even further along the path of increasing the period of loading solid fuel into the boiler. Thermal accumulators, which are simple tanks for water with outlets for water circuits allow you to heat the house without spending a lot of time on kindling. In addition, energy resources are also significantly saved.

Simple calculation: when the coolant (water) is heated to 40 degrees, a tank that holds 3 cubic meters. capable of accumulating 175 kW of heat. This is enough to heat 80 square meters. m of housing area.

The heat accumulator contains two circuits with forced circulation: one connects the boiler heat exchanger with the battery, the second connects the heating system (radiators and convectors).

For reference. It is beneficial to install a heat accumulator not only for a solid fuel boiler, but also for a unit that runs on electricity, subject to a two-tariff meter. At night, when the tariff is minimal, the boiler will heat the system, and during the day it will turn off and release the heat accumulated by the heat accumulator.

How to save money with heated floors?

Installing heated floors is another step towards solving the problem of heating a house if there is no gas.

In this case, the entire floor surface turns into a heat source.

There are several types of heated floors:

built in cement screed water circuit with coolant;
laid under ceramic tiles resistive heating cable;
film or rod infrared floors.

If you install heated floors, you can reduce heating costs by up to 35-40 percent compared to convection appliances. The advantage of heated floors is that they heat the air to a comfortable temperature at the level of human height, and under the ceiling, where it is not actually felt, the air remains colder.

With the convection heating principle, in order to achieve a comfortable 22 degrees at the level of human height, it is necessary to warm the air space under the ceiling to 28-30 degrees. At the same time, there is intense heat loss through walls and windows.

Warm floors are very convenient to use as local heating limited area, for example, in the area of the desk where a child is studying. For example, infrared film floors consume from 50 to 70 watts of electricity per 1 square meter. meter. Purely subjectively, they give a feeling of warmth already at 15 degrees. That is, it is enough to install a heated floor in a certain area, under the laminate, to save on the main heat source.

How do infrared heaters work?

Infrared heating devices are gaining more and more popularity among owners of houses and apartments who strive to ensure a comfortable temperature in their home.

Infrared heaters are installed under the ceiling, on walls and placed under finished floors. In all cases, they emit a pleasant warmth that is comfortable for the human body.

Under influence infrared heat a person becomes comfortable within a few minutes after turning on the heating device. This happens because its rays heat not the air, but human skin, clothes, and objects. When using this type of heating, the overall temperature in the room can be significantly reduced and still feel comfortable.

You can do a little calculation. For example, it’s 10 degrees below zero outside. If it is enough to maintain only 15 degrees in the room at this time, and not 25, as usual, then the savings will be 1.4 times. How did this figure turn out? (25 - (-10): (15- (-10) =1.4

Heat pump capabilities

Another source of heat in the house - heat pumps. The principle of their operation is identical to that of refrigerators. Interesting point: a heat pump is designed in such a way that it is able to take heat from a cold medium (it can be earth, water or air)

The cycle and operating principle of a heat pump is as follows:

the compressor compresses the refrigerant (freon) and turns it from a gaseous state into a liquid;
when this happens, then, according to physical laws, the freon heats up;
heated freon passes through the heat exchanger and releases heat;
then it leaks through the expansion valve, expands again, and, accordingly, cools down.
the next stage is another heat exchanger, where the already cooled refrigerant takes heat from the environment, which has more high temperature;
the heated freon returns back to the compressor, and everything repeats again.

When installing a heat pump, electricity is consumed only by the compressor. 1 kilowatt of electricity allows you to get from 3 to 6 kilowatts of thermal power.

The advantages of heat pumps are almost the same as those of electric heating devices:

don't require constant maintenance;
it is possible to program daily and weekly cycles, thereby saving energy resources;
The device is environmentally friendly (does not emit harmful substances into the atmosphere) and safe for humans.

In parallel with heat pumps, it is beneficial to use low-temperature heaters. These can be heated floors or convectors.

There is one point: heat pumps that operate according to the “air-to-air” and “air-to-water” schemes are used only in the southern regions. The fact is that the temperature of the external heat exchanger cannot be lower than the freon phase transition temperature, which is minus 25 degrees.

Weakness For geothermal and water pumps, it is difficult to install external heat exchangers. Vertical soil collectors are immersed in wells to a depth of several tens of meters. At horizontal laying pits or trenches are required. Their total area almost three times the area of the heated house.

Are split systems expensive?

Another type of heating that is used when it is not possible to heat the house with gas is split systems.

How expensive is this method for the consumer? A small calculation: to heat a cottage with an area of 154 square meters. m. you will need at least four inverter air conditioners: three devices - 9000 BTU and one - 12000 BTU. If we take into account that the house also uses a washing machine, an electric stove, lights are turned on, computers and other equipment are running, electricity consumption in the winter will be approximately 2000 kW/h.

What conclusions can be drawn?

Even if you cannot connect to the main gas pipeline, you can always find alternative heat sources. You should take a responsible approach to their selection in order to heat the room not only economically, but also with the least labor costs. In this case, you need to consider any options, from heat pumps to pyrolysis pellet boilers. Take into account:

lifestyle of the residents of the house (is it possible to save money during the day while everyone is at work);
the possibility of supplying cheap fuel (for example, used motor oil).

Increasingly, developers of cottage villages are offering heating systems using gas tanks - containers into which a large volume of gas is pumped. This system allows you to heat your home uninterruptedly and efficiently all winter.

If the family is large and family members have different needs (some like coolness or, conversely, heat), it is worth considering additional local heat sources. One option is infrared heated floors.

And, of course, you should take care of the energy efficiency of your home and eliminate irrational heat consumption.