Heating a house with electricity: the most economical way, a few tips. What heating is the most economical or what is more profitable to heat a private house? The most economical way to heat a country house

What is economical heating? The one that was cheap in the purchase of equipment and installation? Or, where is the low cost of each received kilocalorie of heat? As a rule, they mean the latter. However, in addition to fuel costs, there is also the cost of equipment maintenance and it is often preferred to be hushed up. Is it possible to call an economical heating system, in which the unit cost of a unit of thermal energy is unprecedentedly low, but investments in equipment are so high that their payback period exceeds the service life?

Which house has the most economical heating

Answer: in the house that is insulated in the best way. No matter how much effort and money we invest in engineering communications, if the building is not well insulated, we will still incur unreasonably high heating costs. First of all, you should pay attention to the thermal insulation of the enclosing structures: external walls, roof, ground floor, windows and doors.

The ratio of heat loss through various enclosing structures of an average individual residential building

In addition to the minimum requirements for thermal insulation, the current Russian standards also contain recommended parameters. The minimum permissible characteristics of the enclosing structures are determined by calculation and depend on the climatic conditions of the area. Example: for the climate of the Moscow region, the thickness of the outer wall made of gas silicate blocks with a density of 500 kg / m2 and 40 cm is sufficient, but in order to achieve the recommended indicators, additional external thermal insulation with mineral wool with a thickness of at least 8 cm is required.

When insulating a house, special attention is paid to "cold bridges": concrete lintels, ends of floor slabs, reinforced belts, window slopes, etc.

How much is comfort and personal time

Oddly enough, heating efficiency is partly a relative concept. For example, the owner of a private house lives in a non-gasified, but wooded area and has the ability to very cheaply harvest firewood in the quantities he needs. Fuel costs, even with a primitive heating system with an ancient, monstrously voracious CCM and registers instead of batteries, will be extremely low. However, the owner will have to work hard to prepare firewood, do not forget to periodically load them into the furnace, clean the boiler, take out the ash, put up with uneven heating, the impossibility of accurate adjustment. The homeowner can invest in heating modernization, purchase an automatic pellet boiler, and make modern wiring. The consumption of wood fuel in kilograms (tons) will decrease three times, but the cost of each kilocalorie will rise dramatically. In this case, which heating is the most economical - wood or pellet heating? In terms of unit price, kcal is undoubtedly the first. In terms of quantitative fuel consumption - the second. And how to estimate the free time that the owner of the house will have after switching to pellets? In addition, a more advanced system will create high thermal comfort in rooms, and this is also worth something.

The cheaper it is to heat the house

If we discard the possibility of harvesting firewood for free and focus on the average prices of Central Russia, natural gas has been the cheapest fuel for many years. It also allows you to fully automate heating, modern gas boilers require only preventive maintenance once a year. Only electric heating can boast of the same properties, but it costs many times more. Even for Western Europe, where the price of gas relative to other types of fuel is much higher than in the Russian Federation, the most economical heating of a house is gas.

The table reflects the comparative cost of heat energy for prices in the Moscow region. And if the ratio of costs for gas, diesel fuel and electricity in other regions is similar, then the prices for pellets, firewood and coal can vary greatly depending on local conditions.

There is no alternative to natural gas heating for gasified areas. If there is no gas pipeline nearby, you need to calculate what is more profitable in the end. Laying a highway is not a cheap pleasure. The initial investment in equipment also matters.

The ratio of costs for the purchase and installation of heating equipment.

As you can see, the initial costs for electric heating, especially direct heating, are the lowest. The level of comfort and safety is maximum, it is easier to solve problems with electricity supply than with gas, there is no need for a chimney. The main thing is that there is enough electrical power. It is precisely because of the low start-up costs and ease of installation that buildings built on the principle of a "passive house" (there are such buildings in our area) are increasingly being heated with electricity. Based on the combination of initial and operating costs, it turns out that in this case the most economical is electric heating. We repeat that this applies only to modern, well-insulated buildings with low specific heat losses in the absence of a gas pipeline.

Heat from alternative sources

The claim that the most economical heating comes from alternative sources is not true. Pumps handling fluids in geothermal and solar systems consume electricity. And it costs money and a lot. Today, heating with gas at our prices is still more profitable than installing a heat pump. And there is no need to talk about any serious use of solar collectors in the domestic climate. Today, a more justified solution is the creation of a combined heating system: a heat pump designed for 70% of the required power, and an additional solid fuel (pellet, electric) boiler or fireplace, which picks up the missing 30% during severe frosts. Solar collectors are generally only used to heat hot tap water. Recall that the cost of "alternative" equipment is still so high that in the conditions of the Russian Federation it often does not even pay off during its service life, if we compare its performance with wood heating.

By taking advantage of the temperature difference between the two media, the heat pump draws energy from the environment. However, for the constant circulation of the refrigerant and the extraction of energy from it, rather powerful pumps operate, which consume electricity.

The most economical heating scheme

In water heating systems, in addition to the type of heat generator (boiler), efficiency also determines the type of heating devices, the heating scheme, the nature of the wiring, the presence of automation:

  • Heated floors are the most economical among heating devices.

Underfloor heating is more economical than radiators due to a more even distribution of temperature in the room

  • The most economical and comfortable water heating scheme is collector (radial). It is not cheap, but as comfortable as possible. It is followed by a two-pipe one, it can be considered the golden mean. At a reasonable cost, it is quite effective. A simple one-pipe circuit does not allow adequate regulation of the heat transfer of the devices.

Collector wiring allows you to best balance the hydraulic resistance of the circuits, adjust heat fluxes

  • Automatic control of heat flows at all levels (boiler, distributors, devices) also significantly reduces fuel consumption.

Due to the low fuel prices so far, we are used to wasting thermal energy. And in rich, but very economical Germany, today it is hardly possible to find a radiator without a thermostat

  • The most economical heating of a private house is one that is correctly calculated and competently, professionally designed, installed and configured.

The more complex the equipment, the more you can save by setting it up correctly. This is not an easy matter, it requires special knowledge.

Economical heating with electricity - myth or reality

The Internet is full of commercials and articles about "the most innovative and economical electric heating boiler" and "super electric batteries for economical heating" and similar miracles. All this is nothing more than cunning cheeky marketers that have nothing to do with reality. In fact, the efficiency of all electric heating devices, regardless of their type, approaches 100%. The cherished savings are simply nowhere to be found. There are only two real ways to reduce the cost of heating with electricity:

  • Install a two-rate meter and heat mainly at night. From 23.00 to 7.00 on weekdays and all weekends, depending on the region, electricity costs 1.4-2.1 times cheaper. Having invested in a sufficient volume of heat accumulator, you can store up with cheap night energy for the day.
  • Use underfloor heating to the maximum: water, with heating from the boiler, and direct heating - cable, film. The savings are relatively small, 4-6%, but in the end, a round sum will come up.

The most economical heating boiler

  • Gas. Modern condensing boilers with modulating burners consume the least fuel. Savings in comparison with standard counterparts without condensation - 11%, which is a lot. However, it should be borne in mind that the advantages of such boilers can be fully realized only in a low-temperature heating system, this will correspond to the optimal operating mode of the boiler. Initially, underfloor heating is low-temperature, but the number of sections in radiators will have to be almost doubled. It can be safely argued that the most economical heating of a private house is gas, low-temperature, based on a condensing boiler, built according to the beam scheme.

Condensing boilers recover the potential energy of waste gases, in particular water vapor

  • Solid fuel. Pellet and wood-fired pyrolysis boilers consume the least amount of wood fuel.
  • Electricity. As already mentioned, "the most economical electric boiler for heating" is a myth, the efficiency is the same for everyone.
  • Liquid fuel. The most economical liquid fuel boiler uses waste engine oil. The only question is where to find a permanent source of this almost free type of fuel.

Multipurpose oil burners are capable of operating on diesel fuel, biofuels, fuel oil (heating oil) and on working off

In conclusion, we would like to emphasize that the creation of efficient and comfortable heating requires a professional approach. You can try to do everything with your own hands, but for this you will have to, at least, learn the basics of heat engineering and hydraulics. If you have the opportunity to devote some of your personal time to these sciences, the selection of equipment and installation works no, we advise you to entrust the design and installation of engineering communications to experienced professionals.

Video: economical home heating

At the present time, many owners of suburban private houses or summer cottages increasingly have to look for an alternative to gas as the main type of fuel to heat their homes. The reasons are different: for someone, natural gas becomes too expensive a pleasure, someone has the opportunity to use other energy resources, and for someone the main gas is simply unavailable due to its complete absence nearby. Then the question arises - what kind of economical heating of a house without gas generally exists and what kind of fuel is better to use then?

Alternative energy sources

There is no unequivocal answer to this question, since each individual case has its own nuances. For example, a lot of old large trees grow on your plot of land, which just ask to be put into the firebox of a wood-fired boiler.

Option two: in return for certain services, the customer is ready to supply you with diesel fuel or coal for a long time. It is clear that in such situations you will tend to these types of energy carriers and not pay attention to others. In the long term, this will be a mistake, since such sources will sooner or later run out and you will have to look for other ways to heat a country house or buy the same fuel, but at the generally accepted cost.

We will try to develop some kind of universal method for determining the optimal energy carrier for heating a home, which is suitable for each individual case. First, we will make a reservation that the methodology will help to determine the cheapest heating without gas, we do not take it into account.

Just as we do not take into account various high-tech and exotic types of heating, inaccessible to ordinary citizens. This includes heat pumps, solar panels, wind turbines and different kinds machine and vegetable oils... Then how to heat the house if there is no gas and the above sources? We have at our disposal:

  • ordinary firewood;
  • eurowood;
  • pellets;
  • coal;
  • diesel fuel;
  • liquefied gas in cylinders;
  • electricity.

For each of these energy carriers, a calculation of the costs for the entire cold period should be made, then it will be clear what the cheaper it is to heat the house.

Important! Before starting the calculations, it is imperative to bring the units of measurement of the amount of fuel into conformity, that is, to avoid confusion between volume (m3) and mass (kg). It is recommended that all types of energy carriers, except electricity, be reduced to units of mass - kilograms.

Calculating heating costs

To find out what is the most economical heating of a country house, it is recommended for clarity to draw up a simple plate of this form:

In this table, the second column is filled in based on the cost of each type of fuel in your region, or your individual price is entered into it. The third column has already been filled in for the convenience of calculations. The cost of 1 kW of thermal energy can be easily determined by dividing the price of 1 kg of fuel (column 2) by its specific calorific value (column 3).

The fifth column is filled on the assumption that the average heat consumption in a private house with an area of ​​100 m2 per season is 5 kW / h, and the duration of the heating season is 180 days (5 x 24 x 180 = 21,600 kW / h).

It is clear that house designs are all different and the area will be different, just as the length of the season in your region may differ, so you will need to make the appropriate adjustments. By multiplying the data in columns 4 and 5, we determine the estimated costs for the season.

However, these values ​​do not take into account the efficiency of the equipment, the values ​​of which are given below. Dividing the estimated costs by the efficiency, in the last column we get a direct answer to the question - the cheaper it is to heat a house except for gas.

For homeowners who already have gas boilers installed, another row can be added below for comparison, populating it with natural gas data based on actual fuel consumption and price.

It would seem that now everything has fallen into place and you can safely make a choice in favor of one or another energy carrier for economical heating. But this approach is one-sided, because there is also such a thing as convenience and complexity in the maintenance and operation of the heating system of a private house.

Choosing an energy carrier taking into account ease of use

The comfort of operation of boiler equipment that supplies heat to water heating is an important factor, since any unnecessary troubles and inconveniences are your time and money. That is, the total cost increases indirectly according to how much effort is put into keeping the system running. In some cases, economical heating systems after the first season no longer seem so economical and sometimes you want to pay extra money, just not to get involved with such problems.

In contrast to financial indicators, ease of use - the value for each type of fuel is unchanged, so it can be found out immediately, which will help to make the right choice. Convenience will be assessed by the following criteria:

  • the complexity of the repair or maintenance of the boiler plant;
  • necessity and convenience of storage;
  • comfort in daily use (need for fuel loading, and so on).

To find out which of the energy carriers will provide comfortable and economical heating of a private house, we will draw up a second table, where for each of the criteria we will put down all types of fuel according to a five-point system, after which we will summarize.

Service

Electric boilers do not require any maintenance, except for sometimes opening the lid and dusting off or cleaning the contacts, for which they receive the highest praise. Some actions are required if you heat a country house with liquefied gas. It is recommended to check and, if necessary, clean the igniter and burner once every 2 years, because propane is a solid four. Pellet boilers receive 3 points for the fact that they require cleaning the combustion chamber several times a year and once the chimney.

Accordingly, wood and coal units need to be cleaned frequently as they become dirty. The worst situation in this respect is the situation with diesel fuel, since its quality often leaves much to be desired, due to which the frequency of service is unpredictable.

Warehousing

It is clear that electricity does not require storage space, while LPG and diesel fuel may require some storage space. But when economical heating of a private house with wood is organized, then a lot of storage space will be required. The same applies to pellets, as they require a dry room or special silo. As for coal, there is a lot of waste, dust and dirt from it, therefore - the lowest rating.

Ease of use

And here economical electric heating turned out to be at its best, since it does not require any intervention during operation. Pellets and liquefied gas must be replenished periodically, 1-2 times a week, or even less often. A little more attention should be paid to diesel fuel, more for supervising work than for adding fuel.

Well, most of all the trouble is traditionally delivered by autonomous heating in a private house on coal and wood, here the load into the combustion chamber is needed from 1 to 3 times a day.

In the last column, by summing up the results, according to which the most comfortable and convenient is heating a country house in winter with electricity. If given result considered in conjunction with financial costs, electricity may not be the worst option.

Conclusion

An integrated approach to the issue shows that the most economical heating systems for summer cottages and country houses can be the most troublesome in the process of operation. Therefore, you should not rush and carefully weigh and calculate everything, or even better - install an electric boiler in combination with any other.

Constant growth in value utilities makes you think about revising your views on methods of maintaining heat in winter, both in the country and in country house... The solution to this issue must be approached comprehensively. You need to understand that economical heating is not cheap appliances and available resources. You can get a quality product only on condition of large investments. When choosing an economical electric boiler, gas, solid fuel or combined equipment, it is necessary to take into account their features, advantages and disadvantages.

Reduced heat loss

It is impossible to choose a cheap heating method without investing in insulation and construction work.

It will not work economically to heat a house with high quality using electricity if the building does not have additional protection from the cold. 35% of heat loss occurs through the roof, 25% through the wall and up to 15% through the floor. These are big numbers that cannot be ignored. There are a large number of insulation materials and methods of their application.

You can use one of the following technologies for decorating the house and apartment from the outside:

  • Wet facade. Insulation plates are glued to the wall, which are then nailed, reinforced, puttyed and painted. Foam, expanded polystyrene or mineral wool is used.
  • Ventilated facade. There is no direct contact with the supporting structures here. At a distance of 3-5 cm from them, a vertical structure is erected, consisting of a frame and basalt wool laid in it. On both sides, the insulation is covered with a membrane film, and from the outside it is sheathed with a hard finishing material.
  • Polyurethane foam fur coat. The liquid is sprayed into a volumetric frame, after it has solidified, it is upholstered with decorative plates or panels. Today, PPU is considered the best insulation in all performance characteristics.
  • Backfill. Small and medium-sized expanded clay is used to create an insulating layer when arranging floors and ceilings. The material is inexpensive, but requires periodic replacement due to shrinkage and moisture absorption.
  • Even the most economical heating and insulation will not bring the desired effect if you ignore the openings in the walls. It is necessary to install modern iron doors with internal filling and energy-saving double-glazed windows. They have a metal coating that traps heat inside the room and does not allow cold to penetrate it from the outside.

    Choosing the cheapest fuel

    In order to correctly choose the most economical heating in a private house, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the heating devices available on the market and the characteristics of the energy sources used. In this case, it is necessary to take into account such factors as the geographical location of the building, its configuration and the prospect of an increase in fuel prices.

    Electric boilers

    Combined boilers are installed in rural areas, where it is possible to buy cheap firewood

    The price of electricity is constantly growing, there are no downward trends in it.

    Nevertheless, economical electric boilers have the following advantages:

    • compactness;
    • security;
    • reliability;
    • durability;
    • autonomy;
    • the ability to customize work parameters;
    • high performance;
    • ease of installation;
    • no need to obtain permission to install.

    Electric heating of a house is an economical way only if the house is located in a rural area where reduced tariffs are applied, or if its owner has benefits and subsidies.

    Gas connection

    If there is a gas pipeline in the area, it is advantageous to put a gas-firewood boiler

    Gas remains the most inexpensive source of energy, but also tends to rise steadily. It is recommended to connect to it if the gas pipe passes near the country house.

    Such a decision is supported by the following factors:

    • a wide range of equipment;
    • high performance;
    • noiselessness;
    • safety provided by automation;
    • availability of offline mode.

    The disadvantages should also be taken into account. To install the boiler, it is necessary to obtain a permit; only specialists can carry out the installation. In addition, large initial investments are required.

    Liquid fuel boiler equipment

    Waste oil is a cheap fuel for oil boilers

    This type of equipment is rarely installed in the private sector. More often it can be seen at industrial facilities.

    For heating the house, diesel fuel, fuel oil and oil processing are used if there is no alternative.

    The devices have the following advantages:

    • good heat dissipation;
    • ease of installation;
    • versatility in raw materials for application.

    There are difficulties in the operation of liquid fuel furnaces. They consist of the need for constant refueling and ensuring the safe storage of the fuel supply.

    Wood or charcoal oven

    Coal-fired boilers are cheaper in regions where this type of fuel is mined

    The rise in prices for electricity and gas has forced many property owners to turn their attention to traditional energy sources - firewood and coal. However, the rise in prices for raw materials, its production and transportation did not bypass these resources.

    Equipment advantages:

    • affordable cost;
    • reliability;
    • ease of use;
    • the possibility of self-production of fuel;
    • good heat dissipation.

    To be able to heat a building with high quality throughout the entire cold period, you need to create a fairly large supply. It is also necessary to constantly throw coal and firewood into the boiler, including at night. And this is not the best pastime for the building owners.

    Wood pellet boiler

    Pyrolysis boiler long burning with an efficiency of 92%

    The best solution to save on heating is to install a long burning stove. It is a device where air enters the combustion chamber from above. As a result, the fuel smolders in the firebox, and does not burn.

    System advantages:

    • long burning, which in best models lasts up to 2 days;
    • high efficiency, reaching 92%;
    • fast payback;
    • compactness;
    • multifunctionality;
    • profitability.

    Hydrolysis boilers working on pallets and briquettes have practically no disadvantages. It is difficult to make them with your own hands and a careful selection of the installation site is required, since the case is very hot.

    The most economical way to heat a house is a universal stove that runs on all types of fuel, including waste, which can be collected in unlimited quantities at any landfill. The furnace is made of a steel pipe with walls at least 6 mm thick. The furnace is equipped with cast iron grates that can withstand the temperature of coal combustion. The boiler is capable of burning plastic, firewood, cloth and even liquid fuel, which impregnates rags or foam rubber.

    Improving the efficiency of the heating system

    Using the program, you can adjust the temperature in each room

    Using cheap fuel, insulating the building and installing an economical boiler are the first steps towards increasing the efficiency of heating a building and reducing costs for its maintenance.

    You can use the following options for additional improvement of the home heating system:

    • Planning the layout of the premises. Living rooms should be designed in the middle and on the sunny side, and auxiliary ones near the walls. As a result, heat will be concentrated in the right places.
    • Installing the programmer. This device measures, lowers and raises the temperature in accordance with the set parameters. While the owners are absent, the building cools down and heats up by their arrival.
    • Piping and installation of a warm floor system. The beam scheme is more expensive to install, but it works more efficiently. The spiral design is cheaper, but it also heats worse. Underfloor heating allows, at low cost, to evenly distribute heat over the entire area of ​​the room. Depending on the choice of the main heating system, water or electric floors are installed. The latter are subdivided into cable, matte and film.
    • Combined use of different types of heaters. Heating with electricity is an economical way for small rooms, provided that convector-type heaters are used, which are used as auxiliary heaters in severe frost. The main source is an economical pyrolysis oven or gas boiler.
    • Use of heat accumulators. They are a storage tank installed in the attic or in one of the auxiliary rooms. The heating medium is heated from the chimney or directly from the boiler. Gradually accumulating heat, the battery transfers it to the radiators. Energy storage keeps the temperature in the batteries at a uniform level. At the same time, fuel consumption is reduced by 20-25%. If the building is heated by an electric boiler, it makes sense to install a two-peak meter and heat the heat accumulator to the limit at night, when the current costs 2 times less.

    When considering options for electric heating, it is worth thinking about how you can get energy for free or much cheaper than from utility suppliers.

    Renewable heat sources

    A DIY windmill can provide energy to a small house

    Renewable energy sources that cost nothing by themselves have long been used on an industrial scale. This trend is especially widespread in developed countries.

    For heating a private house, you can use the following options:

    • Windmill. With the correct design, the blades rotate even in light winds. The rotation is transmitted to the motor, which generates electricity. The stabilizer brings it to the required parameters and feeds it to the house network. Excess energy accumulates in high-capacity batteries. The disadvantage of such a solution is the high cost and complete dependence on the weather.
    • Solar panels. There are ready-made panels on sale. They only need to be installed, connected and configured. The luminary will do the rest. The batteries run silently and generate up to 10 kWh. The downside is that it is advisable to use such devices only in areas where clear weather prevails.
    • Water turbines. They can be used if there is a river or a deep stream with a strong current near the house. This technology is complex, expensive, and not yet perfected. Its advantages are that the equipment does not depend on the weather, time of day and external supplies.

Heating is the largest energy consumption in most homes. It accounts for from 35 to 50% annual electricity bills.

Most effective method reduce the size of these bills - reduce the use of energy for heating.

The heating system replaces the heat that is lost through the walls, windows, floor and ceiling of your home.

Methods for economical heating of a private house

The amount of energy required to replace the lost heat, depends on four factors:

  1. the location of the house (in colder regions, the consumption is higher);
  2. the size of the building;
  3. energy efficiency at home;
  4. energy efficiency of the heating system.

The first factor is the main but he is not dependent on you. The colder the weather outside, the more energy it takes to maintain a comfortable temperature inside.

Important and the size of the house. A spacious room contains a significant amount of air that needs to be heated. Therefore, a large house requires high heating costs.

A great opportunity to save energy and money is to improve the energy efficiency of your home and its heating system. There are several ways to do this:

  • choose the optimal type of heating system;
  • improve the insulation of the facade;
  • repair the heat distribution system (ducts and pipes);
  • eliminate heat leaks through doors, windows and various crevices.

How to insulate the facade

Insulation of the facade in the form of its insulation is the main protection of the house from heat loss through the building body. Therefore, it is very important to insulate the largest part of the house in terms of area - the walls of the facade. Insulating materials reduce heat loss by providing a barrier between the inside of the house and significantly different outside temperatures.

Homes use different types isolation. The most common ones- polyurethane foam, expanded polystyrene and fiberglass.

Polyurethane foam

Foam insulation is spray or injection foam.

  • Spray foam in a liquid state, it is distributed in the open spaces of the new construction of the house. After that, the foam expands, fills the cavity and hardens.
  • Injection foam pumped into existing cracks, crevices or other voids in walls. This makes this polyurethane foam indispensable for repairing insulation in existing homes.

Expanded polystyrene

Styrofoam happens with open or closed cells.

  • Open cell expanded polystyrene very lightweight and flexible. When the polystyrene foam is foamed, the gas inside the cells exits through the holes in the cell wall. This process helps create a lightweight and flexible shape that hardens as it hardens.
  • Closed cell expanded polystyrene has a much denser and heavier structure. It forms a dense surface that is more resistant to weathering and temperature changes.

Fiberglass

Fiberglass is made from soda, limestone, sand and crushed glass and is supplied in slabs or rolls. It is placed in unfinished walls, floors and ceilings between pins, beams and crossbars. Due to its fibrous structure, such material is excellent keeps air inside and prevents heat loss.

Photo 1. A piece of fiberglass. It is one of the most popular materials for home insulation.

Efficient boilers for space heating

In order to efficiently and economically heat a house, it is necessary to choose quality heating equipment... Most often, boilers are used in this role.

You will also be interested in:

Condensing gas

Boiler operation with condensing gas allows you to use all the energy released during gas combustion. All boiler systems distribute heat in hot water, which gives off heat by passing through radiators or other devices in rooms throughout the home. The chilled water then returns to the boiler for reheating.

In a conventional boiler, the heating circuit is heated by the combustion of natural gas. Condensing boiler uses the energy available in the products of gas combustion... These products contain water vapor. Steam, cooling down, condenses and releases heat. The water in the heating circuit is heated by this energy. Evacuation of water released during condensation (condensation) is carried out through the wastewater network.

Important! Natural gas is the most readily available source of energy. Therefore, the operating cost of the condensing boiler will be the most profitable.

Such a boiler is easy to operate, consumes less fuel than a standard gas boiler, and has an efficiency, often exceeding 100%.

Pyrolysis

The pyrolysis boiler runs on solid fuels. In this case, not only the firewood itself burns, but also the gases that are released in the process.

Therefore, the efficiency of such boilers is up to 90%. Firewood or special pellets made from dried biomass burn in one chamber, releasing pyrolysis gas.

Under the influence of high temperature, the gas through a special nozzle enters another chamber, in which it burns, mixing with oxygen.

The heat energy released in this process much higher than in conventional boilers and the burning time is much longer. Therefore, pyrolysis boilers are called long burning boilers.

Such gas-generating boilers do not depend on the presence of a main gas pipeline, and can be most efficiently use purchased fuel.

Solid fuel

The simplest boiler is a wood-fired or coal-fired boiler. He completely autonomous, and does not require any connection to a gas pipeline or electrical network, nor the cost of paying for gas and electricity. It is enough just a standard body, consisting of a firebox (or combustion chamber) and a blower, and ordinary firewood.

Firewood is burning in the firebox thanks to the air that is supplied through the blower. This releases heat energy. It heats up a steel or cast iron coil-shaped heat exchanger located in the firebox and raises the temperature of the coolant. Hot water gives off heat when it passes through the home's heating system. The chilled water is then returned to the boiler for reheating.

Electric boiler

Electric boiler operation is similar to the work of other boilers: the water heats up in it, and then circulates in the heating system circuit and radiators.

Heating of water in such boilers occurs using electric current... It provides high performance and excellent heating rate.

In addition, the installation of an electric boiler does not require large expenses for the installation of expensive equipment, the presence of a chimney and a large room.

Warm floor

Underfloor heating is the most old form of central heating... Even the Romans used an underfloor heating system that warmed buildings and baths. Today's underfloor heating system is gaining more and more popularity in Russia.

Underfloor heating is a system that heats a house through a heated floor covering. Exists two types of such a system... In the first type warm water heats the floor through the underfloor piping (wet system). In the second, the floor becomes warm with electric coils placed under it ("dry" system).

Concrete floor slabs heat up and heat radiates from under the floor into the room. "Wet" system can be connected to a gas boiler to heat water... This will help to significantly save on cheap gas fuel.

Attention! For this type of heating large-scale construction work is required. Therefore, its installation is best done during the construction of a house.

Infrared heating is one of the most economical ways

The infrared spectrum is part of the electromagnetic spectrum. This form of radiated heat is the most basic. This is the same 100% natural heat type that emits and absorbs daily human body.

Photo 2. Installation of infrared heaters under the roof of the house, this installation method allows you to completely warm up the room.

The peculiarity of infrared radiation is that it heats objects and people in its path. without heating the surrounding space... This makes infrared heating much more efficient than convection... Convective heat generated by conventional radiators and central heating systems only heats the air.

Warm air is distributed around the room, circulating uncontrollably, and leaves objects in the room cool. Infrared heating emits direct heat and heats everything. This type of heating brings long-lasting, comfortable warmth to the home, consuming less energy.

Infrared heaters can provide directed heat anywhere, regardless of distance... This means that there is no need to spend electricity on heating any room, even the largest area, and heat is not lost due to air circulation.

Solar collectors - cheap and economical

Solar collectors use the warmth of sunlight to heat water, which is then directed to the inside of the building. They consist of a panel of heat-absorbing material into which it is pumped mixture of water and antifreeze to collect heat. This mixture then heats up the water in the hot water system, so solar collectors must be integrated into the existing heat distribution system.

Photo 3. Solar collectors installed on the roof of the house. Devices must be placed at a specific angle.

Such heating systems can be useful not only in warm climates. Even a small increase in water temperature dramatically reduces the amount of energy required to heat it. Solar collectors create favorable conditions for starting up any heating system. It means that less energy is used in general.

Due to the permanent rise in fuel prices, homeowners are trying to minimize their heating costs. A natural question arises, which heating is the most economical in a private house, and how can the burden on the family budget be reduced? At the same time, it is necessary to provide comfortable living conditions in the cold season.

Residents of urban apartment buildings, which are heated from centralized networks, as a rule, cannot choose and are content with the proposed heating method.

Owners of private cottages have more opportunities in this regard and can provide themselves with the most suitable heating method by installing an efficient and easy-to-maintain heating system. At the same time, some of the latter can be assembled with your own hands, without involving specialists.

Comparative analysis of costs for different types of heating systems

When choosing a heating method for a country house, most of our fellow citizens confuse two obvious things. We are talking about the cost of purchasing and installing a heating system and the cost of maintaining a comfortable temperature regime. An inverse relationship is observed between them: the cheaper the equipment, the more expensive the heat generated by it will cost.

Any competent specialist in the field of heating technology will confirm that the so-called "economical heating" is in most cases a trick of marketers.

The efficiency of a particular system depends on a number of factors, including external ones that are independent of a person, for example, climatic conditions and the dynamics of growth in fuel prices. To estimate the cost of heating buildings, special methods are used to determine the cost of one gigacalorie (Gcal) of thermal energy.

These calculation methods are, in fact, quite complex and therefore usually boil down to simplified calculations based on statistical data over a fairly long period of time. This interval can be five or ten years. This is the only way to get more or less reliable information about the efficiency of this or that heating equipment.

At the moment, the most profitable and efficient device for heating residential buildings is a heat pump. In use, it will cost 4 times less than equipment operating on traditional gas or coal. However, that operation, but the purchase of a heat pump and the costs of its installation are very expensive and pay off even not in the first few years of its use.

Heating system classification

Choosing a way to heat a private house, the owner is faced with a huge variety of heating systems offered by domestic and foreign manufacturers. The latter are classified according to three criteria:

  • by the type of fuel used: solid fuel, electric, gas, universal;
  • by heating method: traditional water and air ducts;
  • according to the principle of action: chemical reaction of combustion, conversion of electricity into heat energy, etc.

To date, they are actively studied and offered alternative methods getting heat. So, solar collectors are used for heating and heating water. However, a significant part of our country is located in such latitudes where the level of insolation is insufficient for the use of such systems to be truly effective.

Let's take a closer look at the most traditional methods of heating private houses.

Gas boilers

For heating housing, methane is mainly used, which is supplied through the systems of trunk pipelines and distribution networks. On this moment it is the most economical way to heat a private house.

In areas where gasification has not yet been carried out, gas tanks with liquefied propane-butane mixture can be used.

The modern gas boiler is fully automated and ensures the maintenance of the set temperature regime in the house, depending on weather conditions. This allows you to reduce fuel consumption during warming, contributing to savings in the family budget.

At the same time, gas prices are growing, which, together with the high costs of purchasing and installing the appropriate equipment and obtaining a permit for its operation, makes the use of this type of fuel not so profitable.

Electric heating

V last years the popularity of electric boilers is gaining momentum. Choosing the most economical heating, our compatriots increasingly prefer electricity. This method of space heating has a number of advantages:

  • Low prices for convectors and components for underfloor heating.
  • Relative ease of installation - even a layman can lay the power wiring in any room and install the boiler there.
  • Autonomy and efficiency - the system turns on with the onset of cold weather and does not require attention until the end of winter. At the same time, the automation maintains the set temperature.

Of course, gas will cost several times cheaper than electricity, but, nevertheless, the use of the latter is justified, first of all, in rural areas. Here, the tariffs are lower, and with subsidies and the installation of a two-zone meter, electric heating becomes a rather profitable option.

Solid fuel boilers

Classic solid fuel boilers are relatively inexpensive and easy to install. In fact, this is a slightly improved version of a conventional stove with all its disadvantages: low efficiency and the need for regular tossing of firewood or coal.

The most economical heating systems for a private house at the moment can be considered solid fuel boilers - pyrolysis and. When completing a solid fuel boiler with a pellet or gas burner, you can save a decent amount of money during operation. The use of pellets is several times cheaper than burning conventional firewood, and the system itself is completely automated. With regard to the presence of a gas burner, the ability to switch to an alternative type of fuel, if necessary, is a rather useful option.

Recently, omnivorous waste heat boilers that consume any combustible materials have appeared on the market. They burn not only traditional types of solid fuels, but also all kinds of solid household waste. We do not recommend this type of heating equipment due to its dubious environmental friendliness.

Heating system types according to the heating method

Maintaining a normal temperature regime in rooms is provided in a variety of ways. Experts distinguish between the following types of heating systems by the method of heat transfer:

  • Water. Heating of the coolant is carried out by a gas, solid fuel or electric boiler, circulation can be natural or forced.
  • Air. Heating of the premises is provided by electric or gas convectors, as well as heated surfaces of ovens.
  • Heating with open fire. We are talking about classic wood-burning fireplaces, which, by the way, have extremely low efficiency and can be considered exclusively as additional source warmth and interior decoration.

Recently, warm floors have become widespread, which can hardly be called the most economical type of home heating - they are quite expensive to install. However, this is a real find for those who do not like radiators hanging on the walls. In addition, underfloor heating provides stable and even heating of all rooms.

Alternative and hybrid heating systems

Taking into account the regular rise in the price of fuel, it is logical to assume that the most economical way of heating housing is the one in which the latter will not be needed at all. Such heating systems exist - these are solar collectors and heat pumps.

The effectiveness of the first option seems to be highly questionable - taking into account the peculiarities of the Russian climate, it can only be considered as an addition to the main equipment.

Heat pumps are truly innovative technology. Residential and other premises in a private house are heated by the low-temperature energy of the earth's interior. The main disadvantage of a heat pump is the high cost of purchasing and installing equipment; its payback period in our country is up to 10 years.

If you are forced to choose which heating is the most economical, it makes sense to think about the most efficient systems. The use of equipment installed in parallel will reduce your heating costs by using cheaper fuel as appropriate. You can also buy a solid fuel boiler with built-in heating elements and equip it with a gas burner.