As a result of the steady increase in the cost of energy, the owners of private houses naturally increase the demand for economical heating. The fact that the vast majority of dwellings was built in the Soviet era and in the early 90s also plays a role. Then people did not think about how much this or that energy carrier costs and how to heat a house, having low incomes. Now it is important for the owner of a country cottage to figure out which heating is cheaper before organizing one at home.
What heating is more profitable in the Russian Federation
Before determining the cheapest way of heating, we list all the energy sources available to residents of the Russian Federation:
- various types of solid fuels - firewood, briquettes (eurowood), pellets and coal;
- diesel fuel (diesel fuel);
- waste oils;
- trunk gas;
- liquefied gas;
- electric power.
To figure out which heating is the cheapest, you need to find out how much each energy carrier can generate heat and how much it will pour out, and then compare the data. The table where the calculation results are entered will help determine the most economical heating:
Note. The prices in the table are taken for Moscow and updated as of July 15, 2019. Due to the constant increase in energy costs and currency fluctuations, the figures presented lose their relevance over time.
Such a calculation can be performed by anyone, substituting in the table the heat load on the heating system of their building and the cost of fuel in the region of residence. The calculation algorithm is as follows:
- In column No. 3, the values of theoretical heat transfer of a unit of fuel are entered, and in column No. 4 - the efficiency (COP) of heating equipment using this energy source. These are reference values that remain unchanged.
- The next step is to calculate how much heat actually comes into 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 received from this type of fuel. The unit price is divided by the real heat transfer, the results are in column No. 7.
- Column No. 8 shows the average heat consumption per month for a country house of 100 m² located in the middle zone of the Russian Federation. You should enter your heat consumption value for the calculation.
- The average monthly heating costs are shown in column No. 9. The figure is obtained by multiplying the monthly heat consumption by the cost of 1 kW obtained from various types of fuel.
The table shows 2 types of firewood that are usually commercially available - freshly cut and dry. This will help to understand how profitable it is to heat the stove or boiler with dry wood.
Analysis of calculation results
The calculations show that the most economical heating in 2019 for private houses of the Russian Federation is still provided by natural gas, this energy carrier remains unrivaled. Consider 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 with conventional gas heat generators. True, condensing equipment will be expensive (30-50% more expensive depending on the model).
The problem with gas in the Russian Federation is the high cost of connecting to existing highways. To economically heat the house, you will have to pay from 50 thousand rubles. (in remote regions) up to 1 million rubles.(In the Moscow region) for joining a gas pipe.
Having learned how much the connection costs, many homeowners wonder how and how to heat their home without gas. Remaining other energy carriers listed in the table:
- Firewood is dried and wet. According to column No. 9, it is much more profitable to burn good dry wood than fresh, albeit inexpensively purchased. Wood-based heating equipment is affordable for a wide range of users.
- Burning briquettes, pellets and coal can also be attributed to 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 usual (1.5-2 times).
- Electric heating at a night rate. Given the minimal cost of equipment and its installation, it is quite realistic to heat with electricity cheaply, but only at night. A suitable option for both a country house and an apartment.
- Waste engine oils occupy a middle position between cheap and expensive energy sources. But their burning is associated with certain difficulties, which will be discussed later.
- Heating with liquefied gas can no longer be attributed to profitable heating methods. Especially when you take into account the cost of the gas tank and its installation, only the cottage can be heated with cylinders.
- Diesel fuel, liquefied gas and electricity at the 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.
The use of purely electric equipment for round-the-clock heating of the house cannot be called profitable, since a cheap nightly rate is valid for 8 hours a day, and the rest of the time you will have to pay at full rate. So, heating with electricity alone will not work cheaply.
The cheaper it is to heat a house in Ukraine
In connection with the increase in the price of firewood in 2019, the overall picture with the cost of heating in Ukraine looks very interesting. The layout reflects a similar calculation table:
Note. Electricity tariffs are indicated on the basis of 2 conditions: according to all the rules, electric heating is arranged in the house and the energy consumption does not exceed 3000 kW / h per month.
The first place on the cheapness of heating in Ukraine is still occupied by dry firewood and electricity used at night. But due to the rise in price, their cost almost equaled the price of natural gas, which fell by 5 ... 10% (in the current conditions, it’s not easy to state the exact figure 😊).
Consider this point: in the table in 2019, average fuel prices are indicated. Pellets and briquettes of the worst quality can be bought cheaper, and electricity and gas are the same everywhere. So, energy carriers are arranged in the following order (from cheap to expensive):
- electricity at a night rate;
- trunk gas;
- dried firewood;
- pellets, briquettes from sawdust;
- freshly cut wood;
- waste oil;
- coal anthracite;
- electricity at a daily rate (for consumption up to 3600 kW / month);
- liquefied gas;
- diesel fuel.
The rate of gas and electricity tariffs in Ukraine is impossible to predict due to the unstable economic situation. It is unlikely that energy carriers will significantly fall in price, subsidy payments are reduced annually.
On the issue of main gas supply, Ukrainians are in the same position as the Russians, whose houses are not connected to the gas pipelines due to the high cost of the service. Both have to burn different types of solid fuel or use electricity at night.
Comparative analysis by other criteria
In addition to the purely economic calculation of the cost of heating, there are other factors that influence the choice of energy. For example, it is difficult for an elderly pensioner to chop and carry firewood to the boiler room. Someone does not like the smell of diesel fuel or dirt from coal, and someone does not have the ability to store a supply of pellets or briquettes.That is, it is wrong to choose fuel for heating only from the point of view of economy. Additional criteria must be considered:
- operating comfort;
- possibility of storage;
- frequency and cost of service.
Operation Nuances
It is most convenient to use electricity for heating, although it is difficult to rank it as an economical energy carrier. The electric boiler does not need supervision, the system is fully automated. The unit is easy to control remotely, and in the boiler room there is silence, cleanliness and no unpleasant odors. An important point: the heating installation does not need a chimney, which greatly simplifies and reduces the cost of installation.
In addition to the high price, electric heating has another drawback. Not every private house has sufficient electrical power or a limit has been set that does not allow the use of energy for heating. A connection of units with a capacity of more than 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 need a chimney and good ventilation of the furnace room. Burning a diesel engine and used oil is no longer as comfortable as it will inevitably smell and require periodic refilling of the fuel tank. In this regard, a diesel heat generator is similar to a pellet one, but the latter benefits from the absence of odors and dirt.
The inconvenience champion is a wood and coal boiler, which requires constant attention and exercise. With the most economical way of heating with wood in a boiler room, the smells of burning and dust cannot be avoided mixed with dirt (especially coal). An exception is an automatic coal boiler operating on the principle of a pellet, but it is also necessary to periodically replenish the hopper in it.
About fuel storage
The nuances of warehousing and storage are easier to identify in the list:
- The electric and gas heating system of a private house operates from external sources, storage is not needed.
- For reliable operation of any solid fuel boilers, a fuel supply is needed, respectively, it is necessary to organize its storage. You will have to make a woodcutter under a canopy or a warehouse in a barn.
- The stock of diesel fuel and mining must also be stored somewhere, and preferably, outside the residential building. It is necessary to buy and install a container of sufficient volume.
- The most difficult thing is to organize storage with autonomous heating with 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 at home.
There is another, cheaper way to store liquefied gas - in cylinders. But “thanks” to the frequent replacement and refueling of cylinders, comfort when using a propane boiler is equivalent to exercises with firewood when loading a solid fuel heat generator.
Equipment service
Almost no need for maintenance of electric heating systems (check and clean 1 time in 2 years). If it were not for the draconian daily rate, then with the help of electricity it would be possible to organize the “economical smart home” system. More often, gas boilers will have to be serviced; they require annual preventive cleaning of the heat exchanger and chimney. But here you can save money if you clean the unit with your own hands, as described in this article.
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 similar problems in the middle of winter, you will think twice whether you need economical heating for working out.
It is advisable to clean the smoke pipes with the boiler firebox on wood and pellets once a week, and the ash pan daily.When working on raw wood from the combustion chamber, it is important to remove soot and tar more often, until they are completely attached.
Conclusions and recommendations
After a comprehensive analysis, we can draw the following conclusions about the choice of economical heating of a private house:
- Residents of the Russian Federation, whose houses are connected to gas pipelines, can continue to sleep peacefully - they will not find a more economical way of heating. Is that to properly insulate the home in order to reduce fuel consumption. In the short term, natural gas will remain unrivaled.
- The cheapest heating without main gas is burning solid fuel. But for the sake of financial gain, you will have to give up time and effort spent on loading firewood and servicing equipment. In this case, you should pay attention to solid fuel boilers for long burning and choose one of them.
- If you have the financial capabilities, the best option for economical heating is a pellet boiler. If you have little space for storing pellets, then the issue is decided by the periodic supply of pellets during the season, although the purchase price will then increase.
- The best results in terms of efficiency gives a combination of 2-3 energy. For Russia, the most popular pair is solid fuel and electrics at a nightly rate. For Ukraine - electricity at night and natural gas during the day (including subsidies and without exceeding the limit of 3600 kW).
- Tolerate dirt and odors in the boiler room is possible only when the used oil is cheap. Like diesel fuel, mining is not the best option for a residential building, unless installing equipment in a separate building.
- Residents of the Russian Federation with an income above the average can afford to dwell with liquefied gas, for the sake of comfort. In Ukraine, this method is practically not considered as very uneconomical.
At the moment, when energy prices tend to European, warming of private houses is becoming increasingly relevant. This is also a way to get economical heating, because with small heat losses it becomes possible to constantly use an electric boiler with a water heating system or local electric heaters, which is very convenient.