Owners of private houses choose heating with electricity for various reasons. Unfortunately, of all the existing methods, it is considered the most expensive. Therefore, the question of how to reduce the cost of heating a house with electricity is more relevant than ever. Let us consider the most economical way in more detail by comparing some types of heating systems.
Read in the article:
Advantages and disadvantages of heating with electricity
Often, houses built on private plots are not connected to energy networks: gas, solid fuels. In such cases, the organization of heating with electricity becomes the only way out.
For example, many people install all kinds of heaters and stoves in the house if the main system is not working yet. Do such methods have obvious advantages and significant disadvantages? Let's take a closer look at this.
Heating private houses with electricity: undeniable advantages
- Ease of installation of electrical heat sources.
- The ability to quickly adjust the temperature to the desired level.
- Saving energy consumption.
- Mobility of heating sources (in the case of using mobile radiators).
- The ability to choose the type of convector for the interior of the house.
- Environmental friendliness - oxygen is not removed (not burned) from the room space, there is no danger of harmful emissions.
Undeniable benefits Cons of heating from the mains
- The high cost of services for the provision of electricity.
- If it is necessary to create high voltage, the purchase and installation of an energy distributor will be required.
Related article:
Benefits:
- Such devices are compact.
- Light in weight, affordable, but have a high heating power. They can be grouped, included only one or all at once.
- And one of its main advantages is resistance to voltage surges, which is especially relevant for houses with old wiring.
But at the same time, the electrode system has disadvantages:
- unstable power level;
- extreme dependence on the composition of the conductive substance and its temperature;
- requires strict adherence to the proportions of the solution and its purity;
- incorrect "reaction" to regulation and automatic control.
Russian electrode boilers for heating a private house, price range:
| Models "Galan Ochag" | power, kWt | Cost, rub. |
|---|---|---|
 2- N | 2 | 3650 |
 3- N | 3 | 3800 |
 5- N | 5 | 3850 |
 6- N | 6 | 3900 |
| Galan models | Cost, rub. |
|---|---|
 Geyser-9 | 7200 |
 Geyser-15 | 7500 |
 Volcano-25 | 7550 |
 Volcano-36 | 10200 |
 Volcano-50 | 12300 |
User reviews about electrode boilers:
Sergey, Perm: Each heating season requires new electrodes, which is considered a very laborious task. The manufacturer assures that if you adhere to all operational characteristics, the device will last a long time.
Natalia, Riga: Acquired the Vulcan-25 model. Forced to disassemble and clean the boiler frequently. If the plates are not cleaned in time, the thermal conductivity decreases. The manufacturer recommends that first of all pay attention to the quality of the coolant.
Induction heating boilers
If the question arises of how to economically heat a house with electricity, then this is one of the best options. Today it is the most popular and technically advanced type of electric boiler.
It works like this: a primary winding is installed in the center of the apparatus, capable of passing an electric current, which provokes a voltage in the secondary winding section. It, in turn, consists of a pipe loop with a coolant. Due to the fact that there are no vulnerable nodes in such a device, the conductors of electricity do not come into contact with the heat-conducting medium in any way.
An induction boiler can work stably for several decades!This is an economical device - with its help it is possible to reduce energy consumption by up to 40%, if compared with the heating element or electrode "brother".
Note! The device has only three conditional drawbacks - the noise from small vibration, the massiveness of the structure itself and its relatively high price.
Simple electric boilers for heating private houses: average prices
Heating a house with electricity: the most economical way is infrared
Along with the boiler heating system, the infrared method is especially popular today. In the house, special heating plates are installed in which the emitter draws in electricity and converts it into an infrared wave, and then transmits it. The waves from the heater are in continuous motion until they "collide" with some opaque object.
Plates are usually fixed to the ceiling or walls. However, it should be understood that it rarely acts as the main heating system for a large private house and is more often used as an addition.
Infrared waves quickly fill the room with heat, and then turn off automatically - this is possible thanks to a special independent automatic control system.
Note! This type of home heating with electricity is the most economical way, since it does not consume more electricity than is needed.
This option has only 2 disadvantages:
- Expensive equipment (but at the same time it is energy efficient!).
- Strict direction of heating from the plates to the nearest areas of the room.
Convector heaters
These heating devices are similar in function to conventional radiators - convectors heat up themselves and transfer heat through the air. However, there is no coolant inside them, therefore, pipes are not required for them. Instead of a coolant, heating elements are built into the convectors (the advantages and disadvantages of this element were mentioned above), and cold air is taken through the bottom of the device.
One of the significant advantages of the equipment is its quiet operation, which is especially important for those who spend most of their time at home. But convectors also have a drawback - it's low efficiency. Electric convectors absorb a significant amount of electricity.
Warm floor
These electrical systems work on the basis of conductors with a resistor, through which an electric current passes, due to which they are heated.
Article
Unlike the residents of apartments, the owners of private houses face many tasks to organize the efficient operation of water supply systems, electricity supply, etc. Modern manufacturers offer more and more simple and profitable technologies and ways to provide a private house or summer cottage with heat. One such know-how is electric heating. In this article, we will tell you how to organize cheap heating at home with electricity.
It is believed that the most advantageous type, in terms of price, is a gas boiler and metal radiators. Unfortunately, not all homeowners have access to this method. The territory of our country is not completely gasified, especially ecologically clean areas are far from the mains gas.
Pros and cons
Just for those houses near which there are no gas mains, electric heating will be a smart and profitable solution. Such an alternative home heating has obvious advantages:
- + no need to burn anything to generate heat
- + no need to regularly replenish fuel supplies
- + no need to carry anything heavy and put it in the firebox
- + fuel flows on its own
The electric heating system of a private house also has disadvantages:
- - significant power consumption
- - constant growth of utility tariffs
- - risk of power outages without warning
- - the need to purchase an autonomous generator in case of emergency shutdown of the system
At the design stage of a house, it is worth, together with specialists, to develop such an effective system that will make heating a country house with electricity economical, efficient and safe. The low price sometimes becomes the main factor when choosing the type of home heating. Thanks to new technologies, despite the growth of tariffs for energy supply, electric heating devices are becoming more and more efficient.
Which electric heating is better?
The concept of electric heating includes a large class of technical means and methods.
Today, the home heating system can be of two types:
- Direct heat dissipation
- With intermediate heating medium
First option provides for the use for heating such devices as: electric convector, spiral, infrared or quartz heater, heat and electric fan. Such household appliances, with all their convenience and ease of use, have a significant drawback - a very high consumption of electricity.
This does not include the underfloor heating system, which should be discussed separately. It will really help to create a comfortable temperature in the house or in the country at no extra cost.
Second option is a system in the heart of which an electric heating boiler is installed. It heats the coolant to the required temperature and distributes heat through the pipes. Any construction forum will help you find real reviews about the use of such heating systems.
If we consider in comparison a solid fuel, liquid fuel or pellet boiler versus an electric one, then the latter wins significantly. The main "trump card" of the latter is a high efficiency. Due to the installation of automatic thermostats on batteries, the economic effect becomes even higher. In addition, a well-organized electric heating of a private house is distinguished by its durability, ease of daily operation and noiselessness. It is very attractive that the organization of electric heating does not require obtaining any permits for the installation.
THIS IS IMPORTANT: You can make the use of electricity for heating cheaper by installing a two-tariff meter. So the cost for 1 kWh at night will be much lower.
Seven ways to organize inexpensive heating of a private house with electricity
Electric convector
The principle of convectors is to circulate air through heating elements. According to the laws of physics, warmer air rises and mixes with colder air. So the room warms up evenly.
The advantages of such devices are in the heating rate and efficiency of 80%, compact size at high power. In addition, a variety of operating modes and a built-in thermostat allow efficient use of electricity only when the ambient temperature drops.
We should also highlight the mobility that a convector heater has. By moving it to the coldest areas of the room, you can quickly and evenly heat the entire space.
A bold plus for convectors - permission for use in wet rooms. Protection against water allows you to install such an appliance even in a bathroom or toilet.
As with any household appliances, in addition to significant advantages, convector heating also has disadvantages: the inclusion of all devices in the network immediately entails an excess of the permitted power.
THIS IS IMPORTANT: When installing a relay that regulates the alternate start of the heaters, the possibility of exceeding the permitted power is excluded. This solution will maintain a comfortable temperature in a private house and reduce costs.
Tubular electric heater
The principle of operation of the system is to transfer heat from the heater to the heat transfer fluid in the pipes. Traditionally, water, oil or antifreeze acts as a heat carrier. In simple words, this is a device that works by analogy with an electric kettle or a water heater. Heating element immersed in liquid. When used in order to organize economical electric heating of a private house, such devices show high efficiency and minimal heat loss.
Tubular electric heaters are often called oil radiators or air heaters. In times of shortage, such devices were even made by hand. Photos and videos of homemade radiators can be found on construction forums.
The main advantages of tube-type heaters are their reliability. They are not explosive and are not afraid of external influences such as vibration and shock. In addition, their design is so diverse that it can harmoniously fit the device into any interior.
Tubular electric batteries have one major drawback - high price. The point is the high cost of the metal from which the heating elements are made.
Electric underfloor heating
A modern way to heat large areas without using radiators. The most easy-to-install warm floor is produced in the form of ready-made heating mats, which must be distributed over the surface, connected and hidden under the screed layer. The warm floor has a big plus - due to the fact that the heat in the room is evenly distributed, the amount of dust particles in the space of the house decreases.
Electric boiler with heating element
The growing popularity of such boilers lies in their high reliability, safety and relatively low price, especially in comparison with induction or electrode boilers. However, such a heating system cannot be called "The best electric heating" and you cannot call it cheap either. Boilers of this type use thermoelectric heaters, which are not the most economical devices in terms of power consumption.
THIS IS IMPORTANT: Before installing a boiler with heating elements, check with the power grid company about the maximum possible load on the wiring in your house.
Electric induction boiler
A two-winding transformer is hidden inside the device. Eddy currents arising in it move behind a short-circuited loop, which is the body of an induction boiler. At this moment, the secondary winding receives a certain amount of energy and converts it into heat, which heats the heat transfer fluid.
Induction boilers are characterized by 100% efficiency, resistance to voltage surges, quick space heating and durability. They just don't contain parts that can break!
Electrode heating boilers
The principle of operation of heating devices of this type is as follows: the role of heating elements in it is played by electrodes. They are immersed in a heat transfer fluid. In the process of passing the electric current along the electrodes, heat is released. Thus, no scale builds up inside the boiler, which greatly simplifies its use in everyday life.
In addition to the absence of scale, the electrode boiler lasts much longer than a tubular heater and has a compact size that is suitable for use in a small dwelling.
Uninterrupted operation of the device is only possible when the correct liquid is poured into the electric boiler. If it is water, then after multi-stage filtration, if it is antifreeze, then only of the brand of the same name with the boiler.
Infrared heater
The principle of its operation is based on the fact that it is not the heating element, not the coolant, but the surrounding objects that heats up. The heated objects also warm up the air in the room. In simple words, an infrared heater works like a microwave oven.
Such heaters are rightfully considered one of the most budgetary ones. Heaters made in the form of panels are especially popular. The panel can be installed on a wall or ceiling both in a private house and in non-residential premises.
Due to the increased heating area, a private or country house heats up many times faster than when using other heaters.
THIS IS IMPORTANT: Infrared panels can be combined with an electrode boiler. For example, use infrared heating during a period when the heating season has not yet begun or has already ended, but it suddenly got colder outside.
Today there is a wide range of options to achieve the necessary comfort inside a residential building using electric heating.
Manufacturers offer a wide range of different devices for organizing home heating with electricity. To get a warm house and save real money, you just have to create a single reliable system in which the elements for heating and possible heat loss will be rationally taken into account.
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 put into engineering communications, if the building is not well insulated, we will still incur unreasonably high heating costs. First of all, attention should be paid to the thermal insulation of the enclosing structures: external walls, roof, floor of the lower 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 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 volumes he needs. Fuel costs, even in the presence of a primitive heating system with an ancient, monstrously gluttonous 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 the premises, 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 only require 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 shows the comparative cost of heat energy for prices in the Moscow region. And if the cost ratio 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.
Cost ratio 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 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" (they appear in our area) are increasingly being heated with electricity. Based on the aggregate initial and operating costs, it turns out that in this case the most economical is electric heating. We repeat that this only applies 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 liquids 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 to create 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. Let us 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.
Using 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 work, 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 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 properly setting it up. This is not an easy business, 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 of this is nothing more than cunning marketing greeters 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%, this 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.
Universal oil burners are capable of operating on diesel fuel, biofuels, fuel oil (heating oil) and on working
In conclusion, we 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 have to, at least, learn the basics of heat engineering and hydraulics. If there is no opportunity to devote part of your personal time to these sciences, the selection of equipment and installation work, 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 country houses or summer cottages are increasingly having to look for an alternative to gas as the main type of fuel to heat their homes. The reasons are different: for some, natural gas becomes too expensive a pleasure, someone has the opportunity to use other energy sources, 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 exists, and what kind of fuel is better to use then?
Alternative energy sources
There is no definite 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 for a wood-fired boiler.
Option two: in return for certain services, the customer is ready to supply you 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 method 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 various types of 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 is cheaper 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 for 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 is already filled in for 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 of 100 m2 per season is 5 kW / h, and the duration of the heating season is 180 days (5 x 24 x 180 \u003d 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 \u200b\u200bdo not take into account the efficiency of the equipment, the values \u200b\u200bof 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 you can find out immediately, which will help you make the right choice. We will evaluate convenience by the following criteria:
- the complexity of repair or maintenance of the boiler plant;
- necessity and convenience of storage;
- comfort in daily use (the 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 marks. 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 the 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 the chimney once.
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, which is why 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 firewood is organized, 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 need to 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 this result is considered in conjunction with financial costs, then 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 during operation. Therefore, you should not rush and carefully weigh and calculate everything, or even better - install an electric boiler in combination with any other.
Since gas is the cheapest fuel, a heating system using gas fuel is considered the most efficient. But if there is no gas main in the village to which you can connect, then autonomous heating in a private house is done using electric heaters. Since the price of electricity is much higher than gas, the issue of efficiency and economy of electric heating of an apartment or private house is acute.
If you decide to make autonomous heating at home, the most economical way is to use gas fuel. In second place after it is electric heating. Electric heaters have an advantage over stove or hot water heating for the reason that the installation and maintenance costs of the latter two systems make them uneconomical.
Electric heating of a cottage has the following advantages:
- Electric heaters are distinguished by silent operation, do not need transportation and storage of fuel and do not emit harmful substances that pollute the atmosphere. Such devices are easy enough to connect to the electrical network. For them, you do not need to allocate a separate room with good ventilation and a chimney, as for a gas boiler, and you do not need to regularly clean them of soot and ash, like solid fuel boilers. In addition, there is no need for additional storage space for fuel.
- To install electric heating, you do not need to make significant financial investments at the initial stage, as when installing systems with a liquid heat carrier. Heaters can be purchased as funds become available and installed in the desired room.
- To make economical heating on electricity, you can use two-tariff meters or install solar panels on the roof of the house.
- You can connect electric heaters yourself without asking for help from specialists.
Heating options using electric heaters
To make cheap heating of a private house, you can use several types of electric heaters. Consider the features, advantages and disadvantages of each device.
Electric boilers
The most common option for such heating is the installation of an electric boiler, which heats the coolant in the circuit. However, at the first stage of the device of such a system, it will be necessary to spend money on the purchase of pipelines, radiators and accessories, as well as the assembly of the circuit.
Important! The efficiency of water heating at home using an electric boiler is 90%.
However, this option cannot be called economical, because the boiler will work continuously and consume a lot of electricity.
To make a system using an electric boiler truly effective, you can do the following:
- use a two-rate meter and start the electric boiler only at night, and during the day heat from a solid fuel unit;
- install thermostats in each room and use the automation system (when the heating medium heats up to the specified temperature, the boiler turns off, the unit turns on again if the temperature in the room falls below the limit set by the user);
- the simultaneous use of a two-tariff meter and a heat accumulator allows you to start the boiler only at night, when the electricity is cheaper, and during the day to heat the house due to the heated liquid from the heat accumulator.
Infrared panels
The most economical heating of a private house can be done using infrared heaters. Such devices do not heat the air in the rooms, but the surrounding objects (furniture, walls, floor), which then transfer this heat to the room.
If you install infrared panels on the ceiling, then the floor will heat up the most, then the heat will rise up. IR panels have a significant advantage over radiators. They heat more the air in the lower part of the room, where we walk on the floor, and create a comfortable zone at a height of 1.5-1.8 m from the floor. Conventional radiators heat up the air more in the upper part of the room, where it is completely unnecessary.
Important! If infrared heating devices are equipped with thermostats, they will work much more efficiently. One regulator can control the operation of three devices.
Convectors
Cheap home heating can be organized using convectors. These units have heating elements inside. Cold air enters the device in its lower part, passes along the heating elements and is heated, then is discharged through the slots in the upper part.
On a note! For greater efficiency, the convectors are fixed on the wall under the window openings so that the device creates a thermal curtain in front of the window.
Of course, the principle of heating air in a room when using a convector is similar to the operation of heating radiators (warm air rises upward), but greater efficiency is achieved due to the rapid heating of the device and the absence of installation and connection costs.
Advantages of using convectors for home heating:
- The price of convectors is in the range of $ 35-167, which is much less than the cost of a water heating device.
- The devices are distinguished by fire safety, which is especially important when installing them in timber buildings.
- If necessary, the heating system can be extended and expanded at your discretion. That is, you can buy convectors and connect to the network.
- Attractive design and compact dimensions allow not to spoil the interior of the room.
- The operation of IR electric heaters does not depend on voltage drops in the network, which is especially important in rural areas.
What electrical appliances are not economical?
Above, we told you which electric heating is the most economical. Now let's talk about electric heating devices that are not economical. The most expensive option for electric heating of a country house is an oil radiator. This is due to the power of the device. Several of these radiators will lead to significant energy consumption and require reliable wiring in the home.
At high power, the efficiency of heating the room with the oil unit is lower than that of other devices. For example, if we compare the time it takes for a room to warm up to a comfortable temperature, when using an IR panel, with the timing of heating a room with an oil radiator, then the results do not speak in favor of the latter.
Important! Oil radiators cannot be installed on the ceiling or wall like convectors or IR panels, so the free space of the room is reduced.
It is also not recommended to use fan heaters due to their inefficiency. In addition, such devices make noise during operation, burn oxygen and promote dust circulation. The device heats up the room unevenly - with a heater power of 1.5 kW, the temperature in the central part of the room and at the floor can differ significantly.
How to reduce heating costs and increase efficiency?
Wondering how to make cheap heating? For this, it is not enough just to buy an economical electric heater and install it in the house, you need to insulate the building well. Significant heat loss of the room through the enclosing structures can cause you to be disappointed in its operation after purchasing the most efficient and economical electric heater.
Any crevices, cracks and holes in the stream or around windows and doors help to quickly cool the room. Also, the reason for this may lie in leaky windows or in the absence of insulation in the wall structure. With high-quality home insulation, the heating efficiency indicator reaches 80%.
Attention! Since the heat loss through the ceiling surface is 20%, this part of the room must be well insulated, especially if there is an unheated attic above.
Be sure to install automatic heating device control systems. So, if during the day there is no one in the house, then it is better to configure the equipment so that it automatically turns on for heating a couple of hours before your arrival. As a result, you will enter a warm house, but at the same time save on heating costs.
It is equally important to correctly calculate the power of the heating equipment and select suitable places for their installation. Be sure to install a two-rate meter and tune the appliances so that they operate at full capacity at night, when electricity is cheapest.