Economical heating of a private home: the best fuel for these tasks

About choosing a heat source

It’s good if you are lucky and there is gas on the site. And if it is not there, then what to do? You can use liquefied propane gas, bury the gas tank, not forgetting to periodically service it and fill it on time.

You can use an electric boiler, if, of course, there is enough electricity power limit, you can use a solid fuel, wood, or pallet boiler, or you can use a boiler with a diesel burner or, which is now gaining popularity, a heat pump. The main thing is to know the costs of heating your home.

You can estimate how much the equipment and its installation cost quite accurately by calling specialized offices, but not everyone will ask how much they will then pay monthly for energy consumption. Even if he thinks about it, he is unlikely to find the answers.

So now we’ll figure out how much it costs to heat a house, or more precisely, how much does 1 kW of heat cost, depending on the choice of energy source?

Diesel version of heating boilers

Liquid fuels also have their own competitive advantages. Although diesel fuel is no longer cheap, it is popular to install boilers with diesel burners in “standby mode” when main gas is planned to be supplied to the house in the near future, but no one knows exactly when it will arrive. As soon as gas is supplied to the house, the burner is changed to a gas one, and the diesel one remains in reserve, which provides the heating system with higher reliability. Liquid fuel boilers are produced by many companies: ACV, BAXI, BIASI, BUDERUS, SNARREE, STS, DAKON, DE DIETRICH, FERROLI, FONDITAL, KITURAMI, LAMBORGHINI, MORA, PROTHERM, ROCA, SIME, VAILLANT, V IE S SM AN N, WOLF, KIROV PLANT.

Liquid fuel heating boiler models:

The cost of the Viessmann Vitola 200 VB2A model (power 33 kW) is from 75,000 rubles, and the domestic diesel boiler KChM-5-K-38 (38 kW) is about 55,000 rubles. To store liquid fuel, containers are installed (usually plastic, block type). In the boiler room itself, it is permissible to install a tank with a volume of no more than 750 liters. Such a container can be purchased for 10,000 rubles. In the Moscow region, diesel fuel is supplied for 23,000 rubles. per ton. But diesel prices are constantly changing depending on oil prices and the season.

One more important factor should be noted, although not financial: diesel fuel has a persistent smell that will be constantly present in the boiler room and you need to be prepared for this.

Liquid fuel boilers are closest to gas boilers in terms of technical and functional characteristics, which is explained by the following factors:

1) High efficiency. This figure for diesel and gas boilers is almost the same and reaches 91-92%.

2) Possibility of autonomous operation of the boiler room using diesel fuel. The choice of control panels - from the simplest mechanical to programmable weather-compensating.

3) Possibility of quickly converting the boiler from liquid fuel to gas if it is connected.

4) The environmental performance of liquid fuel boilers is, of course, slightly lower than that of gas boilers, but they are not critical. The disadvantages of this equipment include the rather high costs of organizing and operating a boiler room.

Principles for choosing an energy carrier

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

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

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

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

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

Thus, the list of available coolants includes

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

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

Diesel fuel

Heating with diesel fuel is very similar to gas heating. There are only additional disadvantages. The boiler is even more expensive, you need to have a tank for diesel fuel, you need to make sure that the diesel fuel does not run out and order it on time, in addition, all diesel boilers use electric ignition and will not work in the absence of electricity.

A diesel boiler cannot be installed in a residential area. There will be a smell. Diesel fuel is much more expensive than gas and, possibly, more expensive than electricity.

If you want to heat yourself with diesel fuel, then it’s better to consider heating with bottled gas. Refilling cylinders is easy! In addition, there have been proposals to install special tanks for liquefied gas directly on the site and regularly fill them from a gas carrier.

What's cheaper to heat a house? comparison table

Choosing the optimal method of heating a country house comes down to comparing all types of fuel and technical characteristics of heating systems.

Fuel comparison table:

* — main gas was not taken into account in this calculation, since it is beyond competition.

After carrying out all the calculations and comparing the positive and negative aspects of all types of heating, we find out what is cheaper to heat a house and it turned out to be ordinary firewood. It is advisable to install two types of boilers. The one that is more profitable and convenient during a certain period will be used.

The most expensive and cheapest fuel for heating a private home

When considering the choice of fuel, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that firewood is the cheapest type of fuel for heating a private home. It will be interesting for someone to know that electricity is cheaper than liquefied gas.

The most expensive type of fuel is diesel fuel . When considering the proposed table, we see the following data on fuel costs for the heating season. It is not at all difficult to understand that all digital data are approximate. Much of the costs are determined by the quality of the building and its area.

So, if you heat your house with wood, you will need 25,000 rubles. Using coal as an energy source will cost slightly more - 29,250 rubles, European firewood - 34,000 rubles, electricity with night mode connected - 59,300 rubles, liquefied gas -65,500 rubles, diesel fuel - 71,500 rubles.

These figures are given without taking into account the boiler efficiency. If we take this parameter into account, the cost of heating increases significantly: firewood will cost 35,714 rubles, coal - 41,785 rubles, eurowood - 48,571 rubles, electricity with night mode will cost the family budget 59,898 rubles. According to the above rating, firewood ranks first in terms of cheapness of heating; the most expensive fuel for heating a private home is electricity with one tariff connected. His place in the ranking is 9.

Comparative analysis based on other criteria

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

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

Nuances of operation

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

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

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

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

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

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

About fuel storage

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

1. The electric and gas heating system of a private house operates from external sources; no storage is needed.
2. For reliable operation of any solid fuel boilers, you need a supply of fuel; accordingly, it is necessary to organize its storage. You will have to make a firewood shed under a canopy or a warehouse in a barn.
3. The supply of diesel fuel and waste also needs to be stored somewhere and, preferably, outside the residential building. It is necessary to purchase and install a container of sufficient volume.
4. The most difficult thing is to organize storage with autonomous heating using liquefied gas as an alternative to natural gas. The cost of an underground gas tank and its installation will quickly make you forget about economical heating of your home.

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

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

Equipment service

Electric heating systems require virtually no maintenance (check and clean once every 2 years). If it were not for the draconian daily tariff, then with the help of electricity it would be possible to organize a “economical smart home” system. Gas boilers will have to be serviced more often; they require annual preventive cleaning of the heat exchanger and chimney. But here you can save money if you clean the unit yourself, 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 problems like this in the middle of winter, you'll think twice about whether you need energy-efficient heating while working.

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

Trunk natural gas

Gas heating is also very, very convenient and is the most profitable so far. Besides, remember what I said about force majeure? So here, that is, in the area where I live, everyone heats themselves with gas, which means that no one will ever turn it off. And they don't turn it off! There was an attempt to turn off the gas for half a month as a preventative measure at the pumping station, but the authorities gave the gas workers so much of their brains that I think no one else will have such an idea. In our case, we simply made a temporary bypass pipe so that the gas supply would not be interrupted and we could easily repair our equipment. From a technical point of view, gas heating is most often done using a water boiler. The boiler can be storage or flow-through. In the latter case, I think, the efficiency and heating efficiency are slightly higher, but you can’t do without a circulation pump.

The cost of a gas boiler very much depends on its power and the automation used. As I found out, the main thing is that the automation is reliable. Everything else is from the “evil one.” All sorts of electric ignitions, clever devices with which you can adjust the temperature of the boiler in both directions - all this may be needed extremely rarely, and it increases the price significantly. Yes, indeed, on my simplest boiler you can only adjust the temperature upward. In order to adjust it downwards, for example, it has become hot, you need to turn off the heating, wait until it cools down, and then turn up the automatic control and adjust the temperature as needed. This operation is performed two or three times a year and does not bother me at all. Although, who cares. Here I will gallantly remain silent.

Everything that concerns force majeure with electricity also applies to heating using main gas.

You need to keep in mind that there are combination boilers on the market that have a combustion chamber and can be fired with coal or wood. For the same boilers, you can purchase a gas or diesel burner, which is connected to the boiler directly to the hole for firewood. It turns out that in this case the burner is installed instead of the door. Thus, the flame from such a burner goes sideways and upward, as if we were placing a blowtorch on the stove. I don’t think that this combustion method helps to increase the efficiency of the boiler, but the efficiency also decreases, I think, slightly. For a house of 250 square meters you need to buy a boiler of 30-40 kW. Such a boiler will definitely cost more than 30,000 rubles. A foreign boiler can cost significantly more.

As already mentioned, the boiler needs to have two hoods. The diameter of the boiler exhaust exactly corresponds to the boiler power. For a 30-40 kW boiler, the pipe will have a diameter of at least 20 cm. This is also not very convenient, since you will have to buy special elements. Asbestos-cement pipes of this diameter may not be available. It is also not advisable to underestimate the diameter of the pipes. The boiler will burn poorly, smoke, and nothing good will come of it. Gas heating must be registered and certain requirements apply to the room with the boiler. Yes, you will still have to buy a gas meter.

The cost of gas heating is constantly rising. I believe that soon it will catch up with electric ones. This happens, it seems to me, for the following reasons. It is profitable for the state to spend gas to produce electricity. In this case, gas is converted into electricity with phenomenal efficiency - up to 98 percent! Electric heating has the same significant efficiency. This means that the issue of converting gas into electricity and selling electricity to the population instead of gas is a priority task for the economy as a whole. At the same time, gas is saved, and it, in turn, is our strategic product. This is the main reason that the cost of heating with gas will constantly approach the cost of heating with electricity. However, this process is still very weak and is at the stage of trend formation.

We heat the house with electricity

There are two main types of electric heating systems on the market today:

• water heating;
• and using convectors.

The first type requires the presence of a coolant, which is heated and supplied through the heating system to the rooms that need to be heated.

As with any water system, a boiler is naturally needed here to heat the water in the pipes. This type of heating is very effective, since water has great thermal inertia.

With convector heating, a large number of radiators are installed to heat each room. They can be installed to operate autonomously, or they can be combined into a common system with unified control.

Installation of such a heating system is quite simple and does not require a lot of materials. It is enough to fix the convector on the wall and supply 220V power to it. Affordable prices and ease of installation are the main advantages of this type of heating.

Advantages of electric heating

According to many developers, heating with electricity is more profitable for owners of country houses, since this does not require connecting to the main gas pipeline, which, moreover, is not available everywhere.

Which fuel is more profitable for heating?

When choosing the best option for heating your home, you first need to decide on the type of boiler. There are several most popular types:

Liquid fuel boilers

Liquid fuel boilers are practical and autonomous. They have a lot of advantages unavailable to competitors, including:

• Greater work efficiency. The boilers run on economical fuel and have an efficiency of 95%. This allows you to get full efficiency without losing excess heat.
• Easy maintenance. Such boilers, as a rule, do not have serious electronics. Thanks to this, anyone can understand the system, and breakdowns are corrected very quickly and without the involvement of specialists.
• Great power. Using a liquid fuel boiler, you can heat rooms of any size. Regardless of whether it is a small country house or a production workshop.

The disadvantages include:

• It is obligatory to have a fuel storage room.
• Boiler room installation.
• High requirements for fuel quality.

Solid fuel boilers

Solid fuel boilers were widely used in the past, but today their popularity has practically been reduced to zero. They operate on a large number of types of fuel, however, it is very difficult to say which fuel is most economical.

The main advantages of such boilers include:

• Environmentally friendly.
• Duration of operation.
• Energy variability.

Disadvantages include inconvenient storage and transportation of fuel, low power compared to liquid fuel boilers, manual loading, etc.

Gas boilers

Gas boilers are the most common. They are chosen due to such advantages as:

• High power.
• Small dimensions.
• Easy to use.

However, gas cannot be called the most economical fuel. And for many people it is not accessible at all due to the remoteness of the gas pipeline. In this case, the most attractive option would be a liquid fuel boiler, with its autonomy and high power.

Costs with an electric boiler

Now let's look at the capabilities of the electric boiler. In this case, you need to understand whether the allocated power limit is enough for you? Secondly, two-tariff electricity metering is already implemented almost everywhere.

Let's look at two options: single-tariff and two-tariff.

Single tariff option

In the single-tariff version, the cost of heating a house turns out that the cost of 1 kW/h of electricity in the Moscow region for 2021 is 4.04 rubles. In this case, the efficiency of an electric boiler is 1.

Accordingly, the cost of 1 kW/h of heat from an electric boiler is 4.04 rubles. In this case, savings can be achieved by using automation so as not to overheat the room needlessly.

Two-tariff option

In the two-tariff version, together with an electric boiler, a storage tank of the appropriate volume is installed. In this case, the boiler mainly operates at night, at maximum power, at the night tariff.

It heats the room, and excess heat goes into the storage tank. Then, during the day, the room is heated using the heat accumulated at night at the night tariff.

Sometimes this heat is not enough and the boiler does not heat the house, sometimes this heat is produced in excess, so we take into account that heating occurs only at the night rate.

The cost of 1 kW/h of electricity in the Moscow region for 2021 (at night tariff) is 1.26 rubles.

The efficiency of an electric boiler is 1. In this case, the cost of 1 kW/h of heat from an electric boiler is 1.26 rubles.

That is, the cost will be a similar figure to the cost of electricity at the night tariff and will be equal to 1.26 rubles.

Comparison of heating costs with gas and other types of fuel

The use of natural main gas for heating is the key to minimal operating costs. There is no cheaper fuel in Russia!

Heating using liquefied gas is noticeably more expensive.

As will be seen from the calculations below, heating using mains gas is almost an order of magnitude cheaper than using electricity, diesel fuel or liquefied gas and several times cheaper than using coal or firewood.

Let's compare the heating costs of a standard 200-meter house using different types of fuel.

When comparing costs, we will proceed from the same conditions: the boiler is in operation for approximately half of the total time, and the heating season lasts 7 months.

Approximately, for heating 10 sq. m (up to 30 cubic meters) of a well-insulated room requires approximately 1 kW of thermal power (regardless of the fuel used, boiler power is usually measured in kW).

Therefore, for a house with an area of ​​200 sq. m will require a boiler with a power of approximately 20 kW.

If the boiler operated continuously, then per month it would be necessary:

20 kW x 24 hours x 30 days = 14,400 kWh.

Taking into account that the boiler will operate approximately half the time (or half the maximum power), divide 14,400 kWh by 2 and get 7,200 kW/hour. These are the costs for an average month of the heating season. Multiply by 7 months of the heating season, and we get 50,400 kWh per year.

Depending on various factors (outside temperature, wall insulation, etc.), this figure can change either up or down.

But for comparing costs when using heating using different types of fuel, this is not important. After all, we will compare costs for the same house under the same conditions.

1) Heating costs using a gas boiler running on natural (mains) gas.

The cost of natural gas in the Moscow region since April 1, 2010 is 2.75 rubles/m3.

To produce 1 kWh. Approximately 0.1 m3 of gas is consumed in thermal energy.

Thus, the cost of producing 1 kWh of thermal energy using natural gas is approximately 0.275 rubles.

We multiply the annual costs of thermal energy (50,400 kWh) by the cost of 1 kWh when using main gas (0.275 rubles) = 13,860 rubles/year

2) Heating costs using a gas boiler running on liquefied gas.

To obtain thermal energy of 1 kWh, approximately 0.1 kg of liquefied gas is consumed (depending on the efficiency of the boiler, etc.).

1 kg of liquefied gas costs approximately 23 rubles.

Those. 1 kW in this case costs approximately 2.3 rubles.

Multiply (50,400 kWh) by the cost of 1 kWh when using liquefied gas (2.3 rubles*) = 115,920 rubles/year

3) Heating costs using a solid fuel boiler running on wood.

It is almost impossible to name the exact cost of “firewood”. There are many factors that influence this parameter, including the type of wood, humidity, chopped wood or not, etc.

Let's try to give average data.

The average cost of firewood without delivery is 1,300 rubles. for 1 m3.

The mass of 1 m3 of firewood is approximately 650 kg. That is, 1 kg of firewood costs about 2 rubles on average.

To obtain 1 kWh of thermal energy, approximately 0.4 kg/hour of firewood is consumed.

Thus, the cost of obtaining 1 kWh of thermal energy by burning wood is approximately 0.8 rubles.

We multiply the annual costs of thermal energy (50,400 kWh) by the cost of 1 kWh when using firewood (0.8 rub.) = 40,320 rub./year

4) Heating costs using a solid fuel boiler running on coal.

The cost of coal, depending on its quality, is approximately 5-7 rubles. for 1 kg.

To obtain 1 kWh of thermal energy, approximately 0.2 kg/hour of brown coal is consumed.

Thus, the cost of obtaining 1 kWh of thermal energy by burning coal is approximately 1.20 rubles.

We multiply the annual costs of thermal energy (50,400 kWh) by the cost of 1 kW/hour when using coal (1.20 rubles) = 60,480 rubles/year

5) Heating costs using an electric boiler.

To obtain thermal energy of 1 kWh, approximately 1.03 kW/hour of electricity is consumed.

The cost of 1 kWh of electricity varies in different regions. On average, in the central part of Russia, 1 kWh costs approximately 3.20 rubles.

Thus, the cost of obtaining 1 kWh of thermal energy using electric heating is approximately 3.30 rubles.

We multiply the annual costs of thermal energy (50,400 kWh) by the cost of 1 kW/hour when using electricity (3.30 rubles) = 166,320 rubles/year

6) Heating costs using a liquid fuel (universal) boiler running on diesel fuel.

The cost of 1 liter of diesel fuel is approximately 20 rubles.

To obtain 1 kWh of thermal energy, approximately 0.1 liter of diesel fuel is consumed (depending on the efficiency of the boiler, etc.). Those. 1 kWh costs approximately 2 rubles.

We multiply the annual costs of thermal energy (50,400 kWh) by the cost of 1 kWh when using diesel fuel (2 rubles) = 100,800 rubles/year

We heat with gas

Gas heating can rightly be considered more profitable if the gas pipe is located in close proximity to the house. To save on connecting to the highway, it is recommended to use the following rules:

1. All services must be ordered in one place. This includes design, installation and subsequent service;
2. It is necessary to properly prepare the place for the boiler;
3. The boiler itself must correspond to the area of ​​the house;
4. You should choose the optimal size of the chimney.

The main advantage of gas heating is the low cost of energy. However, in essence, all the advantages end there.

Disadvantages of gas heating

1. If the house was not initially connected to the gas main, then the initial connection costs are so high that not everyone can afford it. And if the owner of a house with a plot of land does not foresee income growth in the future, then you can safely install an electric boiler. And don’t worry about the difference in the cost of energy carriers;
2. Do not forget that gas is a rather explosive substance. And here, inevitably, you will think again before installing gas heating in your house;
3. A gas water heating system is inconvenient for short-term use and takes too long to warm up (when the house is used sporadically during the colder months).

Solid fuel

Heating in winter and in cool times using solid fuel directly depends on where the heating is planned. What can be used for a garage will not be suitable for a home, for example. It is always necessary to take into account the needs of specific premises, not forgetting that heating should be as economical, safe and efficient as possible. Let's look at what heating options with solid fuel are available for a country house in winter. Please note right away that in addition to the device itself, you will also need to purchase fuel for heating:

• coal;
• firewood;
• pallets;
• fuel briquettes;
• wood chips;
• sawdust;
• peat.

To refuse gas completely or to install pipes to supply blue fuel is a purely individual question. If you think through the options and combinations of heating with electric or solid fuel, then gas may not be needed at all.

Solid fuel boiler

It is selected depending on the output power in relation to the volume of the house. The greater the output, the more heat. Requires a specially allocated space in the house, but does not require electricity. Raw materials are purchased independently. The emphasis must be placed depending on what result is needed. Wet raw materials lead to poor heating, so try to keep water or other moisture away. Autonomy and lack of dependence on gas supply are clear advantages of a solid fuel boiler, which distinguish it from other participants when choosing heating devices.

Metal stove (potbelly stove, Buleryan stove with water circuit)

The choice of a metal stove is influenced by the size of the house and the number of heated rooms. For spacious houses, a long-burning stove with high heat output is required. For smaller areas, standard hand-made metal stoves are also suitable. At the stage of preparatory work before installing a potbelly stove, it should be taken into account that the wall must have heat-resistant properties. Of course, the stove can be placed in the middle of the kitchen, which will simply not be convenient. Therefore, it is good to first protect the wall with heat-resistant materials, and lay out the screen using brick or ceramic tiles. In the case of Buleryan heating, the process occurs due to air convection, which, in addition to general heating, creates the effect of a warm floor. The air below enters the furnace tubes and warms up. Therefore, the closer it is to the floor, the more effective it is. In general, heating with a stove is very economical and easy to install, but you need to go to it at least 3-5 times a day to refuel.

Brick oven

Brick ovens come in different varieties. The stove can have an exclusively hob, a heating and cooking option, or be used only for heating premises. And although its installation requires more effort than in the case of electricity, it is still impossible to completely warm up the entire house with electrical appliances in severe frosts. But with a brick oven, if installed correctly, yes. To install it, it is best to seek the help of an engineer or someone who understands this process in order to correctly develop a design in accordance with the style of the house, buy all the necessary elements for constructing the stove and get the result without risk to health.

Fireplace

Fireplaces, like stoves, also come in different types. If the house does not need the smell of ash and low heat transfer, then your preference should be given to the closed version. It is made with additional combinations of cast iron, fireclay or cermet. Thus, the owner receives a safe element of heating the house in winter, in combination with heating the entire house.

Heating boilers for solid fuel

Residents of regions remote from the center will most likely prefer to heat their houses with solid fuel, since firewood, peat or coal are publicly available; in Russia the reserves of these resources are huge. To heat a house with an area of ​​150-200 m², 22 m³ of firewood or 6 tons of coal are consumed per season. The process of putting firewood into the firebox cannot be automated, so a solid fuel boiler can easily do without modern computer automation, and therefore without electricity.

Solid fuel boilers:

The result is a completely autonomous system, ideal for those who rely only on themselves. But this also becomes the main disadvantage when the conditions are not so severe and the desire for comfort is justified. After all, solid fuel burns quickly (coal in 6 hours, firewood twice as fast), so you have to regularly visit the boiler room to add more firewood.

In addition to firewood, they use coal, peat, briquettes (wood, peat, coal) or more modern ones - pellets . All these types of fuel differ in characteristics (heat transfer, burning time, ash content, release of volatile substances), cost, packaging, ease of storage and use.

Pellet heating boiler models:

The operation of the BIOTECH boiler can be ensured using a screw and/or pneumatic system for supplying granules from the hopper to the burner.

For use in solid fuel boilers, it is increasingly recommended to use various fuel briquettes; in Europe they have been produced and used for heating homes for several decades, but for Russia they are still a curiosity. Although we already have a rather new concept - Euro firewood , that is, fuel briquettes made from pressed sawdust and shavings, sold in packs of 10 kg. One ton of such briquettes occupies 1.5 m³ and produces the same amount of heat as 5 m³ of birch firewood, producing tens of times less ash during combustion. The cost of wood fuel briquettes is from 6,000 to 8,000 rubles/t.

Eurofirewood - fuel briquettes made from pressed sawdust

Coal briquettes are packaged in 15-20 kg bags and offered at a price of 8,000 to 9,000 rubles. per ton.

Coal briquettes

Peat briquettes in polypropylene bags of 25 kg cost 5,000 rubles/t.

Peat fuel briquettes

Manufacturers producing solid fuel boilers are now quite different, both among foreign companies and among our Russian ones: ATMOS, BUDERUS, DAKON, BOSCH, OROR, VIESSMANN, WIRBEL, CONORD, KIROVSKY PLANT.

To make the task easier for the stoker, boilers with an enlarged combustion chamber are produced. For example, the Wirbel EKO-14 model (power 14 kW, price 38,000 rubles) doubles the intervals between adding fuel compared to a conventional boiler.

Technological innovations also open up new prospects - long-burning pyrolysis (gas generator) boilers , characterized by high efficiency (up to 85%) and the ability to control the fuel combustion process. Their work is based on the principle of gasification of wood; the fuel in them does not burn, but smolders, so it is enough to heat such a unit twice a day. The disadvantage is the dependence on electricity required for automation.

A domestically produced boiler Burzhuy-K T-30 with a power of 30 kW costs about 65,000 rubles, an imported Viessmann Vitoligno 100-S of the same power costs about 140,000 rubles.

Another invention that allows you to automate the process of loading and burning solid fuel is pellet boilers . Pellets are wood pellets with a diameter of 6-8 mm and a length of up to 50 mm, made from sawdust, shavings or husks. The calorific value of pellets is 1.5 times higher than that of dry firewood. But the main thing is not even this, but the flowability of the granules, thanks to which fuel loading can be automated. Pellets are stored in a waterproofed bunker, from where they are conveyed to the burner by a screw feed. The built-in photosensor stops the flow when the combustion chamber is filled. The decisive disadvantage of such solid fuel pellet boilers is the still rather low availability of granular fuel - pellets. But the growth in pellet production is getting higher every year and more and more often such production is beginning to develop in the regions.

Pellets - fuel granules, compressed cylindrical sawdust

Today, hundreds of enterprises are engaged in the production of pellets. However, before purchasing a pellet boiler, be sure to determine reliable fuel supply channels from the manufacturer. The cost of granules is from 5000 rubles/t. The fuel consumption of a 25 kW unit is approximately 3 kg/h. Pellet models are more expensive than standard solid fuel models. The OPOP BioComfort boiler for 24 kW costs from 140,000 rubles, Astor (25 kW) - 120,000 rubles.

Solid fuel or liquid? The costs are comparable, the choice is influenced by: the availability of fuel, the possibility of storing it, and the level of desired comfort.

Liquid fuel

The advantage of liquid fuel over wood fuel is that the entire process is automated. No more need to add firewood. Simply fill steel or plastic containers with fuel and start the heating process. If you add a diesel generator to the entire system, then you can solve the problem with electricity.

Using liquid fuel is quite convenient and rational, but for this you should definitely include an additional room when calculating the construction of a house, which will be used exclusively for the boiler room. Also, when storing large amounts of material, give preference not just to plastic containers, but to double-walled containers.

All types of fuel: gasoline, biodiesel, electricity, alcohol and... wood!

Gasoline is becoming more expensive, there are still many questions about electric cars, and in general the whole world is in a fever due to energy problems. Drom.ru tried to understand the current situation around each of the existing types of automobile fuel, as well as what prospects await Russian motorists.

Fossil fuel

The Russian Federation ranks seventh in the world in terms of oil reserves.
In terms of gas reserves - first. There are only 28 years of Russian oil reserves left, says the head of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Sergei Donskoy. The world's proven reserves will not last much longer - about 50 years. But the hype of recent years around electric vehicles cannot cancel the obvious: in today's realities, we are forced to drive on petroleum products, and, frankly, we are glad to do so. The variety of excellent models with internal combustion engines is still much wider than the choice of electric vehicles. Yes, the first and much cheaper.

Liquid fuel and internal combustion engines running on it appeared at the end of the 19th century and to this day completely dominate the automotive industry. The cars trace their lineage back to the first production model produced by the German Karl Benz in 1885. It has still not been possible to invent a more affordable vehicle with sufficient range and power.

The cheapest gasoline in the world is in Venezuela: the price of a liter is 60 kopecks. In Turkmenistan - 16 rubles. In Kuwait, Iran, Algeria and Egypt - about 20 rubles.

Oil and gas have long become a resource over which wars are fought and strategic partnerships between countries are determined. The presence or absence of these minerals influences the course of development of any country, sometimes to a greater extent than historical heritage, cultural values, political system or military power. And every country dreams of getting rid of such dependence. This applies not only to resource-poor Central Europe, but also to rich Norway and the super-rich United Arab Emirates. All countries in the world have embarked on a course of abandoning fossil fuels. Russia, unfortunately, has serious problems in this area.

It's not just how hard each drop in oil prices hits our economy. And not only that as resources are depleted and oil exporters switch to other energy sources, not only our economy will suffer, but also the country’s influence on the world stage. Perhaps the most troubling factor for the country is that the oil windfalls of the 1970s and 2000s were poorly invested. The short bursts of economic development ended the same way both times: the money was spent plugging holes and eventually simply evaporated. The most recent example: the reserve and stabilization funds created in the last decade, starting from 2014, were mostly eaten away, and by the beginning of 2021 the reserve fund ceased to exist.

The most expensive gasoline in the world is in Hong Kong, Scandinavia, Monaco and Iceland, the price of a liter is about 114 rubles.

What is happening to gasoline prices in Russia?

The Federal Antimonopoly Service names a shocking figure: the Russian retail price of gasoline consists of 65% taxes. That is, without them, a liter of 92 would now cost a little more than 13 rubles. At the same time, the tax burden on fuel costs not only does not decrease, but is constantly growing. Over the past two years, the state has systematically increased the mineral extraction tax, and from January 1, 2021, excise taxes on finished fuel - gasoline and diesel fuel - were once again increased.

There are other reasons for the continued rise in prices. In recent years, several oil refineries have been shut down for repairs and maintenance. There is also a lack of free capacity to store reserves.

In addition, many motorists are convinced that oil companies are conspiring against citizens. And there is evidence of this! FAS has recorded a huge number of violations of antimonopoly legislation. From 2008 to 2021, more than 460 cases were considered on regional petroleum products markets, as well as three waves of cases involving violations of legislation on the wholesale market: the five largest oil companies paid fines of 20.7 billion rubles, Vedomosti writes.

A few weeks ago, a viral text began to spread on social networks, proposing a mass boycott of gas station chains owned by the largest fuel producers. They say that if for a month or two thousand motorists begin to put pressure on the main gas stations in their region, the latter will be forced to reduce prices, and this will push smaller players. It is difficult to count on the success of this action.

Natural gas can serve as an alternative to petroleum products. Firstly, a gasoline engine can run on gas, which is cheaper, without major modifications, and the power drop is only about 10%. Secondly, its reserves are still much larger. Russia ranks first in the world in reserves and second in the world in production (after the United States). Russian reserves should last for 80 years. But this is based on current and projected spending volumes. And if you switch all of the world’s transport to fossil gas, then you won’t be able to extend the life of internal combustion engines much. The auto industry does not seriously rely on gas.

Artificial gas

There are interesting projects to create artificial gas similar to natural gas. The Audi brand invested in one of these developments several years ago. The essence of the technology is that an industrial installation running on electricity produces hydrogen from water by electrolysis, and then the hydrogen combines with CO2 from the atmosphere and turns into CH4 (methane) - what we used to call natural gas. But since electricity is still primary in this chain, it is more efficient to power electric vehicles with it, without the expense of synthesizing fuel.

Prospects: yes, but not for long. The auto industry will abandon liquid fuels without waiting for oil reserves to deplete. Already in 2030, a complete ban on the production of cars with internal combustion engines may come into force in Germany, and many other European countries are preparing similar measures. Even the Chinese government has already announced plans to completely phase out gasoline and diesel fuel, although without specific deadlines.

In the near future, the fleet of gasoline and diesel cars will only increase. This also applies to gas-powered vehicles. By the way, in Russia the fleet of such models, which currently amounts to only 150 thousand units, is expected to double by 2021, according to the forecast of the Ministry of Energy.

Where does low-quality fuel come from?

Gasoline, “diluted with donkey urine,” worried our fellow citizens back in the days of the film “Gentlemen of Fortune” (1971). The problem continues into the 21st century. For a long time, foreign manufacturers generally refused to supply diesel modifications to us, since the quality of such fuel was too unstable throughout the country. The problem is recognized at the state level. At the end of 2021, Rosstandart announced the data of its inspections: more than 20% of petroleum product supply bases deal with “bodied” fuel.

The origin of low-quality fuel is explained as follows. “There are mini-refineries, and at this stage the system fails,” said Deputy Head of Rosstandart Alexey Kudryashov. — A product of unknown origin produced by these refineries, which often produce fuel from stolen oil, without a quality control system, without documents, is delivered to petroleum product supply bases, and there a mixture of good fuel with fuel of unknown origin occurs. Then this mixture is sent to gas stations with documents from large refineries, including a quality certificate, without final control at the bases.”

Alcohol

In our country, ethanol is not produced as a vehicle fuel, but it is an actively developing industry in the world.
Since 2007, production volumes have doubled, reaching 97 billion liters per year. The lion's share falls on the USA and Brazil. Together they account for 87% of global production. In the third part of the film "Back to the Future", the heroes, left without fuel, first of all bought the strongest alcohol they could find and poured it into the DeLorean's gas tank. The engine convulsed for several seconds and then gave up the ghost. That's right: a regular gasoline engine is not capable of running on pure alcohol, although a mixture of gasoline and alcohol (where there is no more than 15% alcohol) quite successfully digests it. And if the engine initially has a so-called multi-fuel design (flex-fuel), then gasoline and alcohol can be poured into it in any proportions, even pure. This option is a completely working alternative to traditional cars. True, only in certain parts of the globe.

The alcohol used as fuel is called "bioethanol", although it is the same C2H5OH that people drink. The first production car to run on ethanol was the Fiat 147, released in 1978 in Brazil. To this day, it is in Brazil that alcohol-powered cars are most widespread. This is explained very simply: it is most profitable to make ethanol from sugar cane, and in this country the conditions for its production are the most suitable. In the USA, bioethanol is made from corn, but it is less efficient and simply more expensive.

You could say that in Brazil they fill their cars with rum, and in the USA - with bourbon.

For flex-fuel machines, bioethanol E85 is most often used, which contains 85% alcohol and 15% gasoline. The price of a liter of such fuel in America is 31 rubles, and gasoline costs about the same as here. Fuel grades E5, E7 and E10 (they contain 5%, 7% and 10% ethanol) are also widely used. This fuel is used to fuel ordinary cars.

Prospects: mixed. In principle, alcohol can be made from any plant material, and this is a guarantee that internal combustion engines will continue to live long after the oil and gas are exhausted. But it all depends on the area under cultivation and climate. In Europe, the cost of bioethanol is two and a half times higher than in Brazil, and there is no excess acreage on any continent. Due to the production of bioethanol, food prices are already rising. And environmentalists are rebelling: they say that those areas that until recently were tropical forests are being used for cultivation. But there is also a positive aspect for nature: burning ethanol produces significantly less greenhouse gas CO2 than burning gasoline.

Biodiesel

Global production volumes of artificial diesel fuel have long been estimated at billions of liters per year, but in Russia such an industry exists only at the idea stage.
Vegetable oils turned out to be suitable raw materials for the synthesis of fuel, very similar in characteristics to conventional diesel fuel. Biodiesel can be poured into the tank of diesel vehicles in pure form or mixed with regular diesel. To operate on this fuel, the engine does not require any modifications.

In Europe, biodiesel is made from rapeseed, in the USA - from soybeans, in Asia - from palm or coconut oil. At the government level, biodiesel is supported in many countries and even prohibits the sale of diesel fuel in its pure form! A small percentage of biodiesel is contained in diesel in Europe, some US states, and in India recently - 20% biodiesel + ethanol.

In Russia there is no state program for the development of biodiesel fuel, but in some regions the authorities promise to support the construction of plants for the production of such fuel.

Prospects: expensive and insufficient. From an environmental point of view, this is a very beneficial fuel: the amount of CO2 produced during combustion is approximately equal to the amount that was consumed from the atmosphere by plants - those that are the raw material for biodiesel. Moreover, in the event of an accident during transportation, the release of biodiesel into water does not harm either plants or animals. But acreage is limited, and the retail price is higher than that of any other type of fuel. For example, in the USA, biodiesel is almost one and a half times more expensive than gasoline!

Electricity

The total capacity of Russian electricity generation is just over 1% of the global total.
For comparison: China - about 6%, USA - about 5%. The electric car appeared on the roads earlier than the car with an internal combustion engine. The first usable electric car was the carriage of the English inventor Thomas Parker in 1884. The idea was taken up by many: an electric motor is much simpler in design than a steam and internal combustion engine, and the speeds of electric vehicles are higher. But it came down to the batteries. The lack of sufficiently capacious and compact batteries slowed down the development of this field for more than 100 years. But now electric cars have become the auto industry's main hope. There is probably no country in the world that does not plan to gradually replace the current vehicle fleet with electric vehicles.

Serial electric vehicles

The first large-scale electric vehicles were the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Nissan Leaf, which entered the market in 2010. To this day, the Leaf holds the title of the most popular electric car in history, although it is now surpassed in annual sales by the Tesla Model S. This car played a historical role. With its release, it became clear that electric cars do not have to remain boring small cars for environmentalists. Tesla means speed and excellent handling, a richly decorated interior and advanced autopilot technologies. But the excitement around electric vehicles is still premature: such vehicles account for less than 1% of global sales.

The railway and urban public transport switched mainly to electricity in the depths of the 20th century. The efficiency of electricity leaves no doubt. At a minimum, because the efficiency of the electric motor is about 90%, and the motor itself is very reliable. Electricity is cheaper than other types of fuel, and the prospects for the global electric power industry, to put it mildly, are better than those for oil production. But it's only in recent years that electric cars have made their presence known. The batteries have finally matured. The actual range is still close to satisfactory (300–500 km). Although the charging time is still quite long.

Prospects: there is no alternative. Even though electric cars are emission-free, the environmental benefits of these cars are often criticized. Everyone is scared of nuclear energy (and we can’t do without it). The production of batteries is not at all harmless, and their disposal is an even more problematic topic. However, there appears to be no long-term alternative to electricity.

Hydrogen

Widespread production of hydrogen for transport has not been developed anywhere in the world.
In addition, there is no infrastructure for its storage and delivery to consumers. If hydrogen is burned in an internal combustion engine, it is incredibly expensive. A liter of hydrogen costs 500 rubles, and the consumption is three times higher compared to gasoline. Moreover, hydrogen is so highly volatile that half a car tank inevitably evaporates in about 10 days. Taking into account the fact that a hydrogen internal combustion engine is also more complex in design than a gasoline one, the cost of operating such a machine is 100 times higher than its gasoline counterpart. Nevertheless, some manufacturers produce such models in small batches. Let's say, in 2007–2008, a hydrogen (more precisely, bi-fuel) BMW “seven” was produced based on the flagship 12-cylinder gasoline modification 760i. They asked for $118,000.

In any case, there are a lot of problems with hydrogen due to its explosiveness. With the slightest leak, and even more so with a serious accident, a hydrogen explosion will be much more powerful than a gasoline explosion.

But besides burning hydrogen, there is a more efficient option for using it. There are manufacturers pinning their hopes on cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Many similar experimental models have been created. The essence of the design is that a special installation produces electricity from hydrogen directly on board the car. That is, this is, in fact, an electric car that does not need to be charged, but refueled with gas. But practice has shown that batteries are more profitable.

Prospects: vague. A complete abandonment of the idea of ​​using hydrogen has not yet occurred, but any mass distribution of such developments is a big question.

Firewood

Our country contains 25% of the world's timber reserves and 5.5% of coal.
This is not only the first type of automobile fuel in history, but also the longest-lived. Cars powered by wood (or, as they are beautifully called, “cars with gas generators”) are still widespread in North Korea and China, and in China this area even has state support. It is curious that it was in China that the world's first steam-powered vehicle was created. In 1672, such a machine appeared with the Chinese emperor, however, it was a toy. It was impossible to ride on this device. But the three-wheeled cart with a steam engine, created by the Frenchman Nicolas Cugnot in 1770, was already a fully functional truck and tractor for cannons. The vehicle's carrying capacity was 4 tons, and the maximum speed was 4 km/h.

The principle of operation of a steam engine probably does not require explanation, but gas-generating cars are not so simple. Such a car is driven by the familiar internal combustion engine, but it only consumes a special gas (a mixture of CO and hydrogen), which is obtained directly on board from firewood, coal or coal briquettes. Solid fuel burns in a closed furnace under conditions of limited air supply, and the combustion products, after passing through coolers, are supplied to the internal combustion engine.

The efficiency of the gas generator (separate from the internal combustion engine) is very high - 75–80%. At the same time, the internal combustion engine, powered by the generated gas, develops almost the same power as when powered by gasoline or diesel. By the way, a gas-generating vehicle retains the ability to operate on liquid fuel.

Trucks with a gas generator were common in our country. In the 30s and 40s they were used in remote areas for logging (to put it bluntly, in the Gulag). Tens of thousands of such machines were used in the country.

Prospects: none. Using coal as a fuel for transport is economically ineffective, and wood is also destructive for the environment. Also, the problem of Russian coal reserves is that two thirds of them are unsuitable for development, since they are located in permafrost zones. Finally, the gas generator furnace and coolers are a very bulky structure.

What will happen to the global vehicle fleet?

In short: it will grow at a tremendous pace. Now its volume is about a billion cars. Motorization in the countries of the Asia-Pacific region is so active that, according to some forecasts, over the next 30 years the global vehicle fleet will grow to two billion vehicles. Even if these expectations are not met, sales volumes in China are already setting records year after year. In 2021, 28.8 million cars were sold in China.

In the US, last year ended with a 1.7% decline in sales (the first drop since 2009). But in absolute terms it is still a gigantic market: 17.2 million cars sold per year. Let us recall that the Russian market, despite 14 percent growth, did not reach 1.6 million units. For comparison: in the record year of 2012, more than 2.9 million were sold.

Around the world, about 80 million cars are sold annually, and if you look at this in the context of the topic of our article, then no displacement of cars with internal combustion engines is happening in reality yet. They account for more than 99% of the current market. New trends should strengthen in the third decade of the century, that is, in a couple of years. And then, before our eyes, the largest transport revolution since the invention of the gasoline car will begin to take place.

Modern economical technologies

With the help of modern technologies we can achieve the most economical home heating. But we still classify these technologies as unreasonable, because their payback period is quite long. From 10 years and above.

This technology includes a heat pump. With the help of earthly resources, it is capable of producing at least 4 times more energy than it consumes itself. If you need a boiler for your home with a power of 20 kW, then a heat pump with a power of only 5 kW will be suitable for heating. The heat pump runs on electricity. The pump also costs 3-4 times more than a first-class gas boiler with high efficiency.

Solar collectors can be used for heating. There is no energy consumption required at all. When properly installed, solar collectors can heat heated floors and provide you with the necessary amount of hot water. But again, it all comes down to finances.

Our future lies in these technologies. The moment will come when both a heat pump and a solar collector will become available to everyone.

As a result, we get that using a warm floor + temperature control + a heat pump (or collector) we can get truly the most economical home heating.

If you are looking far ahead and are confident that you can afford such expenses, then you definitely will not regret having all this installed at home.

Additional ways to save

Additional heating savings can be obtained by installing control equipment:

1. If you have radiators, thermostatic heads will not be amiss. They are installed on the radiator supply instead of conventional valves. They perform a simple function - at the desired temperature in the room, they shut off the supply, and when the room cools down, they open it back up. The adjustment is only relevant for heating systems with forced circulation
2. If you have heated floors, then it would be a good idea to install a manifold with servo drives and install a thermostat in each room. The servo drive is interfaced with the thermostat and when the required temperature in the room is reached, it shuts off the coolant supply to the heated floor circuit

These two life hacks allow you to achieve additional savings on heating.