What is the average gas consumption when heating with propane?

Review of imported and Russian manufacturers of propane boilers

To begin with, let’s make a reservation that before purchasing you should find out about the parameters (technical characteristics) by which boilers of this type are usually selected.

1. Power. It depends on it whether the equipment will heat the entire area of ​​the building and whether it will provide the required amount of hot water.
2. Boiler type. According to the method of installation, there are wall-mounted and floor-standing boilers, according to the type of combustion chamber - open and closed, and if it is possible to provide hot water - single-circuit and double-circuit.
3. Gas pressure. The passport of the heating unit must indicate the minimum value of gas pressure in the range of 3-4 mbar. After all, the lower the indicator, the greater the volume of gas will be released from the cylinders.
4. Gas consumption. To generate 1 kW of heat, a cylinder boiler consumes about 0.12 kg/h. It turns out that for a heat generator with a power of 15 kW, fuel consumption will be about 1.7 kg/h. These figures are conditional, because the intensity of liquefied gas consumption depends on many nuances (equipment efficiency, power, level of automation, outside air, required temperature in the house, heat loss of the building, need for hot water).
5. Efficiency The operation of the equipment will be more economical and efficient if the efficiency is higher. On the market you can choose gas boilers with an efficiency of 90 to 94%.

Before purchasing liquefied gas boilers, calculations are carried out that show the profitability of the installation, as well as the features of maintenance and operation of the heating system.

The average monthly consumption of liquefied gas for heating a house of 150 m² is about 841.5 liters per month.

Boilers operating on liquefied gas, Russian-made and foreign-made, differ in prices. Many companies offer heating devices that can be switched to run on liquefied gas.

Brands of gas heating boilers:

• Italian brand "Baxi";
• Protherm (Slovakia);
• Zhukovsky Machine-Building Plant (ZhMZ) produces two types of gas boilers - AKGV and AOGV;
• Factory Conord.

Thus, heating a private house, cottage or bathhouse using a boiler running on liquefied gas is a good alternative to other heating options. Moreover, this type of fuel is widespread almost everywhere.

Propane use

The substance has the formula C3H8 and belongs to the low-toxic category with a specific odor. Air becomes explosive if it contains a concentration of butane vapor of 1.8 - 9.1%, propane - 2.3 - 9.5%, the pressure is 0.1 MPa at a temperature of +15 to + 20 ° C. Propane ignites spontaneously at +470°C, butane – +405°C.

Chemical and physical properties of propane:

• molecular weight – 44.097 kg/kmol, molecular volume – 21.997 m3/kmol;
• liquefied gas consumption per 1 kW of heat is 0.16 dm3 (liter);
• gas density at 0°C – 2.0037 kg/m3, at +20° – 1.87 kg/m3;
• density in the liquid phase – 528 kg/m3;
• the volume of air required for combustion of 1 cubic meter is 23.8 m3.

Despite the higher cost, liquefied gas fuel is more convenient to use. It turns into a liquid state and can be stored that way. To save natural methane, it is required to compress it under a pressure of 200-250 atm, and transportation in a liquefied form is possible only at cryogenic temperatures (below 120 K).

Centralized gas pipeline

The gas pipeline supplies natural gas. The construction of a centralized pipeline requires certain costs, so methane is used by residents of densely populated regions and areas with large volumes of consumption. The suburban population does not always have access to a gas pipeline and fuel is delivered to them in cylinders.

The main line is built from steel pipes with a diameter of up to 1.42 m and is designed for pressure up to 10 MPa. The pipelines carry about 55–60 billion cubic meters of gas per year. Highways are laid underground or on the surface. The comprehensive service includes compressor points, cleaning and drying stations, and gas distribution points.

Gas tanks

Gas tanks
For continuous supply of LPG, underground and above-ground gas tanks are used, which are installed in a multi-storey sector or on the territory of a private housing estate. From the tank, fuel is supplied to apartments and houses and used to heat the room.

Gas tanks have a monitoring system and record the filling of the sump. The sensor determines the gas reserve and transmits a signal to the service when the fuel level in the tank decreases to 30%. The operator sends a tanker to fill the tank.

Liquid that has not turned into a gaseous state constantly accumulates at the bottom of the gas tank; the tank requires cleaning. The storage facilities are convenient to use because they provide a continuous supply of fuel.

Cylinders

Bottled gas is used for home heating if residents do not regularly visit their country house in winter. Propane or its mixture with butane is supplied in containers. The downside is the increase in fuel costs when moving away from the product supplier. A standard propane tank holds 22 kg of gas and weighs 19 kg. Composite containers are used, they are lighter, but more expensive.

Gas cylinder parameters:

• unit length 28 – 95 cm;
• diameter – 20 – 30 cm;
• wall thickness – 3 – 4 mm;
• weight – 4 – 22 kg.

Using statistics, you can calculate how much gas is needed to heat 80 square meters of home. In mild cold weather, heating such an area requires 2 forty-liter cylinders when using antifreeze in the heating system. This is 25–30% higher than gas costs with centralized supplies. It is allowed to combine cylinders of 15 pieces in a closed metal cabinet.

Gas consumption calculation method

Let us calculate the gas consumption for heating a house with an area of ​​approximately 100-140 m2. The main parameter is the minimum permissible gas pressure in the boiler.

Direct calculation of liquefied gas consumption

Since the cylinder (depending on the refiller and the season) contains from 35 to 42 liters. gas (on average 22 kg), then refilling will cost you approximately 12 - 20 rubles. per liter, which will be 420 - 840 rubles. per cylinder.

Conventional liquefied gas cylinders

With an average boiler consumption of 0.12 kg of gas/hour per 1 kW of heat for a 12-15 kW boiler, the gas consumption rate for heating will be about 1.2-1.7 kg/hour.

This power is quite enough to heat a room with an area of ​​100-140 m2.

If our boiler functioned at maximum all the time, the consumption would be:

1.7*24=40.8 kg of gas, or almost 2 cylinders per day

The amount will be

(420 – 840)*2 = 840 – 1680 RUR,

And this is naturally not beneficial for the owner.

But since gas heating boilers, with proper settings, selection of all components of the system and the absence of large heat leaks, consume many times less gas (about 3-4 times), then to maintain an acceptable temperature throughout the house, gas costs are significantly reduced.

Calculation results for the week

Therefore, in a house with an area of ​​100-140 m2, normally insulated, with windows of good quality, without obvious cracks and cracks, at an outside temperature of -18 -23 degrees, and inside the house about 21-23 degrees, the average gas consumption for heating the house will be about 10-13 kg in one day (half a regular cylinder).

Gas holder - an alternative to conventional cylinders

This means that gas consumption for heating is 1 standard cylinder for 2 days. From the experience of those who have been using such a heating system for a long time, it is clear that at 21-23 degrees in the house and the presence of hot water in the bathroom and kitchen, you will use only 3-4 gas cylinders per week (1700-3300 rubles).

Methods and ways to reduce costs

There are instructions and many videos on the Internet on how to reduce costs. As the calculation of gas consumption for heating shows, the total cost reaches 3000 rubles.

But it can be significantly reduced. To do this, you can install an automatic system that reduces the temperature at night, during your sleep (naturally, the amount of gas burned is also reduced).

Those who have already acquired such systems confirm that if from 12-00 at night to 8 a.m. the temperature is lowered by 6-7 degrees, this will reduce gas costs by about one third.

This means that you will consume only two cylinders of gas per week (RUB 840-1,700).

But this is not the limit. You don’t have to buy automatic equipment and regulate the gas supply yourself at night.

This will reduce the cost of wiring hoses, and you can make a box for cylinders yourself or order it. Two options for cylinder locations are shown in the photo

Calculation of gas consumption and costs for the heating season

As can be seen from the previous calculation and based on ways to reduce the cost of heating a house with automation, it takes about 10 cylinders per month.

For example, if you go to the dacha only on weekends and holidays, then over the entire heating season (from October to April) there are 30-35 days - a little more than a month.

Valliant LPG boiler

Let's calculate the consumption of liquefied gas for heating the house for the entire season.

1. Calculation without the use of automation (temperature +22, does not decrease at night)

(З0-35)/2=15-17 cylinders per season

(15-17)*840=12600-14280 per season

2. Calculation with an automatic timer (night temperature drops to 12-15 degrees)

(10-11)*840=8400-9240 per season

The difference is over $100.

Gas consumption for heating a house 100 m²

The nominal gas consumption for heating a house of 100 m², for a month or for the entire heating period, if the system has already been installed and has been in operation for a long time, is quite simple to calculate - it will be enough to take meter readings at the beginning and end of the month throughout the year, sum them up, and then calculate arithmetic mean parameter. It’s another matter if you need to find out this data at the stage of drawing up a house project in order to select an economical and efficient energy source and appropriate heating equipment.

Gas consumption for heating a house 100 m²

Therefore, the question of how to correctly determine the weighted average gas consumption for heating a building of a given area is so important. There are several options for carrying out such calculations.

The procedure for carrying out calculations for heating with network gas supply

Natural gas supplied to consumers through utility networks is today the most optimal energy carrier for organizing a heating system for private housing. This is due to the low price of fuel, the absence of the need to create reserves, and the fairly high efficiency of modern gas equipment.

Naturally, when choosing a gas boiler for heating a house, you need to focus on its power, since not only the efficiency of the entire heating system, but also energy consumption will depend on it. However, gas consumption is affected not only, and not so much by the boiler power, but by many other factors that should also be taken into account. These include the climatic conditions of the region of residence, the design features of the building itself, the area and height of the ceilings of heated rooms, the quality of insulation of building structures, the number and type of windows and other important parameters.

The required power of the heating system depends, in addition to the area of ​​the premises, on a number of other factors

It should be understood that the nameplate power of the boiler shows its maximum capabilities, which, of course, must be higher than the required characteristics. So, for example, after carrying out calculations of the required thermal power for heating a house, the optimal model of the heating device is always selected with higher performance. For example, if as a result of calculations it is determined that the heating system requires 12 - 13 kW, then the owner will probably select a boiler with a power of about 15 - 16 kW.

All this is being said now in order to clarify: it would be erroneous to rely only on the characteristics specified in the technical documentation of the boiler when making a preliminary calculation of gas consumption for heating and planned expenses. The list of product parameters usually shows gas consumption (m³/hour), but this, again, is to achieve the power declared by the manufacturer. If we take these indicators as a basis, the total results may seem daunting!

But correctly calculating at least the approximate gas consumption is necessary not only to make sure that it is the most economical fuel, but also to determine what measures can be taken to reduce consumption, and therefore reduce regular payments for it.

The main indicator with which to start calculations is, rather, not the declared power of the heating device, which is still unlikely to be used “to its fullest,” but the necessary thermal power for high-quality heating of the house and replenishing its heat losses.

Very often, the basis for such thermal calculations is the ratio of 1 kW of thermal energy per 10 m² of heated room. This approach is, of course, very convenient for calculations, but still does not fully reflect the real conditions of a particular home and region of residence.

It is better to make a more thorough calculation, taking into account the main factors influencing the required thermal power. Doing this is quite easy if you use the technique presented on our portal.

How to independently calculate the required thermal power?

An accessible method for carrying out independent calculations is given in the portal publication dedicated to electric heating boilers .

Let the reader not be confused by the fact that the recommended article is devoted to electric boilers - the algorithm for calculating power does not change at all.

The value obtained as a result of the calculations will become the “starting point” for determining the average gas consumption for heating.

For further calculations, you will need a formula that takes into account the energy potential inherent in the “blue fuel”, that is, the amount of heat that is released during the combustion of one cubic meter of gas.

V = Q / (Н i × η i)

Let's decipher the notation:

• V is the desired value, that is, gas consumption to obtain a certain amount of thermal energy, m³/hour.
• Q is the required thermal power, W/h, to ensure comfortable indoor conditions.

How to calculate it has already been decided. But again there is an important point to make. As can be seen from the calculation conditions, the resulting value will be the maximum, calculated for the most unfavorable conditions of the coldest ten-day period of the year. In reality, there will not be so many such periods during the entire heating season, and the boiler with a well-planned heating system never works constantly. And since our goal is to determine the average, and not the peak, gas consumption, it would not be a big mistake to take the average value of the generated power as 50% of the calculated one. Again, not to be confused with the rated capacity of the heating boiler.

• Н i – specific lower heat of combustion of gas. This is a calculated tabular value that corresponds to existing standards. So, for network gas it is taken equal to:

Pay attention to the type of gas. The G20 is most often used in household networks. But gas of the same second group, but of the G25 type, characterized by a high nitrogen content, can also be used. Naturally, its energy potential is less. If you don’t know what type is used in your network, it’s easy to check with your regional gas supply organization.

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One more nuance. There is one more value in the table - Hs . This is the so-called highest value of the heat of combustion of gas. The point is that the water vapor produced during gas combustion also has latent thermal energy, and if it is used, the overall return from the fuel naturally increases. It is this principle that is applied in the new generation of boilers - condensing boilers, in which about 10% of the heat is removed by converting steam into a liquid state of aggregation. That is, this indicator can be taken as a basis when calculating for heating systems with boilers of this type.

The specific heat of combustion is indicated in joules, but for the calculation to be correct it must be converted to watts. The ratio is as follows:

1 kW = 3.6 MJ

In our case it turns out:

• ηi is the efficiency coefficient of the boiler, that is, a value showing how efficiently in a particular model the thermal energy obtained from gas combustion is spent precisely on heating the coolant.

This is the nameplate value of the product. In modern boiler models, it can also be indicated by two values ​​- by the highest and lowest calorific value of gas, through the fraction sign: Hs / Hi, for example, 92.3 / 84%. Naturally, you can choose a value that corresponds to the actual operating conditions of the boiler. But, as a rule, for a reliable calculation, “without embellishing” the capabilities of the equipment, the value for the Hi mode should be taken.

So, all the data for the calculation is known - and you can proceed to practical calculations. Let's look at an example:

Suppose it was calculated that for efficient heating of a particular house with an area of ​​100 m², 9.4 kW of thermal energy is needed. Network gas - G20. Boiler efficiency is 0.88. It is required to determine the average gas consumption for heating.

As already mentioned, to determine the average flow rate, the required thermal power can be divided by two, that is, we take 9.4 / 2 = 4.7 kW

V = 4.7 / (9.45 × 0.88) = 0.565 m³/hour

From here it is easy to calculate daily consumption, for a month and for the entire heating period:

• The average consumption per day is 0.565 × 24 = 13.56 m³;
• On average per month – 13.56 × 30.5 = 413.71 m³;
• The heating season in different regions may differ in duration. But, for example, let's take 7 months:

413.71 × 7 = 2896 m³

Knowing the price of one cubic meter of gas, you can roughly plan your “accounting” for the upcoming heating season.

Once again, it should be emphasized that the resulting consumption value per hour is very average. Of course, at the peak of winter frosts it will be higher, but then it will “recoup” in the autumn or spring months, during thaws or during periods of stable, normal weather for the region.

To make the task easier for the reader, we will post a calculator that will help determine the average hourly, daily and monthly consumption of natural gas. It will then be easy to calculate the total costs, taking into account the approximate length of the heating season in the region and the price level for “blue fuel”.

Calculator for calculating average network gas consumption for heating needs

Go to calculations

Calculation of liquefied gas consumption

It is comfortable and profitable to use gas supplied through a centralized gas pipeline. However, this possibility does not always exist, since, unfortunately, gas pipelines are not laid in all settlements, or they run far enough from the built house, and the owners do not have the financial ability to pay for the connection. Therefore, some homeowners use liquefied gas, delivered and stored in cylinders or gas tanks, which are filled by special delivery services for this fuel.

Sometimes the optimal solution is to use imported liquefied gas

Gas holders are tanks designed for storing gaseous substances, including liquefied gas, in large quantities. These containers are usually installed in pits specially prepared for them and buried with earth; only the manhole cover remains on the surface, through which the reservoir is filled with gas.

Storage for liquefied gas - gas holder

If liquefied gas from cylinders is used, then several containers with fuel can be connected to the intra-house wiring.

Cylinders connected to the in-house gas distribution

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The calculations are, in principle, similar to what was described above, but there are also some differences. They mainly relate to the aggregate state of the fuel, since consumption in this case will be expressed in kilograms or liters.

To calculate the consumption of liquefied petroleum gas, you need to know some of its significant physical characteristics:

• The density of fuel type G30 (propane-butane mixture SPBT) is 0.524 kg/l.
• The specific heat of combustion is taken to be 45.2 MJ/kg.

Gas cylinders used in domestic conditions can have different volumes, but mainly 50 liter containers are used for heating. In order to comply with safety requirements, they are usually filled only 80-85%, that is, each cylinder holds about 40-42.5 liters of liquefied gas.

It turns out that with liters the calculation will be somewhat clearer, so the value of the specific heat of combustion should be reduced to liters.

We get 23.68 MJ/liter .

We convert into the watts we need:

23.68 / 3.6 = 6.58 kW/l

• So, to calculate the consumption of liquefied gas for heating per 100 square meters. m of house area, for the same example as given above (average power of 4.7 kW, heating boiler efficiency - 0.88), we will use the already known formula, but with the values ​​​​already converted to liters:

V = Q / (Hi × ηi)

V = 4.7 / (6.58 × 0.88) = 0.81 l/hour

Next, everything is as in the previous example:

• Average daily consumption:

0.81 × 24 = 19,48

This value gives reason to assume that one cylinder with a filling capacity of 42 liters. will be enough for heating purposes for a little more than two days (about 52 hours), but without taking into account the possible consumption of gas for other needs, for example, for cooking.

• Monthly heating costs will be:

19.48 × 30.5 = 594.16 l. , that is, a little more than 14 filled cylinders.

• For seven months of the heating season, the total consumption can be:

594.16 × 7 = 4160 liters of liquefied gas, or almost 100 standard 50-liter cylinders with normal filling.

This is, of course, a fairly large amount of fuel, and it will not be cheap, especially taking into account transportation costs and the need for proper storage organization. However, this approach can be more preferable and economical compared to electric heating or using solid or liquid fuel boiler equipment.

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A special calculator is also available to calculate liquefied gas consumption:

Calculator for calculating liquefied gas consumption for heating needs

Go to calculations

How can you reduce average gas consumption?

Heating costs can be reduced, first of all, through high-quality insulation of all house structures, since they can cause significant heat loss, leading to inefficient consumption of the thermal energy generated by the boiler.

The key to an economical heating system is high-quality insulation of all elements of the house

In this diagram you can clearly see how heat can flow out of the house. Thus, an uninsulated floor, as well as entrance doors, transmit up to 14÷15%, walls 23÷25%, a roof 13%, and windows with poor-quality frames - even up to 30÷35% of the heat generated by the boiler. This process is often said figuratively that the street has to be heated. The more significant the heat loss, the more money paid for heating will be wasted.

Heat loss distribution diagram for building structures

To reduce these costs, it seems advisable to invest once in high-quality thermal insulation of the house, which will certainly recoup all expenses for it within a few years. To do this, it is necessary to think through and organize the insulation of floors, walls, attic floors and, preferably, the roof, as well as replace windows and doors with modern models that provide high energy savings.

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Wall insulation

Whatever material is used to build the walls, up to 25% of the heat escapes through them. Therefore, they require mandatory insulation. Nowadays, there are a considerable number of materials for thermal insulation of enclosing structures, and there should be no problems with the choice.

There are many available technologies for high-quality wall insulation

Among the most affordable and easy to install is polystyrene foam, which is most often used for these purposes. Expanded polystyrene panels are produced in various thicknesses, and they are selected according to this parameter depending on the thickness of the external walls of the house and the material from which they were built.

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Another fairly popular heat insulator, especially for insulating wooden houses, is mineral wool, which is also easy to attach to walls, and it gives an excellent insulating effect. True, the price of this material is slightly higher than that of ordinary foam.

Any of the insulation is covered from the outside with finishing material. For this purpose, decorative lining, siding, and other types of facade panels are used, or thermal insulation is finished with a reinforced plaster layer using “wet facade” technology.

How to insulate the walls of a wooden house?

One of the options is to use high-quality mineral wool with further finishing according to the principle of a ventilated facade. How to insulate a wooden house with mineral wool under siding is described in detail in a separate publication on our portal.

Insulation of attic floors and roofs

Heated air from heat exchange devices (radiators, convectors) rises, and if the ceiling does not have sufficient thermal insulation, it quickly cools down, coming into contact with the cold ceiling, wasting precious energy on unnecessary heating of the ceiling. Therefore, the attic floor requires good insulation.

Effective thermal insulation of floors and roofs will help reduce heat loss

For this purpose, different materials are used, which can be mounted both from the inside and from above, between the floor beams. This can be the same polystyrene foam or mineral wool or ecowool, sawdust or shavings, etc.

Prices for polystyrene foam insulation

polystyrene foam insulation

Sprayed polyurethane foam has an excellent insulating effect, which can also be used to insulate roof slopes. The only problem with its use may be that its spraying requires special equipment and certain work skills, so you will have to invite a team of specialists.

Attic floor insulated with sprayed polyurethane foam

The remaining thermal insulation materials can easily be used independently, since their installation does not involve any impossible technological operations.

Roof insulation is an important condition for a comfortable microclimate in a private home

How to insulate a roof in a wooden house - the link will take the reader to the corresponding publication on our portal.

Insulation of floors

It is recommended to insulate the floors in the house immediately during the construction stage. Moreover, both concrete and wooden floors require thermal insulation. There can also be many options in this matter.

For example, to insulate wooden floors, dry backfills (expanded clay), slabs of mineral wool or expanded polystyrene are used, which are placed between the joists under the finishing coating.

The wooden floor is insulated with mineral wool

The same materials, subject to certain technological rules, can be laid on a concrete base, followed by pouring a screed.

Both wooden and concrete coverings can serve as the basis for the installation of a “warm floor” system

Floor insulation with polystyrene foam

One of the options for thermal insulation of the floor is the use of polystyrene foam panels. insulation of the floor with penoplex under the screed yourself .

Window replacement

An important point in maintaining heat inside the house and reducing fuel consumption is replacing old windows, since it is through them that the most significant heat losses occur.

High-quality double-glazed windows will help you comfortably survive even the most severe winter frosts.

The best option, which will become a reliable shield between indoor heat and winter cold, will be modern PVC windows with high-quality double-glazed windows of one type or another. Such models almost hermetically cover the window opening and protect the house not only from heat loss, but also from street noise.

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Other ways to reduce fuel consumption

In addition to high-quality insulation of building elements, you should consider other possibilities that may affect the reduction of fuel consumption.

Among them are the following:

• Installation of convectors with directed circulation of heated air, in addition to heating from radiators. Convector devices are capable of creating thermal curtains for windows and doors that will prevent cold air from entering the premises.
• Installation of modern equipment with the ability to program optimal heating modes for individual rooms of the house and over time. Some rooms are empty at certain times of the day or even days of the week, and there is no point in heating the room intensely when no one is in it.
• Heating radiators in each room must be optimally positioned and connected to increase the efficiency of their heat output. It is advisable to equip them with thermostatic devices that will allow you to maintain the desired temperature in the room.

A simple device, but it helps save thermal energy

Prices for convectors

convectors

In order for the heat from the radiator to be directed into the room and not go into the wall, it is recommended to attach foil insulating material behind each radiator, which will act as a reflective screen.

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What is important to know about heating radiators?

The efficiency of the heating system is influenced by the type of radiators and the correct installation of them in the premises of the house. A lot of useful information on these issues can be gleaned from the article on our portal dedicated to calculating batteries for the area of ​​a room.

• Finally, you need to carefully consider whether the heating system is being overloaded to create excess heat. Experiment - it is possible that the rooms are too hot, and that without showing any feeling of discomfort, it is quite possible to lower the temperature by 2 - 3 degrees. This seems, at first glance, a trifle, but on the scale of even one month, not to mention the entire heating season, it can bring quite tangible savings.

Sometimes it’s not superfluous to think soberly - is it too hot in the house?

As you can see from the given examples and formulas for gas consumption for heating, it is quite possible to carry out the calculation yourself and on your own, since this process is not a particularly difficult task. All you have to do is set aside some free time, use the proposed method, and get results. And this, in turn, should be a reason to think about improving the energy efficiency of your own home.

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At the end of the publication, there is interesting video information with tips on calculating consumption and measures for possible gas savings. Study the geothermal heat pump at the link.

Video: gas consumption for heating and available measures to reduce it

Selection and operation of a gas boiler

As mentioned above, there is no need to look for a “special” heating boiler running on liquefied gas - modern products can run on both natural gas and liquefied gas. Accordingly, when choosing a boiler, you should proceed from the total area of ​​the heated room. You can install a convection or condensing boiler. The convection device is mounted on the wall and can cope with an area of ​​up to 300 m². Condensing boilers are not only more powerful (heated area is at least 400 m²), they are also more economical.

The topic of hot water should be touched upon separately. Many users specifically install an electric boiler, believing that this way great savings can be achieved - this approach is wrong. It would be correct to purchase a double-circuit gas boiler. Gas consumption does not increase much, but the quality of hot water changes dramatically.

Popular models of double-circuit boilers include Buderus Logamax U072-24K - designed to operate on both natural and liquefied gas.

Gas wall-mounted boiler Buderus Logamax U072-24K with a closed combustion chamber

Specifications

Type of heating boiler - gas, convection Burner - gas Number of circuits - double-circuit Thermal power - 7.20 - 24 kW Heat load - 8 - 26.70 kW Combustion chamber - closed Heated area - 250 sq.m Efficiency - 92% Control - electronic Installation - wall-mounted Material primary heat exchanger - copper Mains voltage - single-phase Built-in circulation pump - yes Built-in expansion tank - yes, 8 l Fuel - natural gas, liquefied gas Natural gas consumption - 2.8 cubic meters. m/hour Consumption of liquefied gas - 2 kg/hour Nominal pressure of natural gas - 10.50 - 16 mbar Permissible pressure of liquefied gas - 35 mbar Coolant temperature - 40 - 82 °C Temperature in the hot water circuit - 40 - 60 °C Hot water output at t 30°C — 11.4 l/min Hot water capacity at t 50°C — 6.8 l/min Max. water pressure in the DHW circuit - 10 bar Max. water pressure in the heating circuit - 3 bar

In order for the boiler to function properly, maintenance must be carried out correctly and in a timely manner, which includes:

• Replacing the coolant in the heating system (at least once every 5 years) if non-freezing liquids of the “Warm House” type, etc. are used. When using water as a coolant, replacement is not required.
• Cleaning the internal parts of the boiler from carbon deposits.
• Heat exchanger maintenance.
• Replacement (if necessary) of rubber components - rings, gaskets, bushings, etc.

Features of heating with liquefied gas

The owner of a liquefied gas heating system is forced to monitor whether the fuel in the container connected to the boiler is running out. Some may consider this feature an inconvenience, but such a heating system can be autonomous and not depend on problems with the central gas supply. You just need to regularly replace gas cylinders or immediately pump a sufficient amount of gas into the underground storage.

Use of gas cylinders in heating

For ease of use, gas cylinders are combined into a single battery.
The option of heating a house with liquefied gas in 50-liter cylinders is ideally suited for country houses and small cottages. To avoid having to disconnect an empty cylinder every two days and connect a full one in its place, you can combine several cylinders into a battery at once. For this purpose, GOK fittings are used. If a homeowner installs liquefied gas heating with his own hands, he has the right to install a battery of no more than 3 cylinders without a project. A larger number of them will require a project.

Gas cylinders are installed not indoors, but in a metal cabinet on the outside of the house. In winter, there are often cases of reduced gas supply through the reducer due to the fact that the condensate contained in the cylinders partially freezes.

To prevent freezing of gearboxes at low temperatures, you can install a small electric heater in the cabinet with cylinders.

Gas holder for home heating

It is better to refill the gas tank in advance, when weather conditions allow the car to drive up to the house.
It is convenient to use cylinders when gas consumption is not too high, and their delivery service operates uninterruptedly. In other cases, it will be more rational to purchase and install a gas tank - a large underground tank for storing LPG, which will have to be filled with gas only 2-3 times a year. The volume of the gas holder can be from 3 to 10 cubic meters; it is selected in accordance with the power of the heating system.

An underground gas tank is allowed to be located no closer than 10 m from a residential building, and from the road side it must be accessible for a refueling vehicle.

Calculation method for natural gas

The approximate gas consumption for heating is calculated based on half the power of the installed boiler. The thing is that when determining the power of a gas boiler, the lowest temperature is set. This is understandable - even when it is very cold outside, the house should be warm.

You can calculate gas consumption for heating yourself

But calculating gas consumption for heating using this maximum figure is completely incorrect - after all, the temperature is generally much higher, which means much less fuel is burned. That’s why it is generally accepted that the average fuel consumption for heating is about 50% of the heat loss or boiler power.

We calculate gas consumption by heat loss

If you don’t have a boiler yet, and you estimate the cost of heating in different ways, you can calculate it from the total heat loss of the building. They are most likely known to you. The technique here is this: they take 50% of the total heat loss, add 10% to provide hot water supply and 10% to remove heat during ventilation. As a result, we obtain the average consumption in kilowatts per hour.

Next, you can find out the fuel consumption per day (multiply by 24 hours), per month (by 30 days), and, if desired, for the entire heating season (multiply by the number of months during which the heating operates). All these figures can be converted into cubic meters (knowing the specific heat of combustion of gas), and then multiply the cubic meters by the price of gas and, thus, find out the heating costs.

Example of heat loss calculation

Let the heat loss of the house be 16 kW/hour. Let's start counting:

• average heat demand per hour - 8 kW/h + 1.6 kW/h + 1.6 kW/h = 11.2 kW/h;
• per day - 11.2 kW * 24 hours = 268.8 kW;
• per month - 268.8 kW * 30 days = 8064 kW.

Convert to cubic meters. If we use natural gas, we divide the gas consumption for heating per hour: 11.2 kW/h / 9.3 kW = 1.2 m3/h. In calculations, the figure 9.3 kW is the specific heat capacity of natural gas combustion (available in the table).

Since the boiler has not 100% efficiency, but 88-92%, you will have to make further adjustments for this - add about 10% of the obtained figure. In total, we get gas consumption for heating per hour - 1.32 cubic meters per hour. Next you can calculate:

• consumption per day: 1.32 m3 * 24 hours = 28.8 m3/day
• monthly demand: 28.8 m3/day * 30 days = 864 m3/month.

The average consumption for the heating season depends on its duration - multiply by the number of months while the heating season lasts.

This calculation is approximate. In some months, gas consumption will be much less, in the coldest month - more, but on average the figure will be about the same.

Boiler power calculation

The calculations will be a little simpler if you have the calculated boiler power - all the necessary reserves (for hot water supply and ventilation) have already been taken into account. Therefore, we simply take 50% of the calculated capacity and then calculate the consumption per day, month, per season.

For example, the design power of the boiler is 24 kW. To calculate gas consumption for heating, we take half: 12 k/W. This will be the average heat demand per hour. To determine fuel consumption per hour, we divide by the calorific value, we get 12 kW/hour / 9.3 k/W = 1.3 m3. Then everything is calculated as in the example above:

• per day: 12 kW/h * 24 hours = 288 kW in terms of the amount of gas - 1.3 m3 * 24 = 31.2 m3
• per month: 288 kW * 30 days = 8640 m3, consumption in cubic meters 31.2 m3 * 30 = 936 m3.

Next, add 10% for the imperfection of the boiler, we find that for this case the consumption will be slightly more than 1000 cubic meters per month (1029.3 cubic meters). As you can see, in this case everything is even simpler - fewer numbers, but the principle is the same.

By quadrature

Even more approximate calculations can be obtained based on the square footage of the house. There are two ways:

• You can calculate according to SNiP standards - on average, heating one square meter in Central Russia requires 80 W/m2. This figure can be used if your house is built according to all requirements and has good insulation.
• You can estimate based on average statistical data: with good insulation of the house, 2.5-3 cubic meters/m2 is required;
• with average insulation, gas consumption is 4-5 cubic meters/m2.

Each owner can assess the degree of insulation of his home; accordingly, one can estimate what gas consumption will be in this case. For example, for a house of 100 sq. m. with average insulation, 400-500 cubic meters of gas will be required for heating, for a house of 150 square meters it will take 600-750 cubic meters per month, for heating a house with an area of ​​200 m2 - 800-100 cubic meters of blue fuel. All this is very approximate, but the figures are derived based on many factual data.

Differences between gas pipeline and liquefied gas boilers

Despite the use of one natural resource, liquefied gas boilers are very different from gas pipeline boilers:

1. To convert fuel into a gaseous state, it is necessary to install special equipment (reducer); when supplying gas directly from the main line, this is not required.
2. High efficiency. The efficiency of liquefied gas reaches 95-98%. Manufacturers monitor this indicator and try to increase it, since this fuel is not the cheapest, and it is necessary to use its potential to the maximum.
3. Injectors.
4. Lower pressure is the key difference between a liquefied gas boiler and a boiler with a gas pipeline.

Gas boiler power calculation

The main share of fuel consumption is heating. An important parameter of any house or apartment that affects the amount of gas spent on heating is the heat loss indicator. The task of heating is precisely to correctly compensate for these losses, creating conditions for comfortable living.

In order to calculate the need for liquefied gas, it is necessary to determine the amount of heat loss at home or the thermal power required for full heating. The rated power of the heating system - gas boiler - depends on this indicator

As a standard for calculations, we will take a house located in an area with an average climate, in satisfactory condition and insulated in accordance with technology. The area of ​​the house is 80 m2.

The average values ​​of heat loss and boiler power can be determined by the quadrature of the area.

The formula looks like:

Q = S × Рр /10, where

Q—calculated heat losses (kW);

S is the area of ​​the premises that are heated (m2);

Рр - specific power of a gas boiler (kW/m2) - power for every 10 m2.

The specific power for heating an area of ​​10 m2 has already been approximately established, taking into account adjustments for regions with different climates. For our reference house, located, for example, in the Moscow region, Рр = 1.2 - 1.5 kW.

Taking into account a house area of ​​80 m2, the optimal power of the heating system will have the following value:

Q = 80 × 1.2 / 10 = 9.6 kW.

Although simplified, this formula reflects the most accurate results.

Often, for convenience in carrying out calculations, unit is taken as the value of specific power. Based on this, the power of the heating system is taken at the rate of 10 kW per 100 m2 of heating area.

Since the gas supply system of your home includes not only heating, but also water heating and other equipment, the boiler power is determined by adding 20-25% of the reserve to the calculated heat losses

The second option, but accepted with a greater degree of error, is to calculate the cost of thermal energy for the heat loss of a building by cubic capacity - the volume of heated premises. Depending on the climate zone, 30 - 40 W are allocated for heating one cubic meter of a room with a ceiling height of up to 3 m.

Heating with cylinders

Heating a house with cylinders is the fastest and cheapest way to organize the supply of gas-using equipment with propane-butane. It is enough to purchase gas cylinders, fill them, connect them to a common manifold with a pressure regulator, place the equipment in a cabinet - and the group cylinder installation is ready! To combine cylinders, gas trains can also be used, allowing you to disconnect and connect cylinders without stopping the gas boiler, and kits for cylinder installations, designed to automatically disconnect spent cylinders and connect refilled ones.

Heating with cylinders

However, heating a private home with bottled gas has a number of disadvantages:

• the greater the power of the gas boiler, the greater the number of cylinders there should be in the installation;
• the need to frequently replace used cylinders;
• impossibility of complete gas production at subzero temperatures;
• gas cylinders are a source of increased danger.

Quick estimate

It is quite simple to estimate by eye how much gas will be consumed by your gas boiler.

We will start from either the volume of the heated room or its area:

• in the first case, we use the standard 30-40 W/cubic meter. m;
• in the second case - 100 W/sq. m.

The standards are taken taking into account the ceiling height in the room up to 3 meters. If you live in the southern regions, the numbers can be reduced by 20-25%, and for the north, on the contrary, they can be increased by one and a half times or doubled. Those. take in the second case, for example, 75-80 W/sq.m or 200 W/sq.m.

By multiplying the corresponding standard by the volume or area, we get how many watts of boiler power are needed to heat the room. Next, we proceed from the standard statement that modern gas equipment consumes 0.112 cubic meters of gas to generate 1 kW of thermal power.

We multiply again - this time the gas consumption standard (number 0.112) by the boiler power obtained in the previous multiplication (do not forget to convert watts to kW). We get the approximate gas consumption per hour.

The boiler usually works 15-16 hours a day. We calculate the daily gas consumption. Well, when the daily consumption is already known, we can easily determine the gas consumption for the month and for the entire heating season. The calculations are approximate, but quite sufficient to understand both the principle of calculation and the expected gas consumption.

A regular calculating machine is sufficient to calculate gas consumption. If you don’t want to delve into calculation formulas, use online calculator programs online. Enter the initial data and immediately get the result

Example.

Let's say the area of ​​the room is 100 m².

Let's calculate the boiler power: 100 W/sq. m * 100 m² = 10000 W (or 10 kW).

Let's calculate the gas consumption per hour: 0.112 cubic meters. m * 10 kW = 1.12 cubic meters. m/hour.

Let's calculate gas consumption per day (16 hours of operation), per month (30 days), for the entire heating season (7 months):

1.12 cu. m * 16 = 17.92 cubic meters m 17.92 cu.m. m * 30 = 537.6 cubic meters. m 537.6 cubic meters m * 7 = 3763.2 cubic meters. m

Note: you can immediately determine the monthly and seasonal power consumption of the boiler in kW/hour, and then convert it into gas consumption.

10 kW * 24/3*2 * 30 = 4800 kW/hour - per month 0.112 cubic meters * 4800 kW/hour = 537.6 cubic meters. m 4800 kW/hour * 7 = 33600 kW/hour - per season 0.112 cubic meters * 33600 kW/hour = 3763.2 cubic meters. m

All that remains is to take the current gas tariff and convert the total into money. And if the project involves installing a double-circuit system that will not only heat the house, but also heat water for domestic needs, add another 25% to the power of the equipment and, accordingly, to the gas consumption of floor-standing gas heating boilers.

The simplest thermal imagers cost at least $300, and the price of professional ones starts from several thousand, but these devices show all the places through which cold air enters the house and heat escapes out

Factors influencing calculations of liquefied gas consumption

Factors affecting gas consumption
Most of the heat leaves the room through the walls. Heat flows have a complex trajectory of movement and leave the home through the ceiling, floor and windows. The building envelope must be insulated against energy loss, otherwise gas consumption will be high.

Fuel consumption depends on factors:

• climate of the area - to calculate the flow rate, the lowest temperature values ​​are taken;
• heated area, layout, number of floors of the building, ceiling height;
• degree of insulation of the roof, walls, floor;
• building material (concrete, wood, brick);
• type of filling of window openings;
• presence of organized ventilation of rooms;
• boiler power.

The geometry of the house affects heat loss. A complex perimeter with many wall projections and a combined roof increases the risk of cooling. The boiler power does not affect heat loss, but the correct selection of the parameter is required for efficient fuel consumption.

Safety Recommendations

Converting the boiler and reconfiguring it to consume liquefied gas dictates the need to “reconfigure” your attitude towards the device for supplying and storing blue fuel.

You must remember that:

• Cylinders or gas tanks, which are gas storage tanks that supply fuel to household appliances as needed, need to be refilled periodically.
• To fill a group of cylinders or a gas holder with gas, you need to contact certified organizations that have equipment to record the weight of the gas in the cylinder and its actual volume in the gas holder.
• Filling closed gas tanks is carried out to 85% of the useful volume of the vessel. This reserve is necessary in case of thermal expansion of the fuel to avoid an explosion.

A non-hazardous situation that requires special attention when replenishing liquefied blue fuel reserves is the filling of liquid with a density different from the density of the previous liquid. Because of this difference, the remaining liquefied gas may not mix with the newly filled portion.

In the tank, due to the difference in density, a kind of two non-connecting sectors are formed, in each of which liquefied gas circulates. However, convective heat exchange will occur at the sector boundary after a short period. After the temperatures are equalized, the densities will be equal and the liquids will be able to mix.

Liquefied gas, like main gas, is a highly flammable, combustible liquid with a high flame propagation speed. To avoid catastrophic situations, you should strictly follow the operating rules and fill the cylinders no more than 85%

Usually this process, meaning direct mixing, is accompanied by intense evaporation of liquefied gas. To avoid associated losses, mixing devices should be used during the filling process. But it is better to choose a method that eliminates the above-described phenomenon.

Replenishing cylinders and gas tanks with blue fuel in general is a process that requires increased attention, otherwise problems can be very serious and even catastrophic. The rapid spread and evaporation of the liquefied gas mixture is recognized as a significant problem.

If the rules for the safe operation of gas-consuming equipment are not violated, main methane rarely explodes. This only happens with significant leaks, if the technical state of the gas in the surrounding space changes dramatically. For example, in a kitchen with obvious signs of a leak, instead of mandatory ventilation, they turn on the light.

When liquefied gas expands in a closed container due to external heating, it will necessarily explode if there is not enough space left in the container for its expansion. Blue fuel burns extremely intensely. Since the gas is quickly absorbed by the atmosphere, the combustion zone expands at high speed.

LPG boilers

When connecting to the main gas pipeline is not possible, an excellent option is a boiler using liquefied gas cylinders. Connecting this boiler will require less money, but operating costs will increase. The main difference from a boiler operating on a gas pipeline is a different type of nozzle, which is suitable for fuel with higher pressure.

Many manufacturers produce standard equipment with the ability to replace the nozzle, sometimes it even comes with the boiler. If it is not there, the purchase will cost 2-4 thousand rubles. It is important that the replacement is carried out by professionals, as this fuel is explosive.

Liquefied gas

Just a few years ago, natural liquefied gas was used for boilers of this type. However, the costs of storing and transporting it were high (due to the higher pressure and temperature of liquefaction), and such a solution could only be justified when it was a large commercial premises. Therefore, gas mixtures of the following components are now used:

1. Isobutane.
2. Butylene.
3. Isobutylene.
4. Propylene and other less common ones.

Such mixtures easily transform into a liquid state, making them easier to transport and store. It doesn’t take much time or money to make such a transition.

Natural gas is much lighter than a propane-butane mixture, so burners for the second fuel have some design features (for example, a liquefied gas boiler nozzle of a smaller diameter).

Liquefied gas is supplied in cylinders, when using which you must remember the following safety precautions:

1. If the cylinder is filled outdoors at sub-zero temperatures, it is prohibited to do this more than 95%. Otherwise, when you bring it indoors, the gas will expand at room temperature and an explosion may occur.
2. When purchasing a new cylinder, you need to check its contents; it must include: a relief valve, a level gauge and shut-off valves.

The liquefaction of different components of the mixture occurs at different temperatures (for example, the liquefaction temperature of butane is highest), so condensation may occur. Because of this, the process of gas release is disrupted. You can avoid the condensation process by insulating the cylinder storage room, since this process actively takes place at low temperatures. If the cylinders are stored in a cold room, it is necessary to consider a safe heating process before use.

The presence of oil sediment is possible when the cylinder is already empty. This can be recognized by different surface temperatures or by weight. You can get rid of it in the following way: take the cylinder out into the open, away from heated surfaces and explosive objects, and calmly drain the sediment.

Advantages and features of liquefied gas boilers

The use of liquefied gas boilers is a relatively new technology. Every year it becomes more and more popular due to a number of advantages:

1. During liquefaction, the gas decreases significantly in volume (by about 600 times), while the energy intensity remains the same.
2. Long term and reduced storage conditions.
3. Ease of transportation (due to reduced volume).
4. Minimum amount of impurities in this fuel (due to the peculiarities of the liquefaction process).
5. Safety during storage and transportation (this gas is non-explosive in liquid state).
6. No smell.

Most modern gas boilers do not exclude operation with liquefied gas; in addition to the nozzle, it is necessary to change the settings in the automation unit and, if there is no gas pressure regulator, install a reducer. In addition, it is important to check whether the boiler can operate with reduced fuel pressure, otherwise sediment may form up to 30% of the volume.

Under normal operating conditions in a well-insulated room, cylinders can become an excellent temporary alternative to a boiler on a gas pipeline. Typically, for a small house, 3-7 cylinders per month are enough. They can be combined into one cassette using specialized equipment, which will simplify operation (cylinders will have to be changed less often).