The installation of boiler equipment gives the owners of personal estates and country houses a number of advantages, including the ability to choose the type of "working" fuel. But the majority of modern energy carriers become more expensive over time and become “unaffordable” even for well-to-do families. With the rise in prices for them, the consumer thinks about how to equip heating without gas and other traditional sources, hoping to save a lot of money.
What is an alternative heat source
Among the known types of alternative energy sources and in terms of their suitability for heating in a private house without gas, the following varieties stand out:
- devices working in conjunction with existing energy converters - as an addition to a solid fuel boiler, for example;
- complexes replacing a gas or electric unit.
The first of them are not able to heat the house as required.
The bulk of the heat is generated by a gas boiler, and additional funds, in accordance with the standard technological map (TTC), fill the need for it during peak loads or in the off-season.
The second category is heat sources that generate enough energy required to fully heat a building without the aid of a boiler. It is customary to refer to them the following equipment:
- a heat pump, considered one of the most economical sources of energy for heating;
- air pumps;
- ground collector plants - they are often called "geothermal";
- for the southern regions - the use of solar energy.
These virtually autonomous systems will require preconditions to operate successfully.
Equipment for heating without gas
When choosing an option for economical heating in a private house in which there is no gas, modern substitutes for these systems should be considered. Equipment that provides the user with cheap energy includes the following types:
- heat pumps;
- their aerial counterparts;
- ground (bio) and solar collectors;
- fireplaces equipped with a water circuit;
- pellet heaters;
- conditioners.
A heating device is a device that runs on electricity and heats water by compressing freon with a special built-in compressor. The gas charged into the system is preheated from an economical source and, being at a pressure of 28 bar, increases its temperature several times from the initial 5-10 degrees. At the same time, it emits a significant amount of heat that can heat the coolant in the system up to 50-60 degrees. It is considered the most advantageous in terms of price-performance ratio.
Air heating units are cheaper and easier to install and are also capable of completely replacing a gas boiler, but at low outdoor temperatures, their performance drops sharply. It becomes economically unprofitable to use them for heating a house. Most often, these units are used in conjunction with the boiler, and in the warm season they work autonomously.
Heat pumps powered by groundwater energy are considered a good substitute for a gas boiler, since they are independent of the outside temperature. Their disadvantage is the high cost and long payback periods (at least 10 years). In addition, such a project will require a significant area of land at the dacha, on which a soil collector is being built. Solar counterparts of these units are also attractive, but of limited use. The cost also suits them far from everyone.
Fireplace structures with a water circuit for heating a house in the most economical way without gas are gaining more and more popularity among owners of country cottages and mansions. They are too complicated to arrange and will require significant expenses from the owners. In addition, they can be mounted only at the stage of construction of a residential building, since it is unprofitable and too troublesome to re-equip a ready-made fireplace for these needs. The use of modern fuel briquettes or pellets in combination with a conventional solid fuel boiler unit is a great way to save on combustible materials. However, in this case, as in all previous options, the question arises of too high costs.
The essence of the work of split systems as heaters is to lower the temperature of the air taken from the street in winter and its subsequent regeneration. Due to the resulting difference in temperatures inside the apartment, heat is released, which goes to heat it. Air conditioners as heaters are a novelty in space heating technology, so it is very difficult to assess their effectiveness. It depends on many factors, including the air temperature outside the apartment, as well as the design capacity of the split system itself.
Options in the absence of electricity
If there is no gas and electricity at the same time, you can heat the house in the following ways:
- install a simple stove or solid fuel boiler integrated into the water supply system;
- use firewood, coal, fuel briquettes or pellets as an energy source;
- organize autonomous heating with liquefied propane stored in cylinders or gas tanks.
In the latter case, the source of heat is a conventional gas boiler or modern convectors that heat the room by displacing the air layers.
To generate heat, it is allowed to use relatively cheap diesel fuel or waste oil by installing appropriate equipment in the house.
Alternative heating technology for an apartment
If you need to organize heating for a city apartment, you can ensure the economical use of infrared heaters or a heat air pump. In the southern regions, it is more convenient to use split systems. We have to artificially allocate options for obtaining heat energy that do not need to be connected to a household power grid. These include:
- wood-burning stoves (metal or brick), as well as fireplaces;
- solid fuel boilers with draft regulator operating on the principle of natural circulation;
- non-volatile floor standing boilers for liquefied gas, connected to a gravity system with water batteries (radiators).
Any attempt to independently create an independent heating system without connecting to the network ends in failure, since the set of any equipment includes instrumentation. Without it, the reliability and safety of the units is sharply reduced, which does not suit any responsible user.
The use of solid fuels in suburban dwellings
The following methods of organizing heating without gas are common:
- the use of coal or firewood;
- the use of special briquettes compressed from biomass waste: sawdust, sunflower husks, straw, needles, etc .;
- burning solid fuel in furnaces and boilers specially equipped for these purposes.
The simplest heaters such as wood-burning stoves are designed for direct heating of indoor air. The second type of heating equipment is more complex and includes additional heat exchange systems: radiators or warm floors. In addition, the installation of a heating system using a steel or cast iron stove will cost the owner of the house much cheaper. For its installation and commissioning, you do not need to invite third-party specialists and craftsmen, since all these operations can be done by hand.
Thanks to its use, it is possible to obtain the following advantages:
- a properly installed brick oven heats many rooms at once, conserving heat directly in the thickness of the walls;
- any of these sources are incidentally useful for preparing homemade food as well as drying clothes.
In the design of many simplest furnaces, a water circuit is provided, mounted directly into the firebox and made in the form of a tank or coil. Heating radiators located in adjacent rooms are connected to these heating elements.
According to building codes, for free circulation of the coolant, pipes of an increased diameter, laid with a slight slope, will be required. An extreme measure to resolve the issue is to install a circulation pump in the system.
