In search of cheap and environmentally friendly ways to heat residential premises, some pay attention to the developed modern alternative options. For many, this seems unbelievable, but now heating without gas and firewood, pipes and boilers is quite real.
Heat sources
Despite the development of new modern options, standard methods are very popular. People prefer to receive and fulfill the technical conditions prescribed by the gas supplying company, install gas boilers, and connect to main pipelines. If the settlement where the house is located is not gasified, then many people make electric heating or build a stove for firewood. Solid fuel boilers are a more modern option.
Also, those who are looking for options on how to arrange heating without gas and firewood pay attention to liquid fuel units. For their work, diesel fuel is required. In addition to diesel fuel, they work on rapeseed oil or kerosene. They can be steam or hot water.
Another option is pyrolysis boilers. The principle of their operation is based on the fact that the coolant is heated by steel heat exchangers in which the heating elements are mounted. This is one of the options for electric heating.
Alternative models
If you want to equip heating, but do not use standard universal gas-wood heating boilers, then you will be interested in new-fangled alternative systems. So, one of the possible options is a heat pump. This is one of the engineering innovations that is currently causing quite heated discussions.
Another alternative source of thermal energy is solar collectors. They can be flat or vacuum.
Classic options
In regions where there is no gas and there are regular interruptions in the supply of electricity (in other words, they constantly turn off the light), many people heat their houses with a conventional stove. This is the most budget option: the construction of the structure does not take much time and does not require huge investments. It is built from bricks, clay, sand. Metal is also needed for grilles, doors, gate valves.
But to heat the house with a stove is a rather laborious task. You need to regularly throw up fuel, rake ash, monitor the heat. It is also important to arrange a dry place to store fuel. The room in which the furnace is installed will be constantly polluted with soot during the heating period. But its main drawback is that it is not able to evenly warm the entire building.
Solid fuel boilers
Now people have a great alternative, they don’t have to build a furnace if they want to stop heating with gas or electricity. Modern solid fuel boilers allow heating the house with firewood, coal or pallets. They are arranged so that the coolant in them heats up to a predetermined temperature, and then enters the radiators designed for heating the house.
There are also universal options. For example, a gas-wood heating boiler can fully operate both on solid fuel and on gas. Such options are initially equipped with two combustion chambers. Depending on the chosen model, a gas burner can be installed in them, but in some cases it must be purchased independently.
Also on sale can be found combined gas-wood-electricity-heating boilers. In addition to the furnaces intended for the use of solid fuel or gas, they are additionally equipped with heating elements. Depending on the situation, the owner of such a unit can choose its operating mode and change the energy source at its discretion. There are models that change the type of fuel automatically. For example, you can fill firewood at night, and when they burn out, the boiler itself will switch to gas heating.
But the cost of universal models is quite high. The average option will cost 200-300 thousand rubles. They are usually used year-round, because these double-circuit boilers not only heat the premises, but also heat the water.
Features of the use of solid fuel units
If you decide to make combined heating "gas-firewood", then you need to know some installation features of the equipment. Of course, its installation must be entrusted to specialists, but you must think through and prepare a place for it in advance. So, despite the relatively small dimensions, each of them will take about 1.5 m 2 . It is important to consider that these boilers are heavy. Before installing them in a room intended for them, it is advisable to pour a “pillow” of concrete. Also, a chimney should be made in the boiler room, into which combustion products will be discharged. A special air intake duct is also required.
The place is also occupied by the necessary additional equipment. So, at the same time as the boiler, a circulation pump, an expansion tank are installed. Most models of solid fuel boilers are equipped with several outputs. You can connect not only heating radiators and hot water to them, but also a “warm floor” system, heating pools, winter gardens and other facilities.
Oil boilers
Modern engineering solutions make it possible to make heating in the house without gas and firewood. The easiest solution is to install a liquid fuel unit. For operation and heating of the coolant, diesel fuel, kerosene or rapeseed oil will be necessary. There are two types of such units: hot water and steam. The latter are considered more preferable: they are easy to install and are compact in size.
The advantages of these boilers, allowing to organize heating in a residential building without gas and firewood, include high efficiency. With their help, you can heat even large areas. But they have significant flaws. The main one is fire hazard. In addition, liquid fuel boilers are quite expensive to operate. The price of diesel fuel is quite high, and for the full operation of the boiler it needs a lot. So, to produce 1 Gcal in a conventional liquid fuel boiler, more than 100 liters of fuel are needed.
Heat pump
It is possible to arrange heating without gas and firewood, and electricity using new fashionable alternatives. One environmental and safe option is a heat pump. It can extract heat from the bowels of the earth, extract it from air or water. The advantages, undoubtedly, include its high efficiency. From each kW of energy spent in the pump drive, 5-6 kW is obtained. But this is one of the most expensive ways to organize heating without gas and firewood, pipes and boilers.
The reviews of people who decided to install this expensive equipment indicate that it is better to install it in large 2-3-story cottages. For small houses it is better to buy a traditional boiler.
Work organization
To install a heat pump, you need to make a circuit. If your house is on rocky soil, then one or more wells are made in it. Their total length is calculated on the basis of the fact that for every meter of the depression in the earth there is about 50 W of energy. If you plan to install a 10 kW heat pump, then you will need wells with a total depth of about 200 m.
If there is a plot of about 600 m 2 near your house, then you can make an earthen contour. In order to make heating without gas and firewood, it is necessary to install special pipelines at a depth of freezing soil. To obtain 10 kW it is necessary that the circuit is about 500 m long.
The most preferred option is to use the nearest body of water. It should be flowing and large enough in size. It is necessary to install a water circuit in it, with a total length of 333 m. This length is enough to produce 10 kW.
Least of all use air circuits. This is due to the fact that the minimum temperature at which such a pump can operate is -20 ° C.
The principle of its operation is the same as any refrigeration machine. It consumes electricity and converts it into thermal energy. A pump draws heat from refrigerated products, and a condenser transfers it to the room. That is, heat is taken from the bowels of the earth.
Solar panels
It is also possible to organize fully autonomous heating without gas and firewood, pipes and boilers. For these purposes, solar collectors are installed on houses. One of the main advantages is the environmental friendliness of these structures. But they also have significant disadvantages. First of all, it is important that their work depends on weather conditions. Also, do not forget that their purchase and installation are quite expensive. Also, special attention is paid to thermal insulation. Her organization significantly increases the cost of connecting such heating.
Consumer Opinions
Interested in alternative energy sources, many consider them the most optimal option. But, as practice shows, they are not perfect. The cost of installing environmentally friendly heating options is quite high. Because of this, they have a long payback period. If we talk about a heating source such as a heat pump, then it needs electricity to work. Therefore, many recommend combining its installation with the acquisition of a diesel generator.
For areas where there is no gas and power outages, it is best to purchase solid fuel boilers. For smaller homes, there are relatively inexpensive options. According to ordinary people, they are the best replacement for stove heating.