Gas or electric boiler: which is better for heating a private home?

When the question arises whether to choose a gas or electric boiler, the owners first of all evaluate what the costs will be for utilities. This is fundamentally wrong, since before making such calculations, you should study other consumer qualities of each equipment separately.

Boiler for heating residential premises Source eurosantehnik.ru

Electric boiler and heating features

An electric heating device is a consumer of fairly high power. Therefore, it is often necessary to build an individual power supply system for it. This is expensive in terms of purchasing the electric boiler itself, as well as reworking the network and increasing its power.

There are boiler models up to 12 kW and higher. The first ones are produced in single-phase version. Equipment that has increased power is already made three-phase. The basis of such a device are electric heaters, heating elements, which transfer their energy through a heat exchanger. Electric boilers do not require constant maintenance, nor do they require special cleaning.

Mounted electric boiler for heating a bathhouse in a residential building Source 1-teplodom.ru

Electric boilers are less popular than gas boilers, as they require access to 15 to 40 kW of electricity. This is quite a lot, therefore, not every region has such an opportunity. In fairly remote villages and towns there is no such voltage at all, so you will have to abandon the electric boiler. If such a connection is possible, it is important to study several important points:

Installation is simple. For this type of equipment, there is no need to choose a special place where the boiler can be installed, since it does not emit waste during the combustion process, and therefore there is no need to construct a chimney.
It is highly safe provided that it is mounted to a grounding system. Even if the device fails, it can give an electric shock, but will not lead to death.
Basic maintenance. Repairing a boiler and replacing its heating elements is much easier and cheaper than completely rebuilding the combustion chamber structure. It is also very easy to change the heat exchange medium.
Efficiency (coefficient of efficiency). This parameter reaches almost 95%; this is not found in all heating units. This return is due to the fact that in the design the built-in heating element is placed in a container with water, to which it gives off its energy when heated.

Example of calculating heating costs

Let's take as an example a cottage with an area of about 200 m2 in the vicinity of Barnaul. The average heat loss of a house made of aerated concrete with 50 mm insulation will be about 8000 W, and the maximum will be 18000 W. The duration of the heating period is 235 days or 5640 hours.

Let's calculate the capital costs of installing boilers and providing access to energy resources. When organizing home heating using electricity, the costs will be as follows:

Connection of additional power up to 30 kW – 15 t.r.
Three-phase electric boiler Ferroli Zews 28, power 28 kW - 51 tr.
Heat accumulator S-Tank HFWT series for 750 liters – 54 tr.
Installation of equipment – 4 tr.

Total: Ne1 = 70 tr, and taking into account the heat accumulator: Ne2 = 124 tr.

A boiler of such power is necessary if the consumer plans to heat the house at night using a differentiated tariff. When compensating for average heat losses of 8 kW, a boiler power of 28 kW is required if the equipment operates 7 hours a day. In severe cold weather, a boiler of this power will have to be turned on during the day.

An electricity supply organization can connect more than 15 kW to a house only if this is technically possible. If the networks are overloaded or worn out, a failure may occur

Let's calculate the capital costs of supplying gas and installing boilers powered by it:

Technological connection of main gas. The house is classified in the first category, i.e. is located at a distance of less than 200 m from the pipe and does not require the installation of reduction gears. If this is not the case, then the price will be higher. They paid 28 thousand rubles for connection.
Laying a gas pipeline through the site. Topoplan preparation, project development, its approval and registration, construction, installation and commissioning works. Payment under the contract amounted to 85 thousand rubles.
For liquefied gas, it is necessary to purchase and install an underground gas tank with a volume of 2.5 m3 and lay a pipeline to the boiler. Turnkey price – 270 tr.
Gas boiler Viessmann WH1D272, power 24 kW - 90 tr.
Installation of equipment – 8 tr.
Putting the entire system into operation with a call from an Altaikraygas inspector - 45 rubles.

In total, capital costs for heating using main gas will be: Ng1 = 256 tr., and liquefied: Ng2 = 413 tr.

Equipment maintenance costs (minor repairs and maintenance) can be taken equal to 10% of its cost. However, for the supply of gas it is necessary to conclude an agreement, and payment for annual inspection services will also be required. Calling a BarnaulGorGaz specialist will cost 3 thousand rubles.

Therefore, for an electric boiler the cost of annual maintenance is: Re = 5.1 t.r., and for gas equipment: Rпг = Rсг = 12 t.r.

According to Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 410 of May 14, 2013, mandatory annual maintenance of in-house gas equipment can be carried out by organizations included in a special register

Let's calculate the amount of energy required for the winter period:

electricity: Ve = 46 mW × h;
natural gas: Vpg = 5273 m3;
liquefied gas: Vсг = 3892 kg.

Energy costs for the entire winter period will be as follows:

Electricity. With a single-tariff connection in rural areas, 1 kWh costs 3.2 rubles. Eе1 = 46000 × 3.2 = 147.2 tr.
Electricity. With a two-tariff connection in rural areas, 1 kWh = 2.07 rubles. Ee2 = 46000 × 2.07 = 95.2 t.r.
Natural gas. Its cost is 6.45 r/m3. Epg = 5273 × 6.45 = 34 t.r.
Liquefied gas. Its cost will be 36.1 rubles / kg. Esg = 3892 × 36.1 = 140.5 tr.

The price for liquefied gas is given taking into account two refills of a gas tank with a volume of 2.5 m3.

After these calculations, the heating cost equation will take the form:

for electricity at the general tariff: Se1 = 70 + 152.3 × T;
for electricity at a two-zone tariff: Se2 = 124 + 100.3 × T;
for natural gas: Spg = 256 + 46 × T;
for liquefied gas: Sсг = 413 + 152.5 × T.

From these numbers you can get an idea of how profitable a particular type of fuel is.

The dynamics of heating costs can most easily be traced using a graph of the growth of investments versus time. The equations are simple and linear

For this particular facility, we can conclude that the best heating method is to use mains gas. In just three years it will prove to be the most economical type of heating.

Installing an electric boiler is cheaper and faster, as it requires fewer approvals. But subsequently, paying for electricity will lead to more serious expenses than when using main gas. The two-tariff system will pay for itself in the first year.

Heating based on liquefied gas is absolutely unprofitable economically. It can only be used if there is no technical possibility of connecting to both main gas and electricity with a power of 30 kW or more.

Gas boiler and features of its use

Gas boilers are strictly dependent on blue fuel. Therefore, if emergency situations occur on the main line, the owner risks being left without heat. But such situations happen extremely rarely and gas services often find a quick solution to this problem.

If there is a gas main near a country house or in the entrance of a high-rise building, then you should not think about which unit to choose. You definitely need a gas boiler. Such equipment will be cheaper, and utility costs will be lower than with electric heating.

Installation of a gas boiler for heating a residential private house Source domkotlov.by

Gas fuel boilers are now available in a wide range on the market. There are wall and floor models. Each of them is convenient in its own way. The peculiarity of this equipment is that it is necessary to construct a chimney duct for them, if there was none previously. It is also possible to use a pipe to which another type of boiler was previously connected. If the boiler is wall-mounted, then making a chimney for it will not be difficult. It is enough to simply build a hole in the wall of the required diameter.

Important! If you previously installed a chimney boiler, and now you plan to replace it with a parapet boiler, be sure to contact the gas service to obtain permission and redo the project.

Below are a few things that are important to know about gas boilers:

the efficiency often reaches 80-95%. However, only high-quality condensing equipment can provide such an indicator;
As for safety, if there is a malfunction, there may be a leak of toxic fuel, and there is also a danger of explosion if a spark occurs;
installation is carried out with a mandatory outlet under the chimney. It will have to be brought outside through the wall or through the roof.

Gas boilers will be more economical than electric ones in terms of utility costs.

Mounted gas boiler with chimney outlet through the wall Source 999.md

Specified conditions

As I already wrote above, the task is to heat a house - an apartment of 100 square meters, if you believe our SNIPs, then we can say that for comfortable heating you need to apply thermal energy of 100 W - square meter, that is, if we have 100 square meters, we need energy – 100 X 100 = 10,000 W or 10 kW, is that a lot? Of course yes, a lot!

How will we count?

I propose a simple diagram, but it will show the completeness of the picture:

Let’s say it’s frosty now, the heating of the house (apartment) works in the mode - it warms for 5 minutes, rests for 5 minutes! Thus, it turns out that the heating works exactly 12 hours a day! Of course, if your home is well insulated, then this interval will not be 50/50, the heating will be turned on less often, but this is very good insulation with foam plastic on the outside and thick walls, of which there are still few in ordinary (ordinary) houses!

The conditions are set, we begin to identify what is more profitable:

Electric gas boilers as an alternative

There are cases when residents in their own homes install two types of heating equipment: both gas and electric. This is in case there is a power outage in one of the power sources. Such a solution will be very expensive, so you should use an alternative - install an electric gas boiler that can operate on two sources.

Electric gas boiler for home heating Source perm.santechbomba.ru

Typically such devices will switch between modes automatically. There are very few models of combined boilers in the range, so they will be quite expensive. Inside such devices there is a gas burner and water heating elements.

Important! Such a device requires a separate room in the house. Due to such operating conditions, they try to use such structures exclusively in regions with harsh climatic conditions in winter.

Advantages of an electric gas boiler:

the device has compact dimensions;
has a high efficiency, which can reach 97%;
the unit is economical, as the cost of producing thermal energy is reduced;
not only heats the home, but also supplies hot water for kitchen faucets and showers;
has a reduced level of environmental load due to minimal emissions.

As a rule, such installations make all the necessary switching automatically, but the user can always start it manually.

Design of an electric gas boiler for heating residential premises Source m.onlinetrade.ru

Operating principle of combined equipment

Electric gas boilers have a separate internal structure, which is not similar to simple non-combined heating devices. In the body of such a device there is a separate chamber in which the gas mixture is burned and a separate one with an internal heating element.

Both chambers are installed in a structure one above the other, which ensures that the boiler independently switches to the required type of fuel. In the event that both fuel resources are missing, the equipment goes into standby mode. And when fuel arrives, it can automatically turn on.

Specified conditions

I propose a simple diagram, but it will show the completeness of the picture:

The conditions are set, we begin to identify what is more profitable:

What is more profitable from an economic point of view in the end?

Despite the fact that the installation of gas boilers requires the creation of additional structures, compliance with standards for the area of the room in which it is installed, and this, not counting the cost of purchasing the boiler itself and its components, such heating will be more economical than electric.

Profitable heating of your own home with a boiler Source saucyintruder.org

Due to the current economic situation, gas heating is much more profitable than an electric appliance. But an electric boiler can also find its application and justify the costs in premises with a total area not exceeding 40-60 m2.

On a note! An electric boiler will be economically beneficial for houses in which residence is temporary, for example, a weekend getaway. In a few days, the equipment will generate less kilowatts than a gas unit of cubic meters.

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.

How to significantly save fuel to reduce costs

Each owner has a real opportunity to reduce the cost of electricity or blue fuel, even if the device does not provide automatic mode switching. To achieve significant savings, you will have to separately purchase a thermostat and install it on the equipment.

A room thermostat is usually programmable and during its operation it is guided by the air temperature in the room. For normal operation and performance of the function specified by the thermostat, it is necessary to program the settings not only for the next day, but also for the entire week in advance.

Saving fuel resources when heating your home Source chiamamicitta.it

If it is a working day and the owners are absent, then the temperature limit is set to 15 degrees. During sleep, it is rational to set priority to 18-19 degrees. By specifying these parameters, the level of comfort will not decrease, and fuel consumption will noticeably decrease. This can be determined by the amount of utility bills.

Main types of heating costs

To correctly estimate the cost of heating a country house, you need to take into account all types of expenses that the homeowner will have to bear.

When using gas or electricity, automatic heating is possible. This gives many advantages to people living in a country house and allows them not to waste their time maintaining the desired microclimate in the premises. However, automation will increase the cost of both systems.

The presence of a gas pipeline near the house does not mean the possibility of connecting to it. To find out the answer, you need to request technical conditions from the gas supply organization. They are given out free of charge

Costs can be categorized as follows:

Capital investments in installing a heating system based on gas or electricity differ only in the connection of communications, the cost of the boiler and the price for its connection. The water circuit, shut-off and control valves do not depend on the type of energy carrier.
Annual costs for repairs and maintenance of equipment. This expense item is usually the smallest, but you also need to remember about it.
Energy costs. They depend on the volume consumed, tariffs adopted in the region, the location of the facility (urban or suburban area) and some other factors.

Thus, costs S (rub.) can be calculated using the following formula:

S = N + (R + E) × T , where:

N – capital investments;
R – annual costs for equipment repairs;
E – annual cost of energy carrier;
T – number of years in the calculation period.

When comparing several heating options, a situation often arises where high one-time costs for equipment can pay off over time due to the relative cheapness of the energy carrier.

Video description

Heating with gas and electricity: which is cheaper, comparison.
In the case of the second, the owner must find out about the condition of the power line near the house and what parameters the nearby transformer station has. It must provide enough voltage to the equipment to keep it running smoothly. Also, the electrical network must be able to create a three-phase connection with a voltage of 380 Volts.

Options for gas and electric boilers for home heating Source chiamamicitta.it

Rates

Many countries have a complex electricity tariff system. Sometimes choosing a tariff for electricity is as difficult as choosing a tariff for a cellular operator. There are tariffs that use several levels of power at different prices. There are special tariffs for heating, night tariffs. It all depends on where you live and what your conditions are.

Adhere to the basic condition that 1 kW of electricity is equal to 1 kW of thermal energy. This will help you calculate the exact difference.

Let's compare networks

Electricity

The undeniable advantages of electric boilers:

there is no need to constantly be in the house while the boiler is operating and clean it;
no additional communications or storage required;
automatic shutdown is triggered in the event of a short circuit in the network or elevated temperature conditions.

Be sure to find out the condition of internal and external electrical networks, incl. “free” power of the transformer substation, which is located near your home, how uninterrupted the power supply to your area will be; Will it be possible to install a cable with a voltage of 380 V (three-phase) for construction?

Which equipment is better to choose?

It is impossible to use a solid fuel boiler if there is no smoke removal system and space for storing energy. It makes no sense to install an electric unit if there are regular interruptions in the household network.

Solid fuel systems with manual loading mode cannot operate in a maintenance rhythm. When the energy carrier burns out, the boiler is deactivated, which leads to the cooling of the liquid circulating along the heating line.

To compensate for the disadvantages of one device with the advantages of the second, you can make a combined system consisting of both types of devices. However, the installation must be configured correctly.

Device comparison

Moving away from energy efficiency parameters, you need to remember the advantages and disadvantages of both devices. Among the advantages of electrical equipment are the following features:

Wide power range (2-60 kW). From these you can choose models up to 20 kW, suitable for individual heating. Thus, the miniature Tenko economy KE 6_220 with a power of 6 kW will heat the average apartment up to 68 m². There are also more powerful 30 kW options, such as Vaillant eloBlock 28 kW with a heating area of about 200 square meters. Such units satisfy the needs of industrial and commercial facilities.
Environmental friendliness is another advantage of the technology - it does not produce emissions of combustion products.
Variability: electric boilers heat water. Such devices are easy to operate, silent, reliable, and durable.

As disadvantages, we cannot keep silent about:

High amounts of energy payments.
Outlet dependencies.
Electrical wiring required.

If we talk about gas analogues, then they also have their own characteristics. So, the advantages of gas-powered boilers:

The power of gas equipment is enough to heat objects of colossal size. Model NOVA FLORIDA CATU32MF99 will heat 1000 m2!
Gas in automatic boilers is supplied continuously; they will turn off as soon as the fuel supply stops (which happens infrequently, unlike the supply of electricity).
Easy to use. The equipment is designed for long-term operation.

There were some downsides:

A complex installation that comes with many nuances. You will have to touch on the technical side of the issue and the bureaucratic side, drawing up the appropriate documentation, permits, and approvals.
The need to equip a chimney that removes waste substances.
The need for good ventilation and separate access to the street.
There is no benefit from installing such boilers in rooms up to 100 m2.

Let's summarize what has been said. Our calculations have finally decided: the efficiency of an electric boiler is beyond doubt, although its gas counterpart with a condensing mechanism competes with it in energy efficiency.

Don’t forget about the increased efficiency of an electric boiler - it is 25% higher than that of a relatively cheap gas device, for example Ferroli DivaProject. All this says one thing: feel free to choose an electrode boiler if you need to heat an ordinary apartment up to 100 square meters, and you won’t regret it!

Related video: Heating a home is four times cheaper than a gas boiler

Summarizing all of the above

Weighing all the pros and cons, all the pros and cons, we can definitely say the following: if the house was purchased with gas heating already connected, then of course it is not worth changing it.

If you are not ready to invest almost a million rubles in your house so that it has gas, and the speed of heating the rooms is also important to you (in this regard, gas heating loses to electric heating), it is better to give preference to electric heating.

The fact is that electrical systems do not have this drawback, especially if you use a boiler-air system. The whole trick of quick warming up is convection - room air is taken in by the system, then heated and returned to the room, taken in again, and so on in a circle. Such systems are characterized by very high efficiency - and produce more heat than they consume energy.

In terms of monthly expenses, heating a house with gas is definitely more profitable than with electricity: the cost of heating the same area is 7 times cheaper.

However, taking into account all the costs of equipment, connection and maintenance, the difference is no longer so obvious. And in some cases (for example, when the gas main is located too far away, or when the house is used only for short-term recreation), electric heating looks like a more preferable solution.