Many people would like to buy housing outside the city. However, when building a private house, various problems arise. One of them is how to heat a country house. Most often on plot of land There is no possibility to connect to central heating. This means that you will have to think about what type of autonomous heating to use.
Ten years ago, every home owner tried to connect to the gas supply in order to heat the room with gas. Now the situation has changed. Appeared alternative ways heating the building. Prices for conventional coolants are constantly rising. Space heating costs have not just increased, they have increased significantly.
Modern owners are armed with both old “grandfather’s” and the most advanced heating technologies.
After the end of the heating season, owners of private houses calculate the cost of heating their home. Many people think about how to change the heating system, because there is an alternative. We will describe several options for heating private buildings.
Wood stove heating
If the house is built far from gas mains or you don’t want to pay for expensive coolant, you can install a wood heating system. This option is ideal from an environmental point of view and does not harm the health of residents. How does a wood heating stove work?
The operating principle of this design is simple and clear. You buy a stove, put wood in it, and light it. The wood burns and heats the stove equipment. The stove gives off heat and the air in the room warms up.
Despite the seemingly primitive design, this heating option has a number of advantages:
- the oven heats up quickly;
- there is no need to buy and install pipes, radiators, pumps;
- the design is reliable, designed for long-term use, and is difficult to damage;
- Firewood can be purchased inexpensively.
Modern heating stoves bear little resemblance to the well-known potbelly stoves. The design of the furnace is designed so that the installation gives off a lot of heat and can operate for a long time on one load.
The structure of a boiler for wood.
A boiler can be integrated into a wood heating system. When choosing a boiler, it is better to choose a pyrolysis type design. Heat will be generated as a result of combustion of pyrolysis gases. This type of boiler equipment can function without electricity.
How does a solid fuel boiler work? At high temperature and in the absence of oxygen, the burning fuel decomposes into generator gas and solid waste. In this case, it is possible to achieve maximum heat transfer from fuel combustion.
Now about the disadvantages of this type of heating of buildings:
- the furnace installation is quite large, you will have to think about where to install it; the equipment weighs a lot, so you won’t be able to install the stove yourself;
- near the house you will have to provide a covered room for firewood; it is important that the supply of wood is sufficient for the heating period;
- combustion products if the stove device is used incorrectly can be hazardous to health;
- when heating with wood, you will have to provide a chimney;
- the stove will heat the room unevenly.
Using coal
Many private houses are located far from gas pipe. Buying firewood in some regions is more difficult than buying coal. You can purchase equipment that runs on solid fuel. Boilers designed to burn coal have sensors to regulate the heating temperature. The use of coal will reduce the amount harmful substances resulting from combustion.
When choosing firewood or coal, you should decide in advance where and at what prices you will purchase fuel.
Solid fuel boilers consist of a furnace, in which the coal combustion process takes place, a heat exchanger, where the coal is heated, and a grate. The heat exchanger can be made of cast iron or steel. Depending on this, you can find cast iron or steel boilers on the market. Which material is preferable? Steel boilers are slightly cheaper. Why? A cast iron boiler will last longer. As for reliability, these structures are difficult to damage.
The advantages of coal stoves include durability and high heat output. The heating system does not require electricity. It is clear that coal will have to be purchased in advance and a room for its storage will have to be provided.
Using electricity
We have already explained how best to heat a country house when there is no gas or electricity. If the building is connected to electricity, electricity can be used for heating. The building will be heated not by electricity, but by hot water. And electricity will heat the water.
How to arrange such a heating system? First of all, you should buy a boiler in which the water will be heated. Electric boilers can be designed for different powers and have one or more circuits. If the system has one circuit, then the water is heated only to heat the house. When there is a second circuit, water can be heated for the bathroom or kitchen. Sometimes two boilers are installed in parallel. In summer one of them can be turned off. The second will heat water for domestic needs.
Types of boilers
For residential buildings you can purchase wall and floor electric boilers. The latter have greater weight and size. Therefore, they are installed only on a horizontal surface.
Water (sometimes antifreeze) enters the boiler. Here electrical energy is converted into thermal energy. The liquid heats up and expands. The water pressure increases, the liquid moves independently through the pipes to the heating radiators. The radiators heat up and heat the building. The water cools and returns to the boiler to be heated. The system has a closed loop.
In some cases, it is possible to install a boiler with a forced circulation system. To do this, you will need an additional pump and expansion tank.
If a water heating system is not installed, but the building has electricity, other heating options can be considered. Nowadays you can buy various types of heaters that operate using electricity. Oil radiators are most often used. They consume little electricity and are safe to use.
Infrared heaters are also used indoors. But they can only warm certain areas of the room. This type of heating will save electricity. This type of heating is often used in dachas.
Infrared emitters aroused mistrust a couple of years ago. Now the situation is exactly the opposite. It turned out that this type of radiation does not pose a health threat. Moreover, these rays help cope with colds.
Precautionary measures
When heating buildings with a heater, you need to take basic precautions:
- Do not dry wet clothes on the heater;
- make sure that the wire does not lie on flammable objects;
- try not to use extension cords that are too long;
- Do not leave the heater on overnight.
If you heat a building with wood (coal), you should also adhere to the following rules:
- There should be no flammable substances near the hot stove;
- near the stove door the floor should be made of an iron plate; if sparks fall on linoleum or wood, this will lead to a fire;
- As a result of combustion, hazardous substances are formed; working ventilation is needed so that combustion products can leave the building.
Every home must be equipped with a heating system
Owners of private housing have a huge advantage over residents apartment buildings. They can decide for themselves which room service systems to use and how to save on installation and operation costs. Those who live in apartments, as a rule, cannot influence the quality and quantity of utility services provided, especially in the direction of increasing them. Owners of private houses can foresee the nuances even at the construction stage and choose the most profitable solution. To the point that the most economical home heating can be installed with your own hands.
The main advantage of electric heating is the rapid spread of heat around the source
This source is available almost everywhere. But it’s unlikely that heating a private home with electricity can be called the cheapest. If you decide to use electrical appliances for heating, be prepared to see large numbers on your electricity bill. The main advantage of electric heating is the rapid spread of heat around the source. Literally within a few minutes after switching on, you can feel the result. That is why electric heaters are most often used not for constant heating of homes, but in some emergency cases. There is also a fairly high fire hazard electrical appliances heating. It is not recommended to leave them on for long periods of time unattended.
Solid fuel
This name most often refers to firewood and coal. Firewood, although a very common fuel in Russia, will not help you solve the problem of cheap heating at home.
Fuel briquettes can have different compositions
In private homes, they are usually used to light stoves before laying coal. In large country houses, where, as a rule, there are fireplaces, firewood is also used. Coal is the cheapest and most commonly used solid fuel for heating private homes. Thus, if you want to provide economical home heating with your own hands, add to the project a stove that will be heated with coal and heat your home. In some areas, briquetted fuel is also used. This can be peat or pressed wood chips. However, due to geographical features, such types of fuel are not very common in Russia.
Liquid fuel
Chemical derivatives - fuel oil, diesel fuel, etc. - are usually used as liquid fuel. These heat sources are rarely used in private homes. Because combustion produces acrid smoke. Also, due to their increased flammability, it is quite unsafe to store these types of fuel near residential premises.
Gas
The most cheap heating country house can be organized using gas equipment. The cost of fuel is very low, and modern equipment can be installed and assembled in a matter of hours. However, the cost of high-quality equipment is quite high. And the final price of the project will depend on the distance of your home from the gas pipeline.
Alternative energy sources
Installing solar panels can help you save money
Of all the alternative sources known in the world, wind can be used on a more or less large scale in Russia. For this we need accordingly solar panels or wind turbines. These sources can give you virtually free energy and provide truly the cheapest heating for your home. Moreover, both of them can be very different in size, and, accordingly, cost. However, due to climatic conditions, they cannot be used constantly and everywhere.
So, if you want to make cheap heating for a private house with your own hands, you need to choose which type of fuel will be your main and which auxiliary. First of all, you need to proceed from the location of your home and the availability of certain heat sources. Then you need to calculate the costs of installing equipment for each resource and choose what suits you best. In such an important matter, it is advisable to consult with specialists. Typically, equipment supplier companies have complete information on this issue.
In a private home, it is advisable to have several heat sources. For heating the main residential premises You can use a pipe or one that supplies heat from a distribution boiler. It can be heated using solid fuel, gas or electricity.
To create a special coziness, owners often country houses use fireplaces. Of course, only natural wood or charcoal should be placed in fireplaces. True, there are also electric fireplaces, but those who like this imitation of living heat are more likely to be residents of apartment buildings than owners of a country house. Also, the design of private houses often includes a bathhouse. Both natural wood and electric stoves can also be used for heating.
Using solar panels is a good way to help your budget. Because the solar energy can be accumulated, then in most regions of Russia this equipment can be used to have a backup heat source in case of force majeure. In addition, the electricity obtained from solar panels is 100% environmentally friendly.
In any private home, when installing a heating system, it is necessary to provide for various situations. Including emergency ones. So that in case of failure gas boiler or a pipe burst, it was possible to switch to a backup option without any problems. And while repairing the main equipment, you will not be left without heat and energy. Thus, the cheapest heating for a country house is intelligently combined various sources heat. Using them in various combinations, you will ensure the uninterrupted operation of the life support system of your home.
How to heat a private house to create the most comfortable living conditions and at the same time minimize the cost and cost of maintaining the heating system. The task is complex and requires a comprehensive solution.
Popular methods of heating a private home
I have not seen a popularity rating for a method of heating a private home. In theory, in a country leading in gas production, gas heating should lead in possible heating systems. But this is not true. Long distances and poor main gas supply force people to turn to heating systems other than gas heating. Let's figure out how to heat a private house.
The choice of home heating option cannot be made after finishing the house. The heating design must be prepared before construction, and the laying engineering communications heating must be done at least before finishing works in the house. For example, the interior decoration of a vulture house is often carried out with plasterboard sheets and before installing them you need to have a clear plan for the heating distribution and the installation location of heating devices and the heating source.
Deciding what to heat the house with
First of all, when deciding what and how to heat a private house, they pay attention to the availability of the type of fuel in their area. By fuel we need to understand any source of energy that can be converted into heat, namely:
- Main gas;
- Liquefied gas in cylinders;
- Firewood and their modern version- pallets;
- Electricity;
- Diesel fuel;
- Fuel oil;
- Solar energy;
- BIOfuel.
When deciding on the choice of fuel, its regional availability, price and delivery are important. For all these parameters, the most profitable option is main gas (if it is available in your village), however, installation of turnkey gas heating is extremely expensive.
Combined heating systems
The second issue that needs to be resolved is heating a private house using one or two (three) types of fuel. In this matter, the approach to solving has two directions:
- To plan combined heating according to the scheme: main and emergency heating;
- Plan combined heating according to the scheme: simultaneous use of two or three heating systems. For example, gas boiler and heating radiators + infrared heating + electric heated floors. Or installing two heating boilers running on different fuels. There are a lot of combinations.
- Especially important, have dual-fuel heating (combined boilers) in permanent homes and areas with seasonal increases in fuel prices.
- Again, you need to remember that the equipment and installation of dual-fuel heating is more expensive.
For Russia, symbioses are popular: gas and wood heating, or electric (electric boiler) and fireplace heating. In the off-season, when frosts have not struck, they use wood for heating, and for the winter they turn on a gas boiler.
Alternative heating sources
Modern people are increasingly paying attention to heat sources that essentially cost nothing. These are the sun, wind and biological waste. Today, these heat sources remain additional and are rarely used as for main heating.
For example, quite affordable, heating schemes using solar collectors or solar panels as an additional source. Solar generators only work in sunny weather, therefore, they are included in heating systems with two or three heating systems: main heating (gas) + solar panels + battery system. If your area of residence is sunny, then solar collectors act as the main heating, and the boiler (gas, electric, wood) is additional.
One or two heating systems
Two-system heating schemes are widely used: two different types of heating systems from one source. As an option, the first floor of the house is heated with water warm floors, and the second floor is heated with water radiators. There is one heating source, but there are several heating circuits.
Alternatives to gas heating
As I already mentioned, gas heating is the most convenient for permanent residences; gasification of a home is the ultimate dream. However, the total cost of gasifying a home forces us to look for an alternative to gas.
Electricity
Electricity itself is an excellent alternative to gas, if only it weren’t so expensive. Practice shows that over 7 months of the heating season, using only electric heating, you will have to spend 50-60 thousand rubles, and this is with a good setup of the heating boiler.
Using electricity, you can heat your house using:
- Electric heating boiler (100 meters of house = 10 kW boiler).
- Electric convectors (cheap installation, but requires new wiring).
- Film infrared heating (rarely used as the main heating due to the high cost of installation and operation).
In addition to electricity, alternatives to gas can be:
Diesel fuel. There are a lot of disadvantages: expensive equipment, you need a special place for the container, you need to constantly replenish fuel. Cost of diesel fuel: 2-3 rubles per 1 kW of heat.
Firewood. Not everything is simple with wood heating. On the one hand, they are accessible. If you prepare them yourself, they are quite cheap. This is probably why all of rural Finland is heated with wood. In Russia, the cost of purchased firewood is slightly more expensive than gas, but cheaper than all other types of fuel. Gas - 20-30 kopecks per 1 kW, firewood - 70 kopecks, coal 1.3 -1.5 rubles, electricity - 3±1 ruble per 1 kW.
Many people want to buy housing outside the city. But, when building a country house, a problem arises. How and with what to heat a country house? Usually, there is no possibility of connecting to central heating on a plot of land. Therefore, you need to think about which type is best to use.
- all furnace installations are large in size, so you will have to think carefully about where to put it; The weight of the stove is quite large, so it will not be possible to install the stove yourself;
- You will need additional covered storage space for firewood. It is very important that there is enough firewood for the entire heating period;
- if oven equipment is used incorrectly, its combustion products can be dangerous to humans;
- it is necessary to equip the pipe;
- With large areas of the house, the stove will heat the rooms unevenly.
Heating with coal
As we wrote above, you can heat a country house without gas using stove equipment. But, since purchasing firewood in some regions is difficult, you can consider the option of heating a country house using solid fuel.
These furnaces have boilers with special sensors for temperature control. The use of coal during combustion reduces the amount of harmful volatile substances.
Consist of:
- heat exchanger;
- the furnace in which the combustion process takes place;
- grate
The heat exchanger is made from cast iron or become. Therefore, the markets are mainly presented in steel and cast iron. It is worth noting that steel boilers have a low cost compared to cast iron boilers. The reliability of boilers made from these materials is very high, and if you wish, you are unlikely to damage the furnace structure
On to the pros Coal stoves can be attributed to their durability and increased heat output. Such a heating system does not require electrical energy.
As for coal, it is better to purchase it in advance and build a room for its proper storage.
Electric heating
If the country house is located in close proximity to power grids, then you can heat the country house with electricity. It is worth noting that the country house will be heated not by electricity, but by heated water.
How to set up an electric heating system
The first thing you need to do is buy a boiler for heating water.
The stores offer them designed for different powers, with one or more circuits. System with one circuit It only warms the house. System with double circuit heats water for the bathroom and kitchen. Typically, two boilers are installed. And in summer time one of them is simply turned off. The second heats water for personal needs.
Types of electric boilers
For private homes, as a rule, wall-mounted or floor-mounted electric boilers are purchased.
Floor standing boilers are larger in size and weight. Therefore, they must be installed on a horizontal surface.
The water entering the boiler heats up and expands. Due to this, the water pressure increases, and the liquid moves independently through the pipes to the radiators. heat up and heat the entire house. When the water cools, it returns to the boiler again to be heated. The whole system has a closed loop.
Sometimes installed boiler with forced water circulation system. But for this you will need an additional pump and tank.
If the house has electricity, but a water heating system is not installed, you can use other heating options. Currently you can buy in construction stores different types heaters powered by electrical energy. Usually buy oil
More recently, vacation on summer cottage was only possible in warm time of the year. The lack of economical and convenient ways to heat country houses made active winter outdoor recreation impossible. Now such an idea can be easily implemented, having the opportunity to go sledding and skiing, breathe in plenty of clean frosty air and take a break from the hustle and bustle of big cities.
To do this, it is important to carefully consider the heating system of a country house, make it comfortable and economical, uncomplicated and short in implementation. Castorama experts tell you how to heat economically country house to enjoy the benefits of a holiday outside the city throughout the year.
Your home needs a plus
Unambiguous and universal solution there cannot be dachas for all, since choice heating system depends on the frequency and conditions of use, the size of the house. You can live in the house permanently or come only for the weekend. But you need to know that each cycle of complete heating of a house frozen through and through will cause serious damage to its structure due to the formation of condensation moisture. In this case, when choosing the main type of heating, you need to think about a system for maintaining a positive temperature in the rooms during a short period of your absence.
How to maintain a positive temperature in winter?
A positive temperature (just over five degrees) is quite enough to ensure that when you arrive, the start of warming up will be calm and comfortable for everyone, including the entire structure of the house. There are several types of electric heaters that are equipped with thermostatic sensors. When you select the desired mode, the heater will properly maintain the required temperature until your arrival. And the better your home is insulated, the less costs will be required for such emergency heating.
In winter, it may not be worth heating the entire house. With the onset of persistent cold weather attic rooms, veranda and other rooms on the ground floor that you do not use can be left without constant heating. It is important to consider heating in the kitchen and one of the living rooms equipped with a fireplace or stove. This approach will allow you to relax comfortably at your dacha in winter and not spend a lot of money on heating it. And so that the heating system used does not cause damage to the rest of the house, you need to take care of the thermal insulation of unheated rooms.
Expert advice
For greater efficiency, you can use programmable weekly switches, which, on the eve of your arrival, will turn on additional heaters and bring the temperature in the house to a completely comfortable level.
How to quickly heat a room?
So, on the long-awaited winter weekend, you came to the dacha to spend time in comfort. If you have taken care of the heating on duty, the house will be cool, but without a feeling of dampness - convectors dry the air well. There are several ways to quickly heat a room. The so-called high-power heat guns - electric or gas - are especially effective; they can warm up the air in a room in a matter of minutes. This best option to heat the house to a comfortable temperature, but it will not help maintain the conditions created in the premises for a long time. If you would like to stay overnight in country house, it’s worth lighting a fireplace or brick oven. It will take a long time to warm up, but will also be able to maintain a comfortable temperature in the room for a long time.
Selecting the type of heater
The oil heater is convenient and practical to use and has several operating modes. Heating of a cold room occurs rather slowly, but in economy mode the device successfully maintains the temperature from a heated stove and can heat well small room all night long.
An electric convector heats a room by circulating warm air passing through thin heating elements. Adjustable thermostat automatically maintains set temperature. Convectors heat the room faster, but cool down quickly after switching off.
Fan heaters heat the air in a cold country house even faster. They should not be used for a long time, as they burn oxygen and dry out the air.
Modern infrared heaters are gaining popularity due to their ease of use and cost-effectiveness. They heat objects located within the reach of the rays, but it is not recommended to stay directly under such a panel for a long time. It is better to install such a device near the door or away from the bed and dining table.
Choosing a stove to heat a country house
It is believed that only a large brick stove can heat a room for a long time. The decisive nuance is the mass of the structure, which allows heat to be accumulated. And indeed it is. At permanent residence Such a stove is heated throughout the winter season without allowing it to cool down. This is the centuries-old experience of our ancestors, which can be successfully applied in our time. More progressive options are also in demand - heating boilers solid fuel and gas boilers, if it is possible to connect to the main line. However, not all holiday villages have gas, and the heating system itself with liquid coolants is considered costly and rather inert in time, because you come for one or two days. For the humble country house Modern designs of economical stoves can be a heating option.
What are long-burning stoves?
Expert advice
Cassette fireplace inserts made of cast iron with movable doors made of heat-resistant glass are also endowed with the ability to burn wood for a long time. Their external design matches the fireplaces closed type. Unlike brick fireplaces, such fireboxes quickly heat the air in the room and maintain heat throughout the night.
We all have a good idea of what a potbelly stove is, which saved many generations from the cold during the difficult years of our history. Its design was not convenient and practical, and the coefficient useful action was extremely low: a lot of fuel was required, and it had to be heated continuously. Modern models fundamentally different from previous designs. They are compact, convenient and can decorate any room. But their main advantage is considered to be their extraordinary energy efficiency, which makes it possible to heat a country house without significant costs.
This was achieved through accurate calculation design and use of the latest heat-resistant materials. The most successful models of such stoves are capable of maintaining economical combustion of fuel for 8-10 and even 12 hours. One stack of firewood can smolder in the main firebox all night, and flammable gases from such smoldering do not escape into the chimney, but are burned in the secondary chamber. There is practically no ash left from the firebox. Furnaces long burning easy to use and multifunctional. You can choose for country house an oven with a hob for cooking or an oven with a glass door, which makes it possible to watch the play of live fire on winter evenings. No foundation is required for such furnaces - they can be installed in any convenient place.
Comfortable sleep in a country house
To create comfortable conditions for relaxation and living in the country, you can use various household solutions. If, returning from a ski trip in the evening to your warm house, you find that the bed has not yet warmed up and the sheets seem damp, use an electric mattress or electric sheet. They will make the bed warm and comfortable for sleeping in a short time. Such heaters consume only 40-60 watts of electricity.
A very economical and convenient solution for maintaining optimal temperature in the rooms of a country house in winter - film infrared heaters. When laid directly under carpet or linoleum, they warm large surfaces well with soft and pleasant warmth. In a house where an economical heating system is rationally designed, you can live in complete comfort even in the most severe cold, enjoying communication with pure nature.