Heat pumps
Heat pumps are a viable alternative to traditional heat generators and boilers. The principle of operation of this energy-saving system is somewhat reminiscent of an air conditioner that transfers heat from the room to the street.
The heat pump transfers heat from the ground to the heated room, and moves the cold back.
During the operation of a heat pump, energy is not spent on generating heat, but solely on its movement.
The scheme of the heat pump. Click to enlarge.
The functionality of this system makes it possible to obtain approximately 4.5 kW of thermal energy, spending only 1 kW of electrical energy on its transportation.
Heat pumps are highly efficient, reliable and economical. Alternative heating of the described type has only one significant drawback - the decision to install it should be made only at the zero construction cycle.
This requirement is dictated by the large volume of earthworks.
Solar collectors
Despite the fact that heating a country house with solar panels is almost impossible in a harsh climate, it is impossible not to consider this type of alternative source of energy and heat.
The greatest efficiency can be achieved only with intense solar radiation - only in this case the temperature in the rooms will be as comfortable as possible.
Varieties
Solar systems for heating the coolant (in our case, this is a “water-glycol” solution) can be conditionally divided into passive and active.
The first are combined into one so-called "water heater", which is located on the roof. The coolant tank is located above the collector mark, and cold water is supplied to the tank from below.
Scheme of operation of a flat solar collector. Click to enlarge.
The latter have a constructive difference from passive solar heating systems: the solar collectors themselves are placed on the roof of the house, and the reservoir for the coolant is in the house.
The heat carrier - water, circulates in the heating system using a pump.
Most often, solar collectors are used for household needs - heating water in storage tanks.
But in this case, in winter, you will have to drain all the water from the tank to avoid freezing.
There are two different types of solar collectors: flat and vacuum (tube).
A flat-plate collector is a solar absorber with glazing on top, having a layer of thermal insulation foiled on the inside.
Scheme of the work of the pipe collector. Click to enlarge.
The absorber is a flat sheet of metal connected to a piping system.
It "collects" solar heat, transferring it to the coolant. Glass should not reflect glare - to achieve the maximum effect from light energy.
The pipe collector differs from the flat one only in the presence of vacuum glass pipes assembled in one bundle.
An absorber made of a sheet of steel is inserted into each tube - it can be rotated inside to even out the sun's rays.
Pipe solar collectors are more expensive to install and maintain, but they give a greater effect than flat ones due to a longer retention of solar heat.
Both those and other types of heating systems are mounted on the roof of the house - in the inclined part.
Recently, manufacturers have been offering so-called "solar" roofs, in which solar panels are already installed, but this option has not received wide distribution due to a violation of the tightness of the roofing.
Heat pumps
In this case, the fuel and energy resources can be water-water or brine-water pairs.
"Water-water"
The principle of operation of such heating is as follows: water taken from an earthen well is pumped through a heat pump, and with its thermal energy provides heat to the house. The return water is discharged into the ground.
In order for this scheme to work flawlessly for a house up to 80 m2, the owner of the house will need to drill at least two water intake and drain wells, the depth of which is 50 m or more.
"Brine-water"
The principle scheme of heating with a heat pump with "brine-water" fuel is somewhat different: a solution placed in U-shaped pipes acts as the thermal energy of the fuel.
Schematic diagram of the heat pump. Click to enlarge.
The pipes must be placed in a drilled well at a depth of at least 150 m, or a heat exchanger should be arranged from the pipes, which will be located at a depth of 5 m and below. This will be needed in order to reduce the temperature difference at different times of the year.
Both the number of wells and their size will be determined at the rate of 50 W/mp, i.e., 50 W of thermal energy can be obtained from each linear meter of one well. In the case of installing a heat exchanger, the calculation is somewhat different - 40 W / m2 of the heat exchanger area, taking into account the annular distance of up to 800 mm.
The leader in terms of investment for heating a private house with a heat pump has a longer payback period, but the cost of operating and maintaining the equipment will be minimal compared to other types of heating systems.
used oils
Another variety can be called such alternative energy sources as used oils.
And, although this type of fuel and energy resource is not renewable and is often disposed of - collected, stored, transported, processed - many manufacturers of home heating boilers use waste oils as fuel (in the production of multi-fuel boilers).
Why oils? Because their calorie content exceeds the calorie content of other types of fuel - diesel fuel, coal, wood. Disadvantages: the need for a special storage capacity for storing reserve stock; alternative fuel must be of proper quality.
Benefits of using heat pumps
Saving. If you compare the cost of heating with a heat pump with the cost of gas equipment, you get an impressive amount with a difference in favor of pumps. And all because alternative sources in the heating system are the thermal energy of water and land.
Safe work. Regarding the explosion and fire hazard of gas-fired heating equipment, an electric heat pump for home heating is a completely harmless device! This also includes the ease of use of the equipment.
Versatility of application. The heat pump can work both for space heating and cooling (something akin to the operation of split systems in “heat-cold” modes).
Full automation of work. Unlike solid fuel boilers, heat pumps do not require constant fuel loading, besides, they do not need constant monitoring, inspection, cleaning.
And the heat pump does not need to be connected to the main gas pipeline - it is independent heating of a country house, which is provided by a simple connection to the power supply network.
Heat pumps
The most versatile alternative heating for a private house is the installation of heat pumps. They work according to the well-known principle of a refrigerator, taking heat from a colder body and giving it away in the heating system.
It consists of a seemingly complex scheme of three devices: an evaporator, a heat exchanger and a compressor.There are a lot of options for the implementation of heat pumps, but the most popular are:
The cheapest implementation option is air-to-air. In fact, it resembles a classic split system, however, electricity is spent only on pumping heat from the street into the house, and not on heating the air masses. This helps to save money, while perfectly heating the house throughout the year.
The efficiency of the systems is very high. For 1 kW of electricity, you can get up to 6-7 kW of heat. Modern inverters work great even at temperatures of -25 degrees and below.
"Air-to-water" is one of the most common implementations of a heat pump, in which a large-area coil installed in an open area plays the role of a heat exchanger. Additionally, it can be blown by a fan, forcing the water inside to cool.
Such installations are characterized by more democratic cost and simple installation. But they are able to work with high efficiency only at temperatures from +7 to +15 degrees. When the bar drops to a negative mark, efficiency drops.
The most versatile implementation of a heat pump is ground-to-water. It does not depend on the climatic zone, since a layer of soil that does not freeze throughout the year is everywhere.
In this scheme, the pipes are immersed in the ground to a depth where the temperature is kept at the level of 7-10 degrees throughout the year. Collectors can be located vertically and horizontally. In the first case, several very deep wells will have to be drilled, in the second, a coil will be laid at a certain depth.
The disadvantage is obvious. complex installation work that will require high financial investments. Before deciding on such a step, you should calculate the economic benefits. In areas with short warm winters, it is worth considering other options for alternative heating of private houses. Another limitation is the need for a large free area - up to several tens of square meters. m.
The implementation of a water-to-water heat pump is practically no different from the previous one, however, the collector pipes are laid in groundwater that does not freeze throughout the year, or in a nearby reservoir. It is cheaper due to the following advantages:
- Maximum well drilling depth - 15 m
- You can get by with 1-2 submersible pumps
Biofuel boilers
If there is no desire and opportunity to equip a complex system consisting of pipes in the ground, solar modules on the roof, you can replace the classic boiler with a model that runs on biofuel. They need:
Such installations are recommended to be installed together with the alternative sources considered earlier. In situations where one of the heaters does not work, it will be possible to use the second.
When deciding on the installation and subsequent operation of alternative sources of thermal energy, it is necessary to answer the question: how quickly will they pay off? Undoubtedly, the considered systems have advantages, among which:
- The cost of the energy produced is less than when using traditional sources
- High efficiency
However, one should be aware of the high initial material costs, which can reach tens of thousands of dollars. The installation of such installations cannot be called simple, therefore, the work is entrusted exclusively to a professional team that is able to provide a guarantee for the result.
Demand is acquiring alternative heating for a private house, which becomes more profitable against the backdrop of rising prices for traditional sources of thermal energy. However, before starting to re-equip the current heating system, it is necessary to calculate everything by considering each of the proposed options.
It is also not recommended to abandon the traditional boiler.It must be left and in certain situations, when alternative heating does not fulfill its functions, it will remain possible to warm your home and not freeze.
Radiators and heating pipes
In addition to modern heating boilers, pipes and radiators are no less important components. They are necessary for the efficient transfer of heat energy to the air in the room. During the design of the system, it is necessary to solve two problems - to reduce heat losses during the transportation of the coolant through pipes and to improve the heat transfer of the batteries.
Any modern heating radiators must not only have good heat transfer performance, but also a design that is convenient for repair and maintenance. The same applies to pipelines. Their installation should not cause difficulties. Ideally, the installation can be carried out by the owner of the house himself without the use of expensive equipment.
Modern heating radiators
Design of heating radiators
To increase heat transfer, aluminum is increasingly being used as the main material for manufacturing batteries. It has good thermal conductivity, and casting or welding technology can be used to obtain the desired shape.
But keep in mind that aluminum is very sensitive to water. Modern cast-iron heating radiators do not have this disadvantage, although they have a lower energy intensity. To solve this problem, a new battery design has been developed, in which the water channels are made of steel or copper pipes.
These modern heating pipes practically do not corrode, having minimal dimensions and wall thickness. The latter is necessary for efficient thermal transfer of energy from hot water to aluminum. Modern heating radiators have several advantages, which are as follows:
- Long service life - up to 40 years. However, it depends on the working conditions and timely cleaning of the system;
- Choice of connection method – top, bottom or side;
- The package may include a Mayevsky crane and a thermostat.
In most cases, models of modern cast-iron heating radiators are made designer. They have classic forms, some of them are made in the floor version with artistic forging elements.
The efficiency of a heating radiator depends on the correct installation and connection method. This must be taken into account when installing the system.
Modern heating pipes
Polymer pipes for heating
The choice of modern heating pipes largely depends on the material of their manufacture. Currently, polymer lines made of polypropylene or cross-linked polyethylene are most often used. They have an additional reinforcing layer of aluminum foil or fiberglass.
However, they have one significant drawback - a relatively low temperature exposure threshold up to +90°C. This entails a large thermal expansion and, as a result, damage to the pipeline. Products from other materials can serve as an alternative to polymer pipes:
- Copper. From the point of view of functionality, copper pipelines meet all the requirements for a heating system. They are easy to install, practically do not change shape even at extremely high coolant temperatures. Even when water freezes, the walls of copper lines will expand without damage. The disadvantage is the high cost;
- Stainless steel. It does not rust, its inner surface has a minimum roughness coefficient. The disadvantages include cost and labor-intensive installation.
How to choose the optimal configuration of modern heating? To do this, it is necessary to use an integrated approach - to make the correct calculation of the system and, according to the data obtained, select the boiler, pipes and radiators with the appropriate performance characteristics.
The video shows an example of modern home heating using a warm floor system:
Ground-to-water heat pumps
These devices are the most versatile alternative sources of heating for suburban households in terms of depending on the climatic zone.
The principle of their operation is based on the fact that even at a depth of several tens of meters in permafrost areas, the soil temperature exceeds zero degrees.
Heat exchangers designed to extract heat from the ground are probes that are immersed in special wells. It is required to lay highways, the length of which exceeds more than a dozen meters, and in addition to the high price of the pump, the cost of its installation itself is rather big. So drilling one well costs about several thousand rubles per linear meter, and you need more than one well. In addition, it is still necessary to install a pump and immerse probes into the well.
It will cost a little less to install a ground-water pump with a horizontally located collector. Heat exchangers are immersed in trenches below the freezing level. The disadvantage of such heating is the large area required to install the heat pump. The resulting heat is spent on heating water for domestic needs and transferring thermal energy to heating devices.
Renewable natural sources of thermal energy
However, there are such systems and heat sources, the operating costs of which are significantly lower than in all the cases described above, including gas heating. We are talking about renewable natural sources of thermal energy:
- Wind energy.
- The warmth of the earth.
- solar energy.
Wind energy
Wind turbines intended for individual use are mainly used for the production of electrical energy to solve the problems of energy supply at home.
The principle of operation of these installations is based on the process of wheel rotation with the help of wind force, followed by the generation of electrical energy.
The scheme of heating from wind energy. Click to enlarge.
The efficiency of using wind turbines increases significantly with the additional use of uninterruptible power supplies, helium batteries or additional photovoltaic panels.
The main disadvantage of wind turbines is that the use of wind energy at full capacity in our climatic conditions is possible only 70-110 days a year.
The warmth of the earth
Alternative heating in a private house can be made in the form of a heat pump that collects low-temperature ground thermal energy, increases its thermal potential and transports it to the house's heat supply system.
Heat pumps are safe from an environmental point of view, economical, capable of utilizing almost any kind of low-temperature heat.
The scheme of heating the house with the energy of the earth. Click to enlarge.
The disadvantages of this variant of the arrangement of heat supply systems (heating, hot water supply, air conditioning) include the relative complexity of installation and installation, which must be done when installing a zero cycle due to the large amount of excavation.
solar energy
The use of solar energy is one of the most promising areas, including in temperate climates. The principle of operation of such systems is quite simple.
The principle of operation of solar panels. Click to enlarge.
Solar energy enters the solar collector, where it is converted into thermal energy. The coolant ensures the transfer of thermal energy into heating systems, hot water supply systems or a battery, from where its final consumption is produced.
The main advantage of solar heating is an almost “free” renewable energy source throughout the year.
Among the shortcomings, one can note the initial costs of installing the system and the undesirability of using it in a private residential building as the main source of heat.
Afterword
In this article, we briefly examined the heating of a private residential building, an alternative to gas. We hope that after reading it you will be able to choose the most optimal source of heating for you, or give preference to a combination of the schemes described above.
Assembly and connection of the wind generator
Wind is the second most popular source of alternative energy. Homemade wind turbines allow you to provide the house with heat at minimal cost.
First stage. Select the appropriate type of structure and its power. Beginners are advised to opt for the most popular vertical wind turbines. Select power individually. Increasing the power of the wind generator is carried out by increasing the size of the impeller and adding additional blades.
However, remember that the more powerful the device, the more difficult it will be to balance it. The best option for self-production is a windmill with an impeller with a diameter of about 2 m and 4-6 blades.
Second phase. Make a foundation for the wind turbine. An elementary three-point base is enough. Determine the depth and area of the structure individually, taking into account the characteristics of the soil and the climate at the construction site.
Install the mast not earlier than the complete solidification of the base, i.e. in about 1.5-2 weeks. Instead of a foundation, you can use stretch marks. This is an even simpler option for installing a mast. Dig a small pit with a depth of about 50-60 cm, install a wind turbine mast in it and securely fix the structure with ordinary stretch marks.
Third stage. Make the blades. At home, a metal barrel is perfect for this.
You need to divide the container into identical parts in an amount equal to the number of selected blades. Mark the blades first, it is important that the blades are exactly the same size. Cut out the blades of the future wind generator. Bulgarian will help you with this
In the absence of a grinder, you can get by with scissors for cutting metal.
Fourth stage. Fix the workpiece on the generator with bolts, and then bend the blades. Many parameters of the wind generator operation depend on how strongly the blades are bent. No specific recommendations can be made in this regard. You can only determine the appropriate angle by experience.
Fifth stage. Connect the electrical wires to the generator and connect the elements of the system into a circuit. Fix the generator on the mast of the windmill, then connect the wires to the mast and turn on the generator and battery in the circuit. Give the load with wires. At this wind generator is ready. You can connect it to the water heating system through the same storage tanks.
If you wish, you can assemble and install several windmills if one device is not enough to fully provide the house with heat.
Thus, the use of alternative energy is a very promising direction that definitely deserves attention. Now you can feel like a part of the modern world and significantly save on heating by assembling a simple wind or solar installation. Follow the instructions and you'll be fine.
Varieties of alternative heating systems
An alternative to gas heating is, as a rule, automated heat supply systems that use modern technologies and the latest developments in practice.
These systems are an ideal solution for owners of private and country houses, especially those located at a distance from the places where the gas pipeline network is laid.
Alternative heating can have the following varieties:
- Diesel.
- Electrical.
- Solid fuel (coal, briquette, firewood, etc.).
- Natural renewable sources (wind energy, earth heat, solar energy, etc.).
Which of the above options is the most optimal for use in a country private house? To answer this question, consider the advantages and disadvantages of each of them in terms of efficiency and economy.
Use of diesel fuel
One of the main advantages of using diesel fuel for heating a private house is the relatively low cost of installing a thermal installation that generates thermal energy.
Any other types of heating, the principle of which is based on the combustion of fuel with the subsequent release of heat, require much more installation costs than oil-fired boilers.
The main disadvantages of this system include the high cost of operation and the need for regular maintenance and monitoring of the system.
Electric heating
Electric heating is a good alternative to gas heating in a country or private residential building.
This system is characterized by ease of installation and operation, a high level of automation that ensures reliable and high-quality operation of the entire system.
Electric heating can be adjusted for each room individually. Click to enlarge.
In addition, electric-powered heating systems differ in almost the maximum value of the efficiency factor (about 100%).
The list of numerous advantages can be supplemented by the small overall dimensions of heating systems and the possibility of their installation in almost any room.
Electric heating can be adjusted for each room individually.
The disadvantages of the system include the high cost of electrical energy, the dependence of stable operation on the availability of current and the quality of the electrical network.
Use of solid fuels
The most balanced alternative to gas heating is solid fuel boilers.
These devices combine the relatively high availability of solid fuel, low installation cost and sufficiently high efficiency (the efficiency factor can reach 85% - 95%).
The performance of solid fuel boilers is ensured by their periodic "refueling", which must be done manually 3-4 times a day.
The structural reliability of these boilers should also be noted. The main disadvantages of a solid fuel heating system are associated with the need to harvest, dry and organize the storage of firewood (coal, briquettes, etc.).
