The best electric heating. Proper heating of the house with electricity is the most economical way

Heating a private home requires certain financial costs - consumers need to regularly pay for the energy they use. Therefore, the issue of efficiency of heating systems worries many. How to make the most economical heating of a private house with your own hands? Which heating boiler to choose? To do this, you need to understand what a particular heating system is and what its potential is in terms of ensuring efficiency.

Heating methods and their efficiency

Traditionally, autonomous heating systems are used to heat private houses. The energy sources for their operation are natural gas, liquefied gas, solid fuel, liquid fuel and electricity. Natural gas systems are considered the most economical. But in some conditions their efficiency does not play any role. For example, if the house is not connected to the gas main, then comparisons with gas are not appropriate.

Gas heating systems

Economical heating systems for a private home are systems that run on cheap coolant. If there is a gas main nearby, feel free to connect to it and use one of the most inexpensive sources of energy. Comparing gas costs with costs for other sources, you begin to understand that this is one of the most inexpensive types of fuel.

In the absence of a gas main, liquefied gas is often used, supplied in cylinders or stored in gas tanks. But this option cannot be called the most economical, although it is very simple in its implementation - just purchase a regular gas boiler and reconfigure it to work with liquefied gas.

Solid fuel heating systems

Economical heating of a private house without gas can be built using a solid fuel boiler. To power it, coal, coke, briquetted fuel and even ordinary firewood are used. Coal burns the longest, but it is also quite expensive. But the heating system is not only economical, but also inexpensive - the simplest solid fuel boiler is quite affordable.

The cheapest heating of a private house without gas is built using solid fuel boilers, sometimes homemade. If you want to provide more convenient operation system, you should take a closer look at the boiler with a small bunker for pellet fuel (fuel granules). Such pellet boilers operate automatically, requiring only periodic loading of new portions of pellets.

The operation of solid fuel boilers using wood is complicated by the need to load firewood too often. In addition, you need a lot of firewood, which increases the cost of operating the heating system. As soon as you miss the moment of loading the next portion of fuel, the house will begin to become cooler. The problem is solved by installing special long-burning solid fuel boilers.

It should be noted that heating systems powered by wood can be economical, even completely free - you can chop firewood in the forest yourself, which is used by people living in small settlements.

Liquid heating systems

Liquid fuel heating systems cannot be called the most economical. After gas and solid fuel they occupy an honorable third place. Used engine oil and diesel fuel are used as fuel. Because of this, in houses heated by liquid boilers, there is always a characteristic smell. There is also a need to create a special storage facility for liquid fuel, and at a distance from residential buildings - this creates additional costs.

Electric heating systems

It is difficult to create cheap heating of a private house with electricity - you need a source of free electricity. The whole point is that classic electric boilers are unusually voracious. And it is almost impossible to do anything here, since their efficiency is 99% - that is, almost all the energy is converted into heat. Some savings can be achieved induction boilers, but many experts are not ready to confirm this fact.

Economical electric boilers for heating a private home exist, but they are much more expensive than their simple, small-sized counterparts. Savings are achieved through the use of weather-dependent automation and room temperature sensors. That is, they are able to automatically adapt to the characteristics of outdoor and indoor temperature conditions, adjusting the heating power - if a person made the adjustments, the costs would be higher.

The disadvantages of electrical systems are the need for good electrical wiring and the availability three-phase network for powering the most powerful boiler models.

How to make economical heating in a private house

How to make cheap heating for a private house with your own hands? To do this you need:

  • Use the most economical and efficient heating boiler;
  • Pay attention to the thermal insulation of your home;
  • Use alternative heat sources.

The operating principle of a condensing boiler, one of the most profitable devices for heating a private home.

If there is gas in the house, take a closer look at condensing boilers - they have high efficiency and almost completely transfer heat from the burner to the heating system. If you want to create the cheapest heating for a private home without gas, consider purchasing a solid fuel boiler - by purchasing a truckload of firewood, you will provide yourself with relatively cheap heat for the entire cold period. Also you need to pay attention to installing radiators with high heat transfer.

Are there rooms in your home that require minimal heat? Create a heating system with the ability to shut off individual radiators. For the greatest efficiency, invite an experienced heating engineer who will perform more accurate calculations your heating.

Thin entrance doors, lack of proper thermal insulation of walls, old windows - all this contributes to heat leakage outside your home. We recommend that you install normal entrance doors with effective thermal insulation, order plastic windows and think about covering the house with a layer of brick (it is also possible to apply a cement “jacket”, which creates good thermal insulation) - this will reduce heat loss and reduce heating costs.

Alternative heat sources

Concerning alternative sources heat, then they can be:

  • Infrared film for creating warm floors;
  • Solar panels;
  • Heat pumps.

A heating scheme in which heat is generated using electricity obtained from solar panels.

Solar panels use the free energy of the sun - they generate electricity, which can be used to heat the coolant or operate other heating equipment. Their disadvantage is their very high cost.– you need to spend a lot of money to buy required quantity batteries

Heat pumps use the energy of reservoirs, soil or air. The principle of their operation is based on the extraction of heat from environment and transferring it to heated rooms. Without delving into the laws of physics, the operating principle of a refrigerator is used here. To power heat pumps you need external sources electricity, but even with this taken into account, the heating system turns out to be quite economical. But the cost of heat pumps so far negates their advantages.

If you need to create an economical heating system for a private home without gas, you can use infrared film. It runs on electricity and provides heating for the floors - under the influence of infrared radiation they heat up and begin to give off heat to the rooms. According to experts, the film provides up to 30% efficiency compared to the use of conventional electric boilers.

It is not possible to install main gas everywhere, but electricity is available everywhere (almost). How and with what devices you can make electric heating of a private house, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each method - more on all this below.

Heating with electricity can be done in several ways. First of all, you should decide on the type of system you want to implement. It will be traditional water heating, air or heated floor. All three systems can be used as the only way heating, and combined - any two or even all three. To decide, you need to imagine the advantages and disadvantages of each of them.

Water heating with electric boiler

Let's start with the advantages. The most stable system, which, due to inertia, continues to maintain the temperature for some time after the boiler has stopped working. During operation, it minimally dries the air and operates almost silently. High maintainability. If you do not hide heating pipes in the walls, they are always available for repair and replacement.

The disadvantages are as follows. A complex system from pipes and radiators requires a lot of time and money at the installation stage. Due to inertia, it is impossible to quickly change the temperature - it will not be possible to quickly heat the room. When the system is stopped in winter time it may collapse - if the water freezes in the pipes, they will burst. For serious repairs, a complete shutdown and draining of the coolant is required.

Air heating using electric heaters

Heating of this type is quickly installed. All you need to do is buy heaters, hang them up and plug them into the network. The air begins to heat up immediately after switching on. When the system freezes, it remains operational - there is nothing to freeze. The heating elements are not connected to each other. The failure of one does not in any way affect the performance of the others. It can be easily repaired.

Hang the heaters - that's all you need

Flaws air heating such. The first is that when the heaters are turned off, the temperature drops quickly. To ensure continuous operation, a backup power supply system is required. The second is that due to direct contact with the heating elements, the air dries out; measures/devices are needed to humidify the air. Third, many air heaters have built-in fans, which improve efficiency, but they are noisy.

Warm floor with electric elements

Electric underfloor heating is the youngest heating system. Of all those described above, it provides the most comfortable conditions - the highest temperature is at the level of the feet, and in the head area it is average. Also, this system is inert - it takes a significant period of time for the floor mass to heat up/cool down. For this reason, after turning off, the temperature remains for some time. The complexity of installation depends on the type of electric heated floor. There are systems that require screeds (electric heating cables and mats), there are those that are mounted on a flat, rigid base without wet work (film heated floors) and can be used to heat laminate, linoleum, etc.

Electric heating of a private house using heated floors also has disadvantages. The first is average or low maintainability. There is no direct access to the heating system. I have to disassemble/break the floor. The second is the investment of time and effort on the device. electric heating warm floors cannot be called low. Systems that require a screed take about a month to install (while the screed is “mature” you cannot use it); a heated floor for “dry” installation can be assembled in a day, but the cost of the heating elements is quite high.

What type of electric heating is the best?

As you can see, it’s impossible to say which type of electric heating is the best in a house. There is no ideal. It is necessary to proceed from the operating conditions:


The above is based on the majority's choice. This does not mean that it is impossible to use electric air heating for a private home in a permanent home. They can, and they do. You just need to clearly understand the advantages and disadvantages.

Electric boilers for water heating

One of the key positions when installing water heating at home is the boiler. There are three types of electric boilers:


They all heat water using electricity, but use different processes and technologies. Each type has advantages and disadvantages, which we will discuss in more detail.

Electric boilers heating elements

The working element in these heating boilers is a tubular electric heater, abbreviated as heating element. It is made of a material that generates heat when passed through it electric current. This element is enclosed in an electrically insulating tube, the space between the heating element and the tube is filled with sand - for more efficient heat transfer from the heating coil to the body. The water in the boiler flows around the heating element, heating up from its walls.

As is clear from the description, an electric boiler of this type does not have very high efficiency - there are too many losses during heat transfer. But boilers with heating elements are popular due to the fact that they have a relatively low cost and the heating elements are easily replaced. Another disadvantage of this type of boilers is their large dimensions - you need a container for heating water,

In order for electric heating of a private house based on a boiler with heating elements to be economical, it must have the following functions:


Such models are expensive, but heating bills come lower, since at any given time as many heaters are working as needed to maintain the desired temperature. This is how savings are achieved.

There is one more point: the system must be closed type. The fact is that when water is heated, limescale, significantly reducing the efficiency of water heating. In a closed-type system, a certain amount of water circulates and there is simply nowhere to “achieve” the raid. If the system is planned open type, it will have to use water with a minimum amount of salts. Ideally, distilled.

Induction electric boilers

It has long been noted that an object entering a magnetic field heats up. The operation of induction heating boilers is based on this phenomenon. It is essentially a large induction coil through which current is passed. Water flows through the induction field, heats up, and enters the system.

Advantages of an induction boiler:


One of the disadvantages of these boilers is their higher price (compared to heating element boilers of similar power). The second disadvantage is that you need to monitor the coolant level in the system. There is no way to control it automatically, so constant checks are required. If it is not enough, the coil will overheat. If this state of affairs continues for some time, the housing may even melt. This is one of the important points.

Otherwise, the reliability of this boiler is high - there is nothing to burn out, since the conductor through which the current flows heats up slightly. After all, heat formation occurs in a liquid.

Electrode heating boilers

These electric heating boilers use the phenomenon of electrolysis. When ions move towards an electrode with a corresponding charge, heat is released. An alternating voltage Hz is supplied to the electrodes in this heating boiler. So the polarity of the electrodes changes 50 times per second. As a result, the movement of ions accompanied by the release of heat does not stop and the heat spreads throughout the heating system.

Advantages of electrode boilers:

  • The coolant is heated “from the inside”, at the same time the entire volume of liquid inside the boiler is heated. So the energy efficiency of such equipment is high, less time is needed to reach the set temperature. This leads to reduced heating costs. This is what the manufacturers say, and this is confirmed by the owners of these boilers.
  • Small sizes.
  • Lack of coolant is not a problem. The equipment simply won't work. Add water to the system and everything will work.
  • Low cost.
  • Easy installation.

This is all real advantages electrode heating boilers. The main advantage is that this equipment can be left to work unattended.

Disadvantages of this heating equipment:


The described disadvantages can rather be attributed to the features of operation. In general, electric heating of a private house with an electrode boiler suits many people. All that is necessary is to properly prepare the water (add salt) or fill in a special coolant.

A few words about the cost of electric boilers

If you look at the prices for electric heating boilers, then heating elements actually have a higher price tag, and electrode or induction ones have a significantly lower price tag. But don't delude yourself. In reality the difference will not be so striking.



Under the casing of the heating element boiler, in addition to the container for heating water and heating elements, there is also circulation pump, temperature sensor, control device and expansion tank. That is, you don’t need to buy anything additional.

The price tag for an electrode and induction boiler is only the boiler itself, sometimes complete with a control unit, and even then not always. Sometimes controls need to be purchased separately. All other parts of the system that water electric heating of a private house requires - an expansion tank, a circulation pump, sensors - all these devices will have to be purchased separately. That's for sure. Perhaps the amount spent as a result will be less than the cost of a heating element boiler, but the difference will clearly not be as big as it seems at first glance. And this must be remembered.

Heating a home using electric heaters

Electric heating of a private house can be done using electric heaters. It can be done based on:


What attracts me most about the idea of ​​air electric heating private home, there is no need to build a complex and expensive system. All you need is sockets and sufficient dedicated power to power the home. The heating itself can be organized using a variety of devices.

Air convectors

According to the installation method they are:


An air convector of any type has a similar structure: there is a heating element (heating element) with fins - for better heat transfer. The required temperature is set on the thermostat, which turns the heater on/off as needed. For better air circulation, the housing has holes. The lower ones are for the entry of cold air, the upper ones are for the exit of heated air. In this case, circulation occurs naturally, but the air moves slowly in this case, also slowly spreading heat. For a more active temperature increase, some models have built-in fans that speed up the process.

Three types - wall, ceiling, floor - require virtually no installation. For wall ones you need two hooks screwed into the wall, for ceiling ones they are attached with dowels or self-tapping screws to the ceiling, for floor ones - with the same fasteners, but to the floor. But with the other two types - baseboard and in-floor - the situation is different.

As the name implies, baseboards are installed instead of skirting boards and have a corresponding appearance. The difference from heating with conventional convectors is that the air exits near the wall, gradually heating it. Once heated, it begins to work like a large radiator, maintaining the temperature in the room for some time after the convector is turned off. The disadvantage is that until the wall(s) heat up, the air heats up very slowly. So, electric heating of a private house using baseboard convectors is suitable for permanent residence.

Skirting convectors - an inconspicuous method of electric heating

Convectors built into the floor have a different difference. They work like regular convectors, but are built into the floor. They have a depth of at least 10 cm (these are the “smallest”), so their installation is possible only at the repair stage. Moreover, the floor usually has to be raised. But this is the most inconspicuous heating method. It is indispensable if you need to heat a French window or continuous glazing.

Oil heaters

Electric heating of a private house using oil heaters is not done so often. They are more used as a remedy in case of abnormal cold weather. Although they do their job well, fewer convectors dry the air. The heating element is the same heating element, it is inserted into a container filled with oil. Due to its energy intensity, it stores a small amount of heat and only then begins to radiate it. The walls of these heaters emit heat that is more pleasant for humans. It is more like heat from heated earth or a furnace.

The disadvantage of oil heaters is that it takes a significant amount of time for the oil to heat up. That is, due to their inertia, they can only be used on a long-term basis - in houses with permanent residence. At dachas - only for the duration of long visits, since they are not able to quickly heat the room.

Oil heaters are often produced on wheels - this is a mobile “emergency” option. There are wall-mounted models. Here they can be used for heating in the house.

Ceramic heating panels

In ceramic heating panels, the heating element is located close to the glass-ceramic front panel. This panel heats up to 80-90°C, after which it begins to emit heat in the infrared range. This is exactly the heat that the sun emits.

Like any heating element, this one “works” in two directions and heats the opposite side. To reduce heating losses on the back side, a screen is installed between the back panel and the heating element, reflecting part of the heat towards the ceramics. This increases heating efficiency.

When calculating conventional heaters (except infrared), take 1 kW of electric heater power per 10 square meters of area. But if it is decided to use ceramic heating panels for electric heating of a private house, it is recommended to calculate 0.5 kW for the same area. And a video review of the operation of such a panel confirms the validity of this approach. But, in order to ensure that the heater does not work at full capacity in cold weather, it is better to consider 0.6 kW per square. And that’s provided that you have “standard” ceilings.

Infrared emitters

Another way to organize electric heating for a private home is to use infrared heaters. Their main difference is that it is not the air that is heated, but the objects that fall within the range of infrared waves. They are already heating up the air. That is, this method of heating is identical to how the sun “works” - first the earth is heated, and from it the air.

One of the options for heating a private house with electricity is the use of infrared heaters

This method turns out to be the most effective. In any case, a person in a room heated by such devices says that he feels warmer at more low temperatures. The difference is 3-4°C. That is, this heating method allows you to waste less electricity. And one more positive point- heated objects (and these are walls and ceilings too) accumulate heat, and then maintain the temperature after the heaters are turned off.

The disadvantage of this heating method is the influence of a nearby powerful source of infrared radiation. Some doctors suggest the presence of negative aspects. But, so far, there are no proven facts.

Ecology of consumption. Estate: Is it possible to heat a house cheaply with electricity? When using autonomous systems, the problem of monetary costs is especially relevant. When building a house, the issue of financial feasibility of using electric heating systems in comparison with other types of heating devices is hotly debated. Let's look into this issue.

Is it possible to heat a house cheaply with electricity? When using autonomous systems, the problem of monetary costs is especially relevant. When building a house, the issue of financial feasibility of using electric heating systems in comparison with other types of heating devices is hotly debated. Let's look into this issue.

Expensive heating with direct heating systems

Heating systems using electrical energy are divided into two main groups according to the principle of operation - direct and indirect heating. The first include devices that, using heating elements, directly raise the air temperature in the premises.

Direct heating systems include:

  • convectors;
  • warm floor;
  • oil radiators;
  • infrared panels.

In most cases, electric heaters with direct operation consume a large number of energy, which does not allow them to be classified as economical heating devices. The only exception is infrared panels, however, their installation and operation are associated with a number of strict requirements, including safety issues, which significantly limit the possibility of using these devices.

The advantage of direct type heaters, in addition to their low price, is the absence of the need to install a boiler, heating system pipelines and radiators.

The advantages of heaters include the possibility of flexible temperature control in different rooms, and the autonomous connection of such systems to the electrical network. However, given the high cost of operation, the advantages of these devices are offset when it comes to the need for constant heating of the home.

Advantages and cost of boiler heating

Indirect heating systems increase the temperature of the coolant (in most cases, water plays its role). The air is heated by the components of the battery radiators. To put it simply, the system is an electric boiler through which coolant is passed, which then flows through pipelines into the heating radiators. By the way, you can replace any other boiler with an electric one - gas, coal, or running on liquid fuel.

Installing an indirect heating system is the cheapest option for heating a home using electricity. The most economical, but the most expensive at present, are induction boilers, in which heating occurs using electromagnetic waves.

In addition to such systems, there are other options - boilers with electrodes or a tubular electric heater (TEH). Heating devices equipped with heating elements consume more electrical energy than all mentioned types of boilers. At the same time, boilers with heating elements are much cheaper.

The advantages of boilers, in addition to low cost of operation, include such qualities as small dimensions and simple installation, provided there is an existing heating piping system in the house. In addition, the boilers are environmentally safe and operate absolutely silently.

Let's consider the consumption indicator of heating boilers. So, for one residential building with an area of ​​about one hundred square meters during the heating season, the level of heat consumption is 10 kWh, the production of which accounts for 10.3 kWh of electrical energy (boiler efficiency is approaching one hundred percent). If the boiler operates continuously, then the daily electricity consumption will be about 247 kilowatts, which is equivalent to 7410 kilowatts per month.

In fact, the boiler operating mode is not continuous - after the coolant heats up to certain temperature, the device turns off and energy consumption stops. On average, for every one hour of boiler operation there is an hour of downtime. Consequently, energy costs per month will be half as much as calculated - that is, 3700 kilowatts.

The average electricity tariff in Russia now fluctuates around 4.5 rubles per 1 kWh. Thus, the monthly costs for boiler heating houses with an area of ​​100 square meters will cost 16.5 thousand rubles, but they can be much larger or smaller, depending on the specific region.

How to make heating your home with electricity cheaper

There are different ways to achieve savings when using electric heating systems at home, but they all boil down to one thing - reducing the amount of heat generated. First of all, this result can be achieved by eliminating heat losses in the house.

It is necessary to eliminate gaps, cracks, and thermally insulate the room using insulation. Guaranteed to help reduce heat loss metal-plastic windows and doors, laying heat-insulating material on the walls of balconies and loggias.

An important factor in saving thermal energy is right choice heating format. For example, if a house or apartment is well insulated and the number of rooms is small, then the use of boilers will be justified, since the energy costs for heating the coolant in this case will be small. If we are talking about a house with big amount premises, including non-residential ones, then their heating can be carried out partially “idle”.

In the case of a large number of rooms, it would be more advisable to use a combined heating scheme. For example, installed in a bathroom infrared heater is able to quickly heat the room, therefore, at a time when this room is not actively used, it can be turned off.

As for the kitchen, it would be logical to use a combined scheme that provides two heat sources - an infrared panel and a convector. When the owners are not at home, the convector can operate at minimum power. If it is necessary to quickly heat the room, it turns on infrared panel and the air temperature is rising rapidly.

The flexibility of electric heating systems allows you to create different heating “profiles” using automation of temperature changes. In the absence of the owners of the house, the temperature is reduced to acceptable minimums - this makes it possible to reduce “idle” energy costs as much as possible.

An hour before the owners return to the apartment, the controller automatically starts heating the premises and, thus, creates comfortable temperature. When setting up the “smart” heating mode, both the power and the location of specific heating points are taken into account.

Obviously, the cheapest heating scheme is to connect to centralized system. However, it is necessary to consider all possible options for autonomous heating, both from the point of view of efficiency and ease of operation, and the cost of purchasing, installing and operating the equipment. published

If you have any questions on this topic, ask them to the experts and readers of our project.

Almost every cottage owner strives to reduce heating costs to a minimum. But when choosing the most economical heating for a private home, many often look only at the price of fuel.

However, here it is necessary to take into account the heat loss of the building, and the capital investment for the arrangement of the heating system, and the cost of servicing the network subsequently. Don’t forget about the labor-intensive operation of this or that option. Only an integrated approach to the issue will help make the operation of the heat supply network as economical as possible, don’t you agree?

In the article we have collected the most effective ways to increase the efficiency of the heating system, practical advice to reduce heat loss, and also assessed the feasibility of using renewable energy sources.

Before choosing fuel, a boiler (or other thermal energy generator) and a heat distribution system throughout the cottage, you need to take a closer look at the house itself. If heat loss through walls, windows, ventilation, subfloors and roofs is enormous, then no tricks to increase the efficiency of the internal heating circuit will help.

First you need to take care of the insulation of all structures and engineering systems dwellings.

With a high level of heat loss, any attempts to increase the efficiency of the heating system will be pointless; most of the heat will still go outside. Moreover, a lot of it will be required. One thing closed space cottage, and something completely different - a street open to winds and bad weather.

Insulation technology and materials are selected based on climatic conditions the area where the house is located. There are certain building standards with minimum requirements for wall thickness and thermal insulation for each Russian region. But without knowledge in heating engineering, it’s not worth doing the project yourself.

Either the calculations will be made incorrectly and the heat loss will be higher, or you will have to overpay for a layer of insulation that is too thick.

When viewing finished project and subsequent construction of the house Special attention need to pay attention to:

  • double glazed windows– up to 25% of all heat loss goes out through the windows;
  • roof and attic floor – that’s another 10–15%;
  • ventilation system– share of heat loss through ventilation with natural circulation can reach 40–50%.

Walls and floors are also places where heat escapes from a building. But initially no one neglects their insulation. But many owners of private houses often forget about ventilation and attics.

Another point is the presence of “cold bridges” in the enclosing structures. Any iron part that penetrates the wall from the street inside serves as a place for enormous heat loss.

Even a small metal pin slowly but inexorably “pulls” heat out of the home. There should be no such bridges in the project, and during construction it is important to ensure that they are not formed from various metal fasteners.

The image from a thermal imager shows that windows cause significant heat loss, so you should not forget about the need to install energy-saving double-glazed windows

In addition, “cold bridges” can become:

  • ends of floor slabs;
  • window and door slopes;
  • basement walls;
  • lintels and inserts made of concrete or iron.

All these places must be carefully insulated, otherwise you can’t even dream of saving on heating. No one has ever managed to heat the street.

Depending on the quality of insulation, the thermal conductivity coefficient included in the thermal engineering calculation for one building can differ significantly. The thicker the insulation and the fewer points of heat “leakage,” the smaller volumes of fuel have to be burned to heat the cottage.

The money spent on reducing heat loss will definitely pay off. You shouldn’t skimp on this issue, but you shouldn’t forget about the rationality of investments either.

Choosing the cheapest fuel

The second question in saving on heating is. Moreover, we need to look not so much at the cost of a kilocalorie leaving the boiler, but at the total costs of fuel, heating equipment and its maintenance. It is necessary to consider everything as a whole.

The cheapest in terms of the price of generated thermal energy are wood pellets and main gas, but they are also the most expensive in terms of initial costs (+)

If we compare different water heating units, the cheapest ones will be. However, electricity bills are unlikely to make anyone happy later. Plus, for a large cottage, in most cases you will have to lay an additional cable.

For a well-insulated house of 100 square meters, the existing capacity may be sufficient. But heating a two-story home will require much more electric “fuel.” At the same time, standard networks were not initially designed for such loads.

Natural gas in Russia is considered one of the most economical ways to heat private homes. However, there are several nuances here. If there is already a highway in the village, then it happens quite quickly and inexpensively.

But if the distance from the house to it is 200 m or more, then cutting into this pipe will cost a pretty penny. Plus, all approvals and receipt of technical conditions can take up to a year.

For the equipment you will have to pay from 150 to 250 thousand rubles. Fortunately, most companies dealing with such equipment complete all the work in a couple of days.

The price of liquefied gas for it in almost all Russian regions is ultimately equal to what comes from the main pipe. But the initial costs are frankly stinging.

Another fairly cheap boiler is one that runs on exhaust or diesel. Moreover, if fuel can be obtained at a reasonable price, then this may well become the most economical way to heat private housing.

Averaged across Russia, heating options for a country house based on the totality of all costs are arranged in the following order:

  1. Wood or coal stove.
  2. Gas boiler using mains gas.
  3. Wood-burning.
  4. Boiler equipment on liquid fuel.
  5. Electric boiler.

The most economical option is an ordinary wood or coal stove, provided it is true that there are no problems with fuel in the area of ​​residence. This is due to both the low cost of fuel and the low cost of equipment.

However, such a stove requires constant supervision. And this takes a lot of time and effort. Plus, it is unlikely that it will be possible to particularly improve the efficiency of the heating system connected to it. It is difficult to adjust anything or somehow control the economical consumption of logs (coal).

Much in the matter of the cheapness of fuel depends on its availability in the area where the house is located - in some regions coal or firewood are the cheapest, while in others gas will give them a considerable head start

An electric boiler is the most convenient and safe to use. It doesn’t need a chimney, plus the automation itself monitors everything and heats up the coolant in the system as needed.

With proper installation of electrical wiring, the likelihood of a fire with this heating method is reduced to almost zero. He certainly shouldn’t present any other problems.

However, energy costs are frankly high. It’s also good if you can connect a two-tariff meter with a reduced nightly rate. Otherwise, you should opt for an electric boiler only as a last resort. It is difficult to call it the most “economical” due to the high costs of “burned” kilowatts of electricity.

Increasing the efficiency of your heating system

To increase the efficiency of heating a home, it is also possible and necessary to introduce various technologies that reduce fuel consumption into the heating system. There are a huge number of ways to route pipelines from the boiler to the radiators.

Some of them are cheaper to implement, while others are the most economical in terms of reducing losses during transportation of coolant to the batteries.

The efficiency of a home heating system depends on the correctly selected boiler power, pipe layout and even the pipeline material

There are heating equipment of different designs and various additional equipment that can increase the efficiency of the entire system by 10–15% or more. But here you should carefully weigh the pros and cons. In some cases, the costs initial stage may not pay off later.

There is no need to chase the “most economical” and “most effective” options. Often these are just advertising slogans and nothing more.

Method #1: pipe routing and “warm floor”

The most economical piping layout is with a central collector. When using it, each radiator receives the same volume of coolant.

Moreover, it is possible for each battery to adjust the amount of heat supplied individually. Extra expenses thermal energy when transporting heated water through heating pipes with such wiring is practically excluded.

The boiler manifold circuit is most effective in terms of balancing the hydraulic resistance of individual circuits and controllability of heat flows (+)

Almost always, with collector wiring, the heating system has to be supplemented. Thanks to it, the difference in water temperatures at the inlet and outlet of the network is significantly reduced.

As a result, the controllability of coolant heating and the efficiency of the entire system are increased. Less fuel has to be burned in the boiler, the result is direct savings on fuel.

The beam (collector) option is the most economical to operate. However, due to the long length of pipelines, it is also the most expensive to implement.

To maximize the efficiency of your heating system, you can simply abandon radiators and replace them with “warm floor” pipes

The heat from conventional radiators first rises to the ceiling, and only then, due to convection, spreads throughout the room. As a result, the hottest air ends up near the ceiling. And to prevent your feet from freezing on the floor in the cold outside the window, you have to open the radiators all the way. And this again means additional costs for heat generation.

The system is the most economical way to heat residential premises. In this case, the most warm air concentrated below at the level of a person’s feet. At the same time, heat consumption is reduced, and the most comfortable conditions for people are created in the room.

Method #2: the most efficient boilers

Most high efficiency for pyrolysis and condensation boilers. It is difficult to find more economical heating equipment in heating equipment stores. The first option uses wood as fuel, and the second uses gas. In terms of efficiency, they outperform all other analogues using any flammable coolant.

A pyrolysis boiler differs from a conventional wood-burning boiler in the presence of a second firebox and in the fact that in fact it is not wood as such that burns there, but the gas obtained as a result of pyrolysis.

First, the logs smolder in it at high temperatures and limited air supply. And only then the resulting gases burn in the main chamber, releasing heat.

Compared to its standard wood-burning counterpart, it is more efficient (30–40%) and requires less attention. The interval between loading firewood, depending on the capacity of the firebox, reaches 10–16 hours.

Savings here are achieved due to absolutely complete combustion of fuel and a minimum of heat release with combustion products into the chimney.

A gas condensing boiler is even more economical - it takes away thermal energy not only from the burned methane, but also from the products of its combustion

Taking into account the collection of additional heat, the final efficiency of such a boiler reaches 105–110%. Here, the energy of both the burned gas and that obtained as a result of the condensation of water vapor occurring in the second chamber is taken into account.

Method #3: choosing a heat accumulator

One more is enough effective method saving on heating is by connecting a heat accumulator to a solid fuel boiler. The latter first accumulates heat in itself, and then gradually releases it to the batteries.

In this case, it is not necessary to forcibly limit the power of the coolant heating equipment, simply throwing out the heat into the chimney pipe.

If electricity is supplied to the cottage at different rates day and night, then the heat accumulator can also be included in a system with an electric boiler. In this case, it will accumulate heat at night, when electricity is cheaper.

Renewable heat sources

When calculating the costs in detail with heat pumps, wind turbines, solar collectors and batteries, the situation looks like this. They generate heat and electricity for a private home, but at first glance it is free. Of course, the sun and wind do not bill for heating, but such generation equipment is very expensive.

In Europe, renewable energy is sometimes subsidized from the state budget. Plus, the price tag for fossil fuels is frankly stinging. Therefore, “green technologies” there are economically justified and relatively effective.

In Russia the situation is radically different. Our state is not going to subsidize it yet. And prices for domestic firewood, coal and gas, compared to their neighbors in the west, are not so high.

As a result, based on the totality of all costs, heat pumps, solar panels And it’s difficult to call wind turbines particularly economical. They generally show their effectiveness only in remote areas where it is difficult and expensive to deliver burned fuel.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Choosing the most economical option heating for your cottage, you should take into account many factors and parameters, and the following selection of video materials will definitely help you with this.

Which heating is better:

What is the cheapest fuel to heat a country house:

How much does gas and electric heating cost:

The universal option of the cheapest and economical heating does not exist. For each specific house, it is necessary to calculate all the costs of fuel, equipment for heating the coolant and the arrangement of the heating system as a whole.

Often you have to start from the availability of a particular fuel, and only then select a boiler for it. Plus, you should absolutely not forget about high-quality insulation of the cottage and pipes to radiators.

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It is known that the most inexpensive heating option is considered gas system. But there are situations when it is not possible to use it, for example, if there is no gas main nearby. In this case, it is recommended to heat the house with electricity. The most economical method can be selected by analyzing all the options available. This is what we will do in this review.

Why you should choose heating your home with electricity: the most economical way

The electric heating system has the following advantages:

Options for electric heating of a private house

Such a heating scheme involves the use various types equipment.

Boiler application

Selecting IR panels

When determining how to heat a house economically with electricity, you can consider the option of installing infrared structures. Such products do not warm up the air inside the rooms, but various items. If in the version with a boiler the air masses move upward and then cool, then in this case the hot flows are directed to the floor.


If you add thermostats to IR devices, they will work more efficiently. One controller is enough to control three heaters. This equipment is economical to use, but expensive in terms of installation and construction costs. IR devices consume a small amount of electricity. In addition, they efficiently distribute heat. They can perform spot and zone heating. Even after the structure is turned off, objects emit heat for a long time.

You can install such equipment yourself. Infrared system used both as the main type of fuel and as an additional one. The advantages of this option include a long service life, up to 80 years.

Heating a house with electricity is also done using infrared. It's economical and effective remedy. This design is not afraid of unexpected power surges and does not break due to minor damage. Install similar device Can be used for various floor coverings except parquet. Infrared rays only heat solid objects, so when the floor is heated, the elements themselves do not heat up.

Expert's point of view

Andrey Starpovsky

Head of the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Group, GRAST LLC

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“Infrared heaters can be placed anywhere. They are installed on the floor, on the ceiling, or even behind some objects.”

Advantages of convectors

When choosing the most economical electric heating without a boiler, it is worth exploring the capabilities of convectors. According to the manufacturers, it efficiently heats the space and at the same time consumes a small amount of electricity. The main advantage of the device is that its installation is simple.

It takes about two minutes to warm up the heating element, which is much faster than when heating with water devices. The advantages of such structures include:

  • low cost of equipment;
  • fire safety;
  • The heating system can not be completed immediately, purchasing additional radiators as needed;
  • modern design;
  • uninterrupted operation even with sudden voltage changes;
  • small sizes.

This method maintains the desired humidity ratio in the room and does not destroy oxygen. Excellent technical properties and excellent power indicators allow the use electric convectors for heating both large and small private houses.

The main element of the design is the heating element, which converts electrical energy into heat. The operating principle is air convection. In this case, the cooled flows penetrate the slots in the lower part of the housing and then exit through the upper openings. The convector can operate separately or in a system controlled by a temperature controller.

Helpful information! To create a more economical installation, use a temperature controller.

Which option is better not to choose?

When choosing the most economical way to heat your home, it is worth exploring the options that you should not buy. An expensive option is an oil cooler. He has increased power, but when operating in winter it consumes a lot of electricity. Despite the significant power, such products have low heating efficiency. Interestingly, IR panels of the same power will heat the space in the house faster. Low-efficiency devices include fan heaters. They reduce oxygen, make noise and move dust.

How to increase the efficiency of electric boilers for heating a private home: prices and methods

To get the most economical method, heating your home with electricity must be properly organized. The efficiency of the entire structure can be reduced as a result of poor thermal insulation. Various gaps, cracks and imperfections in the windows contribute to the rapid cooling of the rooms.

If no one is home all day, you may not need to heat the house all day. In such a situation, you can install a special controller that will start the heating system several hours before the residents arrive. Two hours is enough to fully warm up the rooms.

Of great importance is a skillfully designed heating system design, taking into account the location of the heaters and power. Good decision installation of a multi-tariff meter is considered. This device allows you to save electricity at night, when the heater will work.

To get a cheap home heating system with electricity, you need to choose the right equipment and calculate the location of all devices.

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