6 sources of alternative heating for a private home

Heating a home is the first thing you need to pay attention to during construction or renovation work. Even a luxurious and well-equipped home will not be comfortable if it is cold inside, like outside. The traditional way of heating private and country houses is gas heating. But this option has many disadvantages:

• high price of gas heating;
• difficulty connecting to gas mains.

Fortunately, gas boilers are not the only heating method. There are many alternative sources that can be much more convenient, economical and reliable.

Question of relevance

The need to use alternative heating sources may be due to several factors:

• inability to connect to the gas network;
• high price of gas heating;
• the need to obtain an auxiliary (spare) heating source.

In addition, you can switch to alternative sources out of a desire to protect yourself from interruptions in gas supply and not depend on unstable gas prices. The advantage of alternative sources is that they are suitable for heating:

• private or country houses;
• storage facilities;
• production and greenhouse facilities.

Warmth of the Earth

Kirill Degtyarev, researcher, Moscow State University. M. V. Lomonosova

“Science and Life”, No. 10 2013

In our country, rich in hydrocarbons, geothermal energy is a kind of exotic resource, which, given the current state of affairs, is unlikely to compete with oil and gas. However, this alternative type of energy can be used almost everywhere and quite effectively.

Photo by Igor Konstantinov

Geothermal energy is the heat of the earth's interior. It is produced in the depths and reaches the surface of the Earth in different forms and with different intensities.

The temperature of the upper layers of the soil depends mainly on external (exogenous) factors - solar illumination and air temperature. In summer and during the day, the soil warms up to certain depths, and in winter and at night it cools down following changes in air temperature and with some delay that increases with depth. The influence of daily fluctuations in air temperature ends at depths from a few to several tens of centimeters. Seasonal fluctuations affect deeper layers of soil - up to tens of meters.

Change in soil temperature with depth

At a certain depth - from tens to hundreds of meters - the soil temperature remains constant, equal to the average annual air temperature at the Earth's surface. You can easily verify this by going down into a fairly deep cave.

When the average annual air temperature in a given area is below zero, it manifests itself as permafrost (more precisely, permafrost). In Eastern Siberia, the thickness, that is, the thickness, of year-round frozen soils in some places reaches 200–300 m.

From a certain depth (different for each point on the map), the action of the Sun and the atmosphere weakens so much that endogenous (internal) factors come first and the earth’s interior heats up from the inside, so that the temperature begins to rise with depth.

The heating of the deep layers of the Earth is associated mainly with the decay of radioactive elements located there, although other heat sources are also called, for example, physicochemical, tectonic processes in the deep layers of the earth's crust and mantle. But whatever the reason, the temperature of rocks and associated liquid and gaseous substances increases with depth. Miners face this phenomenon - it is always hot in deep mines. At a depth of 1 km, thirty-degree heat is normal, and deeper the temperature is even higher.

The heat flow of the earth's interior reaching the Earth's surface is small - on average its power is 0.03–0.05 W/m2, or approximately 350 Wh/m2 per year. Against the background of the heat flow from the Sun and the air heated by it, this is an unnoticeable value: the Sun gives each square meter of the earth's surface about 4000 kWh annually, that is, 10,000 times more (of course, this is on average, with a huge spread between the polar and equatorial latitudes and depending on other climatic and weather factors).

Increase in temperature of thermal waters and dry rocks containing them with depth

The insignificance of heat flow from the interior to the surface in most of the planet is associated with the low thermal conductivity of rocks and the peculiarities of the geological structure. But there are exceptions - places where the heat flow is high. These are, first of all, zones of tectonic faults, increased seismic activity and volcanism, where the energy of the earth’s interior finds an outlet. Such zones are characterized by thermal anomalies of the lithosphere; here the heat flow reaching the Earth’s surface can be several times and even orders of magnitude more powerful than “usual”. Volcanic eruptions and hot springs bring enormous amounts of heat to the surface in these zones.

These are the areas that are most favorable for the development of geothermal energy. On the territory of Russia, these are, first of all, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands and the Caucasus.

The eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull is an illustration of violent volcanic processes occurring in active tectonic and volcanic zones with a powerful heat flow from the bowels of the earth

At the same time, the development of geothermal energy is possible almost everywhere, since an increase in temperature with depth is a universal phenomenon, and the task is to “extract” heat from the depths, just as mineral raw materials are extracted from there.

On average, temperature increases with depth by 2.5–3°C for every 100 m. The ratio of the temperature difference between two points lying at different depths to the difference in depth between them is called the geothermal gradient.

The reciprocal is the geothermal step, or the depth interval at which the temperature rises by 1°C.

The higher the gradient and, accordingly, the lower the stage, the closer the heat of the Earth’s depths comes to the surface and the more promising this area is for the development of geothermal energy.

In different areas, depending on the geological structure and other regional and local conditions, the rate of temperature increase with depth can vary dramatically. On an Earth scale, fluctuations in the magnitudes of geothermal gradients and steps reach 25 times. For example, in Oregon (USA) the gradient is 150°C per 1 km, and in South Africa - 6°C per 1 km.

Variation of temperature with depth in different regions

The question is, what is the temperature at great depths - 5, 10 km or more? If the trend continues, temperatures at a depth of 10 km should average approximately 250–300°C. This is more or less confirmed by direct observations in ultra-deep wells, although the picture is much more complicated than a linear increase in temperature.

For example, in the Kola superdeep well, drilled in the Baltic crystalline shield, the temperature to a depth of 3 km changes at a rate of 10°C/1 km, and then the geothermal gradient becomes 2–2.5 times greater. At a depth of 7 km, a temperature of 120°C was already recorded, at 10 km - 180°C, and at 12 km - 220°C.

Another example is a well drilled in the Northern Caspian region, where at a depth of 500 m a temperature of 42°C was recorded, at 1.5 km - 70°C, at 2 km - 80°C, at 3 km - 108°C.

It is assumed that the geothermal gradient decreases starting from a depth of 20–30 km: at a depth of 100 km, the estimated temperatures are about 1300–1500°C, at a depth of 400 km - 1600°C, in the Earth's core (depths more than 6000 km) - 4000–5000° C.

At depths of up to 10–12 km, temperature is measured through drilled wells; where they are not present, it is determined by indirect signs in the same way as at greater depths. Such indirect signs may be the nature of the passage of seismic waves or the temperature of the erupting lava.

However, for the purposes of geothermal energy, data on temperatures at depths of more than 10 km are not yet of practical interest.

There is a lot of heat at depths of several kilometers, but how to raise it? Sometimes nature itself solves this problem for us with the help of a natural coolant - heated thermal waters that come to the surface or lie at a depth accessible to us. In some cases, the water in the depths is heated to the state of steam.

There is no strict definition of the concept of “thermal waters”. As a rule, they mean hot underground waters in a liquid state or in the form of steam, including those that come to the surface of the Earth with a temperature above 20°C, that is, as a rule, higher than the air temperature.

The heat of underground water, steam, steam-water mixtures is hydrothermal energy. Accordingly, energy based on its use is called hydrothermal.

The situation is more complicated with the extraction of heat directly from dry rocks - petrothermal energy, especially since fairly high temperatures, as a rule, begin from depths of several kilometers.

On the territory of Russia, the potential of petrothermal energy is one hundred times higher than that of hydrothermal energy - 3,500 and 35 trillion tons of standard fuel, respectively. This is quite natural - the warmth of the depths of the Earth is available everywhere, and thermal waters are found locally. However, due to obvious technical difficulties, thermal waters are currently mostly used to generate heat and electricity.

Waters with temperatures from 20–30 to 100°C are suitable for heating, temperatures from 150°C and above are suitable for generating electricity in geothermal power plants.

In general, geothermal resources in Russia, in terms of tons of equivalent fuel or any other unit of energy measurement, are approximately 10 times higher than fossil fuel reserves.

Distribution of geothermal resources throughout Russia. Geothermal energy reserves, according to experts, are several times greater than the energy reserves of organic fossil fuels. According to the Geothermal Energy Society Association

Theoretically, only geothermal energy could fully satisfy the country's energy needs. In practice, at the moment, in most of its territory this is not feasible for technical and economic reasons.

In the world, the use of geothermal energy is most often associated with Iceland, a country located at the northern end of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, in an extremely active tectonic and volcanic zone. Probably everyone remembers the powerful eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano

) in 2010 year.

Installed capacities of geothermal power plants by country, MW

It is thanks to this geological specificity that Iceland has huge reserves of geothermal energy, including hot springs that emerge on the surface of the Earth and even gush out in the form of geysers.

In Iceland, over 60% of all energy consumed currently comes from the Earth. Geothermal sources provide 90% of heating and 30% of electricity generation. Let us add that the rest of the country’s electricity is produced by hydroelectric power plants, that is, also using a renewable energy source, making Iceland look like a kind of global environmental standard.

The domestication of geothermal energy in the 20th century greatly benefited Iceland economically. Until the middle of the last century, it was a very poor country, now it ranks first in the world in terms of installed capacity and production of geothermal energy per capita and is in the top ten in terms of absolute installed capacity of geothermal power plants. However, its population is only 300 thousand people, which simplifies the task of switching to environmentally friendly energy sources: the need for it is generally small.

In addition to Iceland, a high share of geothermal energy in the overall balance of electricity production is provided in New Zealand and the island countries of Southeast Asia (Philippines and Indonesia), countries of Central America and East Africa, the territory of which is also characterized by high seismic and volcanic activity. For these countries, at their current level of development and needs, geothermal energy makes a significant contribution to socio-economic development.

The use of geothermal energy has a very long history. One of the first known examples is Italy, a place in the province of Tuscany, now called Larderello, where at the beginning of the 19th century local hot thermal waters, flowing naturally or extracted from shallow wells, were used for energy purposes.

Collector for collecting thermal boron water in Larderello (Italy), first half of the 19th century

Water from underground springs, rich in boron, was used here to obtain boric acid. Initially, this acid was obtained by evaporation in iron boilers, and ordinary wood from nearby forests was taken as fuel, but in 1827 Francesco Larderel created a system that worked on the heat of the waters themselves. At the same time, the energy of natural water vapor began to be used to operate drilling rigs, and at the beginning of the 20th century - for heating local houses and greenhouses. There, in Larderello, in 1904, thermal water vapor became an energy source for generating electricity.

Motor and inverter used at Larderello in 1904 in the first geothermal power generation experiment

The example of Italy was followed by several other countries at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. For example, in 1892, thermal waters were first used for local heating in the USA (Boise, Idaho), in 1919 - in Japan, in 1928 - in Iceland.

In the USA, the first power plant operating on hydrothermal energy appeared in California in the early 1930s, in New Zealand - in 1958, in Mexico - in 1959, in Russia (the world's first binary GeoPP) - in 1965 .

Old principle on a new source

Electricity generation requires a higher hydrosource temperature than for heating - more than 150°C. The operating principle of a geothermal power plant (GeoPP) is similar to the operating principle of a conventional thermal power plant (CHP). In fact, a geothermal power plant is a type of thermal power plant.

Schematic diagram of the operation of a thermal power plant

At thermal power plants, the primary energy source is usually coal, gas or fuel oil, and the working fluid is water vapor. Fuel, when burned, heats water into steam, which rotates a steam turbine, which generates electricity.

The difference between a GeoPP is that the primary source of energy here is the heat of the earth’s interior and the working fluid in the form of steam is supplied to the turbine blades of the electric generator in a “ready” form directly from the production well.

There are three main operating schemes for GeoPPs: direct, using dry (geothermal) steam; indirect, based on hydrothermal water, and mixed, or binary.

The use of one or another scheme depends on the state of aggregation and temperature of the energy carrier.

The simplest and therefore the first of the mastered schemes is direct, in which steam coming from the well is passed directly through the turbine. The world's first geoelectric power station in Larderello in 1904 also operated on dry steam.

Operating principle of GeoPP using dry steam. Geothermal steam coming from a production well is passed directly through a steam turbine. The simplest existing geoelectric power plant operating scheme

GeoPPs with an indirect operating scheme are the most common in our time. They use hot underground water, which is pumped under high pressure into an evaporator, where part of it is evaporated, and the resulting steam rotates a turbine. In some cases, additional devices and circuits are required to purify geothermal water and steam from aggressive compounds.

The operating principle of GeoPP with an indirect scheme. Hot underground water from the production well is pumped into the evaporator, and the resulting steam is supplied to the turbine

The exhaust steam enters the injection well or is used for space heating - in this case, the principle is the same as when operating a thermal power plant.

At binary GeoPPs, hot thermal water interacts with another liquid that performs the functions of a working fluid with a lower boiling point. Both fluids are passed through a heat exchanger, where thermal water evaporates the working fluid, the vapors of which rotate the turbine.

Operating principle of binary GeoPP. Hot thermal water interacts with another liquid that performs the functions of a working fluid and has a lower boiling point. Both fluids are passed through a heat exchanger, where thermal water evaporates the working fluid, the vapors of which, in turn, rotate the turbine

This system is closed, which solves the problem of emissions into the atmosphere. In addition, working fluids with a relatively low boiling point make it possible to use not very hot thermal waters as a primary source of energy.

All three schemes use a hydrothermal source, but petrothermal energy can also be used to generate electricity.

The circuit diagram in this case is also quite simple. It is necessary to drill two interconnected wells - injection and production. Water is pumped into the injection well. At depth it is heated, then the heated water or steam formed as a result of strong heating is supplied to the surface through the production well. Then it all depends on how petrothermal energy is used - for heating or for electricity production. A closed cycle is possible with pumping waste steam and water back into the injection well or another disposal method.

Scheme of operation of a petrothermal system. The system is based on the use of a temperature gradient between the surface of the earth and its interior, where the temperature is higher. Water from the surface is pumped into the injection well and heated at depth, then the heated water or steam generated as a result of heating is supplied to the surface through the production well

The disadvantage of such a system is obvious: to obtain a sufficiently high temperature of the working fluid, it is necessary to drill wells to great depths. And these are serious costs and the risk of significant heat loss when the fluid moves upward. Therefore, petrothermal systems are still less widespread compared to hydrothermal ones, although the potential of petrothermal energy is orders of magnitude higher.

Currently, the leader in the creation of so-called petrothermal circulation systems (PCS) is Australia. In addition, this area of ​​geothermal energy is actively developing in the USA, Switzerland, Great Britain, and Japan.

Gift from Lord Kelvin

The invention of the heat pump in 1852 by physicist William Thompson (aka Lord Kelvin) provided humanity with a real opportunity to use the low-grade heat of the upper layers of the soil. A heat pump system, or heat multiplier as Thompson called it, is based on the physical process of transferring heat from the environment to a refrigerant. Essentially, it uses the same principle as petrothermal systems. The difference is in the heat source, which may raise a terminological question: to what extent can a heat pump be considered a geothermal system? The fact is that in the upper layers, to depths of tens to hundreds of meters, the rocks and the fluids they contain are heated not by the deep heat of the earth, but by the sun. Thus, the sun in this case is the primary source of heat, although it is taken, as in geothermal systems, from the ground.

Schematic diagram of a refrigerator and heat pump: 1

- capacitor;
2
— throttle (pressure regulator);
3
- evaporator;
4
- compressor

The operation of a heat pump is based on the delay in heating and cooling of the soil compared to the atmosphere, resulting in the formation of a temperature gradient between the surface and deeper layers that retain heat even in winter, just as it happens in reservoirs. The main purpose of heat pumps is to heat rooms. In essence, it is a “reverse refrigerator.” Both the heat pump and the refrigerator interact with three components: the internal environment (in the first case - the heated room, in the second - the cooled chamber of the refrigerator), the external environment - the energy source and the refrigerant (refrigerant), which is also the coolant that ensures the transfer of heat or cold.

A substance with a low boiling point acts as a refrigerant, which allows it to take heat from a source that has even a relatively low temperature.

In the refrigerator, liquid refrigerant flows through a throttle (pressure regulator) into the evaporator, where due to a sharp decrease in pressure, the liquid evaporates. Evaporation is an endothermic process requiring the absorption of heat from outside. As a result, heat is removed from the inner walls of the evaporator, which provides a cooling effect in the refrigerator chamber. Next, the refrigerant is drawn from the evaporator into the compressor, where it is returned to a liquid state. This is a reverse process leading to the release of removed heat into the external environment. As a rule, it is thrown indoors, and the back wall of the refrigerator is relatively warm.

A heat pump works in almost the same way, with the difference that heat is taken from the external environment and, through an evaporator, enters the internal environment - the room heating system.

In a real heat pump, water is heated by passing through an external circuit placed in the ground or reservoir, and then enters the evaporator.

In the evaporator, heat is transferred to an internal circuit filled with a low-boiling point refrigerant, which, passing through the evaporator, changes from a liquid to a gaseous state, taking away heat.

Next, the gaseous refrigerant enters the compressor, where it is compressed to high pressure and temperature, and enters the condenser, where heat exchange occurs between the hot gas and the coolant from the heating system.

The compressor requires electricity to operate, but the transformation ratio (the ratio of energy consumed to energy produced) in modern systems is high enough to ensure their efficiency.

Currently, heat pumps are quite widely used for space heating, mainly in economically developed countries.

Eco-correct energy

Geothermal energy is considered environmentally friendly, which is generally true. First of all, it uses a renewable and virtually inexhaustible resource. Geothermal energy does not require large areas, unlike large hydroelectric power stations or wind farms, and does not pollute the atmosphere, unlike hydrocarbon energy. On average, a GeoPP occupies 400 m2 per 1 GW of generated electricity. The same figure for a coal thermal power plant, for example, is 3600 m2. The environmental advantages of GeoPP also include low water consumption - 20 liters of fresh water per 1 kW, while thermal power plants and nuclear power plants require about 1000 liters. Note that these are the environmental indicators of the “average” GeoPP.

But there are still negative side effects. Among them, noise, thermal pollution of the atmosphere and chemical pollution of water and soil, as well as the formation of solid waste, are most often identified.

The main source of chemical pollution of the environment is thermal water itself (with high temperature and mineralization), often containing large quantities of toxic compounds, and therefore there is a problem of disposal of waste water and hazardous substances.

The negative effects of geothermal energy can be traced at several stages, starting with the drilling of wells. The same dangers arise here as when drilling any well: destruction of soil and vegetation cover, contamination of soil and groundwater.

At the stage of operation of the GeoPP, problems of environmental pollution remain. Thermal fluids - water and steam - usually contain carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur sulfide (H2S), ammonia (NH3), methane (CH4), table salt (NaCl), boron (B), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg ). When released into the external environment, they become sources of pollution. In addition, an aggressive chemical environment can cause corrosive destruction of geothermal power plant structures.

At the same time, emissions of pollutants from GeoPPs are on average lower than from thermal power plants. For example, carbon dioxide emissions for every kilowatt-hour of electricity generated amount to up to 380 g at geoelectric power plants, 1042 g at coal-fired thermal power plants, 906 g at oil-fired power plants and 453 g at gas-fired thermal power plants.

The question arises: what to do with waste water? If the mineralization is low, it can be discharged into surface waters after cooling. Another way is to pump it back into the aquifer through an injection well, which is the preferred and predominantly used method at present.

Extraction of thermal water from aquifers (as well as pumping out ordinary water) can cause subsidence and soil movements, other deformations of geological layers, and micro-earthquakes. The probability of such phenomena is, as a rule, low, although isolated cases have been recorded (for example, at the GeoPP in Staufen im Breisgau in Germany).

It should be emphasized that most GeoPPs are located in relatively sparsely populated areas and in third world countries, where environmental requirements are less stringent than in developed countries. In addition, at the moment the number of GeoPPs and their capacities are relatively small. With larger-scale development of geothermal energy, environmental risks may increase and multiply.

How much is the Earth's energy?

Investment costs for the construction of geothermal systems vary in a very wide range - from 200 to 5000 dollars per 1 kW of installed capacity, that is, the cheapest options are comparable to the cost of constructing a thermal power plant. They depend, first of all, on the conditions of occurrence of thermal waters, their composition, and the design of the system. Drilling to great depths, creating a closed system with two wells, and the need to purify water can increase the cost many times over.

For example, investments in the creation of a petrothermal circulation system (PCS) are estimated at 1.6–4 thousand dollars per 1 kW of installed capacity, which exceeds the costs of constructing a nuclear power plant and is comparable to the costs of constructing wind and solar power plants.

The obvious economic advantage of GeoTES is that it is a free energy source. For comparison, in the cost structure of an operating thermal power plant or nuclear power plant, fuel accounts for 50–80% or even more, depending on current energy prices. Hence another advantage of the geothermal system: operating costs are more stable and predictable, since they do not depend on external energy price conditions. In general, the operating costs of geothermal power plants are estimated at 2–10 cents (60 kopecks–3 rubles) per 1 kWh of power produced.

The second largest expense item after energy (and a very significant one) is, as a rule, the wages of plant personnel, which can vary dramatically across countries and regions.

On average, the cost of 1 kWh of geothermal energy is comparable to that for thermal power plants (in Russian conditions - about 1 ruble/1 kWh) and ten times higher than the cost of generating electricity at a hydroelectric power station (5–10 kopecks/1 kWh ).

Part of the reason for the high cost is that, unlike thermal and hydraulic power plants, geothermal power plants have a relatively small capacity. In addition, it is necessary to compare systems located in the same region and under similar conditions. For example, in Kamchatka, according to experts, 1 kWh of geothermal electricity costs 2–3 times less than electricity produced at local thermal power plants.

Indicators of the economic efficiency of a geothermal system depend, for example, on whether waste water needs to be disposed of and in what ways this is done, and whether combined use of the resource is possible. Thus, chemical elements and compounds extracted from thermal water can provide additional income. Let us recall the example of Larderello: chemical production was primary there, and the use of geothermal energy was initially of an auxiliary nature.

Geothermal energy forwards

Geothermal energy is developing somewhat differently than wind and solar. Currently, it depends to a much greater extent on the nature of the resource itself, which varies sharply by region, and the highest concentrations are associated with narrow zones of geothermal anomalies, usually associated with areas of tectonic faults and volcanism.

In addition, geothermal energy is less technologically intensive compared to wind and, especially, solar energy: geothermal station systems are quite simple.

In the overall structure of global electricity production, the geothermal component accounts for less than 1%, but in some regions and countries its share reaches 25–30%. Due to the connection to geological conditions, a significant part of geothermal energy capacity is concentrated in third world countries, where there are three clusters of the greatest development of the industry - the islands of Southeast Asia, Central America and East Africa. The first two regions are included in the Pacific “belt of fire of the Earth”, the third is tied to the East African Rift. It is most likely that geothermal energy will continue to develop in these belts. A more distant prospect is the development of petrothermal energy, using the heat of the layers of the earth lying at a depth of several kilometers. This is an almost ubiquitous resource, but its extraction requires high costs, so petrothermal energy is developing primarily in the most economically and technologically powerful countries.

In general, given the widespread distribution of geothermal resources and an acceptable level of environmental safety, there is reason to believe that geothermal energy has good development prospects. Especially with the growing threat of a shortage of traditional energy resources and rising prices for them.

From Kamchatka to the Caucasus

In Russia, the development of geothermal energy has a fairly long history, and in a number of positions we are among the world leaders, although the share of geothermal energy in the overall energy balance of the huge country is still negligible.

Two regions have become pioneers and centers for the development of geothermal energy in Russia - Kamchatka and the North Caucasus, and if in the first case we are talking primarily about electric power, then in the second - about the use of thermal energy from thermal water.

In the North Caucasus - in the Krasnodar Territory, Chechnya, Dagestan - the heat of thermal waters was used for energy purposes even before the Great Patriotic War. In the 1980–1990s, the development of geothermal energy in the region, for obvious reasons, stalled and has not yet emerged from the state of stagnation. Nevertheless, geothermal water supply in the North Caucasus provides heat to about 500 thousand people, and, for example, the city of Labinsk in the Krasnodar Territory with a population of 60 thousand people is completely heated by geothermal waters.

In Kamchatka, the history of geothermal energy is connected, first of all, with the construction of GeoPPs. The first of them, the still operating Pauzhetskaya and Paratunka stations, were built back in 1965–1967, while the Paratunka GeoPP with a capacity of 600 kW became the first station in the world with a binary cycle. This was the development of Soviet scientists S.S. Kutateladze and A.M. Rosenfeld from the Institute of Thermophysics SB RAS, who in 1965 received an author's certificate for the extraction of electricity from water with a temperature of 70°C. This technology subsequently became the prototype for more than 400 binary GeoPPs in the world.

The capacity of the Pauzhetskaya GeoPP, commissioned in 1966, was initially 5 MW and was subsequently increased to 12 MW. Currently, a binary unit is being built at the station, which will increase its capacity by another 2.5 MW.

The development of geothermal energy in the USSR and Russia was hampered by the availability of traditional energy resources - oil, gas, coal, but never stopped. The largest geothermal energy facilities at the moment are the Verkhne-Mutnovskaya GeoPP with a total capacity of power units of 12 MW, commissioned in 1999, and the Mutnovskaya GeoPP with a capacity of 50 MW (2002).

Mutnovskaya and Verkhne-Mutnovskaya GeoPPs are unique objects not only for Russia, but also on a global scale. The stations are located at the foot of the Mutnovsky volcano, at an altitude of 800 meters above sea level, and operate in extreme climatic conditions, where there is winter for 9–10 months of the year. The equipment of the Mutnovsky GeoPPs, currently one of the most modern in the world, was entirely created at domestic power engineering enterprises.

Currently, the share of Mutnovsky stations in the overall energy consumption structure of the Central Kamchatka energy hub is 40%. There are plans to increase capacity in the coming years.

Mutnovskaya GeoPP in Kamchatka. At the end of 2011, the installed capacity of the station was 50 MW, but it is planned to increase it to 80 MW. Photo by Tatyana Korobkova (Research Laboratory of Renewable Energy, Faculty of Geography, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University)

Special mention should be made about Russian petrothermal developments. We don’t have large drilling centers yet, but we have advanced technologies for drilling to great depths (about 10 km), which also have no analogues in the world. Their further development will radically reduce the costs of creating petrothermal systems. The developers of these technologies and projects are N. A. Gnatus, M. D. Khutorskoy (Geological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences), A. S. Nekrasov (Institute of National Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences) and specialists from the Kaluga Turbine Plant. Currently, the petrothermal circulation system project in Russia is at the experimental stage.

Geothermal energy has prospects in Russia, although they are relatively distant: at the moment the potential is quite large and the position of traditional energy is strong. At the same time, in a number of remote areas of the country, the use of geothermal energy is economically profitable and is already in demand. These are territories with high geoenergy potential (Chukotka, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands - the Russian part of the Pacific “Fire Belt of the Earth”, the mountains of Southern Siberia and the Caucasus) and at the same time remote and cut off from centralized energy supplies.

Probably, in the coming decades, geothermal energy in our country will develop precisely in such regions.

Main types of alternative energy sources

According to the principle of use, all alternative heat sources can be:

• additional;
• independent.

Devices of the first type cannot generate enough power or operate seasonally. Often they simply complement a working gas boiler or are used in the off-season, when the load on the heating system is significantly reduced. Sources of the second type completely replace gas heating. They have sufficient power and efficiency, optimal for constant use.

4) Wave energy

Ocean hydropower is not limited to the energy of tides and underwater currents. For example, as any surfer can tell you, the energy of waves is something incredible. And really big waves can produce good energy. Waves are formed when the wind blows just above the surface of the water.

To collect wave energy, floating devices are used, which transmit electricity through electrical cables to the shore or to special energy storage facilities drifting at sea.

In 2008, Portugal tested the world's first offshore energy farm (floating energy storage), located five kilometers from the coastline.

Heat pumps

One of the economical, reliable and affordable alternative heating options for a private home are heat pumps. This is innovative equipment that makes it possible to use the temperature of the external environment (soil, water and air) to heat the house in winter or cool the house in summer. The operating principle of all heat pumps is approximately the same:

• water, air or soil heats or cools the refrigerant;
• The refrigerant, passing through the evaporator, heats the coolant of the heating system.

The system operates in a closed loop, that is, the process is automated. Depending on the source of energy used, there are 3 types of heat pumps.

Using coal

Many private houses are located far from the 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 of 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.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=qjwrEuT3WZ4

The advantages of coal stoves include durability and high heat transfer. 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.

Water heat pumps

Groundwater or neighboring reservoirs are used as the main source of alternative energy in such systems. Like the previous option, this heating method can be an effective replacement for a gas boiler. The peculiarity of water heat pumps somewhat limits their applicability. Because:

• not every site has access to open water;
• The depth of groundwater can be significant.

In addition, when using an open reservoir as the main source, it is necessary to periodically clean the pipes - otherwise the efficiency of the system decreases.

Wind generator assembly and connection

The second most popular source of alternative energy is wind. Homemade wind generators allow you to provide your home with heat at minimal cost.

First stage. Choose the appropriate type of structure and its power. Beginners are recommended to choose the most popular vertical wind generators. Select power individually. Increasing the power of a wind generator is achieved by increasing the size of the impeller and adding additional blades.

However, remember that the more powerful the device, the more difficult its balancing will be. 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 a wind generator. A basic 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 no earlier than the base has completely hardened, i.e. in about 1.5-2 weeks. Instead of a foundation, you can use guy wires. This is an even simpler option for installing a mast. Dig a small pit approximately 50-60 cm deep, install the wind generator mast in it and securely fasten the structure using ordinary guy wires.

Third stage. Make the blades. At home, a metal barrel is perfect for this.

You need to divide the container into equal parts in an amount equal to the number of selected blades. Make marks first, it is important that the blades have exactly the same size. Cut out the blades of the future wind generator. The grinder will help you with this

If you don’t have a grinder, you can get by with scissors for cutting metal.

Fourth stage. Secure the workpiece to the generator with bolts, and then bend the blades. Many parameters of the wind generator’s operation depend on how far the blades are bent. It is impossible to give any specific recommendations in this regard. You can only determine the appropriate angle through experience.

Fifth stage. Connect the electrical wires to the generator and connect the system elements into a circuit. Fix the generator on the windmill mast, then connect the wires to the mast and connect the generator and battery to the circuit. Apply the load using wires. At this point the wind generator is ready. You can connect it to a water heating system using the same storage tanks.

If you wish, you can assemble and install several windmills if one device is not enough to fully provide your home with heat.

Thus, the use of alternative energy is a very promising area that definitely deserves attention. Now you too can feel part of the modern world and save significantly on heating costs by assembling a simple wind or solar installation. Follow the instructions and everything will work out.

Geothermal heat pumps

The main source of energy in geothermal heat pumps is the temperature of the ground. Since it is always constant at a depth of several meters, this version of the system can be used in any weather:

• in winter - for heating;
• in summer - to maintain a comfortable cool temperature in the house.

To organize alternative heating using geothermal heat pumps, horizontal and vertical heat exchangers can be used. In the first case, pipe installation is carried out at a depth below the level of natural freezing (more than 1 meter). In the second, the heat exchanger circuit is placed in pre-made deep wells (up to 100-150 meters deep). Geothermal heat pumps are used most often than others. This is due to the fact that their efficiency does not depend on environmental conditions, and equipment placed in the ground practically does not wear out. In addition, the benefits include:

• Increased economic efficiency. Units operating in a heat pump system require electricity to operate. At the same time, it is spent more efficiently than with any other heating. So, for 1 kW of electricity consumed, a heat pump is capable of releasing 4-5 kW of thermal energy. Therefore, the efficiency of geothermal heat pumps can reach 400-500%.
• Environmental friendliness. During operation of the unit, no fuel is burned, that is, there are no emissions of harmful substances into the environment. Moreover, this means that there is no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, as is the case, for example, with solid fuel boilers.
• Possibility of universal use. Near every country house there is at least a small plot of land that can be used for installing the heat exchange circuit of heat pumps. In addition, they can work even without connecting to electricity - just install a gasoline or diesel generator.
• Multitasking. Most models of modern heat pumps are equipped with reversing valves. This means that such systems can be used not only to heat a house and provide hot water, but also to cool it in the summer. At the same time, even when working for cooling, the heat pump can continue to heat water for the hot water supply and the pool.
• Safety. There is no open fire in the units, and the coolant does not heat above 90 degrees. This significantly increases the security of the entire system. In addition, the coolant in such systems never freezes, that is, even a long downtime will not affect their performance.

Heat pumps can completely replace conventional heating options, providing the necessary power for high-quality, uniform heating of the entire country house. Along with this, heat pumps have only one obvious drawback - the high cost of equipment, installation and connection. In practice, this minus is rarely taken into account, because heat pumps have a short payback cycle with a long service life. This ratio of advantages and disadvantages makes heat pumps probably the best alternative to conventional gas heating and its other options.

Examples of the implementation of home heating with heat pumps can be viewed on a separate page.

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 thermal energy to the air in the room. During the design of the system, it is necessary to solve two problems - to reduce heat losses when transporting coolant through pipes and to improve the heat transfer of 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 be difficult. Ideally, the installation can be carried out by the home owner 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 batteries. It has good thermal conductivity, and casting or welding technology can be used to obtain the desired shape.

But you need to keep in mind that aluminum is very sensitive to water. Modern cast iron heating radiators do not have this drawback, although they have lower energy intensity. To solve this problem, a new battery design was developed in which the water channels are made of steel or copper pipes.

These modern heating pipes are practically not subject to corrosion, 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 operating conditions and timely cleaning of the system;
• Possibility of choosing a connection method – top, bottom or side;
• The package may include a Mayevsky faucet and a thermostat.

In most cases, models of modern cast iron heating radiators are designed to be designer. They have classic shapes, some of them are made in a floor version with elements of artistic forging.

The efficiency of a heating radiator depends on 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 they are made of. 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 threshold of up to +90°C. This entails a large temperature expansion and, as a result, damage to the pipeline. An alternative to polymer pipes can be products made from other materials:

• Copper. From a functional point of view, copper pipes meet all the requirements for a heating system. They are easy to install and practically do not change shape even at extremely high coolant temperatures. Even when water freezes, the walls of copper lines will expand without damage. Disadvantage: high cost;
• Stainless steel. It does not rust, its inner surface has a minimum roughness coefficient. Disadvantages include cost and labor-intensive installation.

How to choose the optimal equipment for modern heating? To do this, it is necessary to use an integrated approach - make the correct calculation of the system and, according to the data obtained, select a boiler, pipes and radiators with the appropriate performance characteristics.

The video shows an example of modern home heating using a heated floor system:

Solid fuel boilers

Solid fuel boilers - coal, wood or pellets - are one of the effective, affordable and simple alternative heating options for a private home. With their help, you can fully heat residential, industrial and warehouse premises without reducing efficiency, even when operating long heating networks. Such heating equipment, as a rule, involves power regulation and can be used both during the transition period (off-season, autumn and spring) and during the heating season. Solid fuel boilers have several significant advantages:

• they run on readily available fuel. Solid fuel boilers of different models and designs can operate on coal, wood, wood chips, and pellets. The variety of options allows you to choose the cheapest in terms of fuel;
• Efficiency can reach 85-90%;
• The equipment has a simple design, which simplifies maintenance and repair if required.

Against the background of these advantages, it is worth noting the disadvantages of solid fuel boilers. This includes:

• strong dependence of efficiency on fuel quality. For example, wet, unrefined coal produces less heat when burned than anthracite. A damp birch log has a lower calorific value than oak. At the same time, it is impossible to check the real calorie content and moisture content of the fuel without special instruments;
• the need for a separate room for the boiler room and a separate fuel warehouse. At the same time, the boiler room must be separated from the living space to protect it from soot, and the warehouse must be large (due to the high consumption of solid fuel);
• short battery life. A full load of the firebox in most solid fuel boilers is enough for 6-8 hours of operation. In some this time is a little longer, in some it is less. Be that as it may, this means that solid fuel equipment needs to be regularly loaded with fuel;
• need for frequent cleaning. Contamination of combustion surfaces, hot water pipes and ash compartments can not only reduce the efficiency of equipment, but also lead to its attenuation. Therefore, solid fuel boilers will have to be cleaned frequently, periodically with their complete stop.

Comparison of the efficiency of various heating options for a private house without gas and electricity

In fact, any owner of a country house tries to keep heating costs to a minimum. However, when choosing boiler equipment, many evaluate its efficiency only by the price of fuel. And this is not entirely correct, since all costs must be taken into account - these are the thermal structural losses of the building, the price of construction and installation work on the heating system, and the cost of servicing boiler equipment.

The most economical heat supply scheme can only be found in a residential building that is effectively insulated with high-quality heat-insulating materials.

The next area of ​​savings on heating systems is the type of fuel used. In this case, it is necessary to take into account not only the cost of the fuel component in the cost of 1 Gcal of heat at the outlet of the boiler unit, but also the costs of providing fuel: auxiliary equipment, operation of automation systems and its maintenance. Today, the cheapest non-gas fuel is wood pellets.

The average cost indicators for heating a suburban house are arranged as follows in ascending order:

1. Wood or coal stove.
2. Long burning boiler.
3. Boiler equipment using heating oil.
4. Heat pumps.
5. Non-traditional energy sources.

Waste oil boilers

Waste oil boilers are often used as an alternative heating source. This is especially true if there is always access to such raw materials, but there is simply no opportunity to use other types of heating systems. These boilers have several advantages:

• rapid heating (due to the high combustion temperature of the oil);
• simple design;
• cheap or comparatively cheap fuel.

Unfortunately, there are no less disadvantages:

• requires constant care. Impurities in used oil quickly contaminate heating surfaces, causing efficiency to decrease;
• high risk. Spent fuel is fire and explosive. Therefore, its use as a fuel is always associated with risk;
• A separate warehouse is needed for fuel. It is prohibited to store oil barrels in the boiler room.

7) Bioenergy

Bio-energy is a source of energy obtained from biological organisms. For example, plants directly absorb energy from the sun through photosynthesis. Animals that eat plants obtain energy through food that already contains energy from the sun. This natural sense of energy transfer has allowed the planet's scientists to come up with a way in which the energy in plants can serve the benefit of humanity.

Organic biomass energy is a source of renewable, clean energy that we can store and reuse.

Liquid biofuels are already widely used throughout the world. There are two types of biofuels: ethanol and biodiesel, which are added to conventional fuel.

Solid biofuels are formed from agricultural by-products such as corn stalks, rice husks, and other compatible plant matter.

Biofuels reduce agricultural waste and provide sustainable and safe energy for vehicles, electricity and heat.

Solar collectors

One of the simplest and most obvious alternative heating options is the use of solar energy. This is exactly what solar collectors are designed for. Structurally, this equipment is an installation with a network of connected pipes, mounted on the roof of buildings or in other places under direct sunlight. The water in the collectors is heated, then supplied to the storage tank and used for heating and supplying hot water for domestic needs. The designs of modern solar collectors use advanced materials and coatings, which significantly increases the efficiency of installations. However, this equipment also has disadvantages:

• the water heating temperature is difficult or impossible to control;
• at night the system operates on self-cooling;
• Efficiency depends on the angle of inclination of the installation;
• heating efficiency is affected by the cleanliness of the external surfaces of the collector pipes;
• In winter, the efficiency of solar collectors is insufficient to be used as the only source of heating.

At the same time, solar collectors can be used to reduce the load on the main heating source.

5) Tidal energy

Tidal turbines use the powerful polar force of the tides to generate electricity. The only disadvantage of this type of energy is the inability to predict the strength of tidal energy. But solar and wind energy also depend on weather conditions and the time of year. That is, neither the force of the tide, nor solar or wind energy, can allow power engineers to accurately determine in advance how much energy this or that equipment can generate in a certain period of time. True, in recent years, equipment has appeared that is capable of collecting energy from coastal and underwater currents, which can be predicted and, accordingly, the energy received in advance can be calculated.

Air heating furnaces

This type of heating equipment is a small-sized stove with a firebox and convective surfaces. They usually run on coal or wood, which means they need to be connected to a chimney. The operating principle of air heating furnaces is as follows:

• the flame from the burning fuel heats the metal surfaces of the furnace;
• under the influence of convection, cold air near the stove is supplied to the convective surfaces and heated;
• heated air exits through the top openings in the convection panels.

The main advantage of such an alternative heating source is complete independence from pumps and electricity in general. The disadvantage is local efficiency. That is, an air heating stove is capable of heating one room, and unevenly. When using air-heating furnaces, “blind zones” may appear in which the temperature will not change.

10) Wind power

Wind is natural. If there is oxygen, atmosphere, etc. that is, the movement of air masses. And the wind is not going to leave our planet for the next millions of years. Wind does not deplete the planet's ozone layer. The wind has no owner. By the way, over the past centuries, humanity has not come up with anything new for using wind. For centuries, people have used windmills to transfer wind energy to machinery that processes grain.

The principle of extracting energy from wind remains the same. Moreover, until the 1980s, no one in the world tried to create a facility that would help produce industrial-scale energy from wind. But after 1980, the first wind power plants began to be launched in the United States.

There are currently more than 13,000 wind turbines in the United States that generate clean energy. In the USA, small wind turbines are used that can generate up to 100 kW and provide the household with the necessary energy.

Also in America, onshore wind turbines are used to collect energy from the wind flowing over the oceans. In addition, wind generators are common in rural areas, placed in fields.

As of 2016, this is the cheapest form of energy in the United States. About 6 cents per 1 kWh. Another advantage of wind energy is the need to use water to produce electricity, which is important given the shortage of natural water on a global scale.

Air fireplaces

Classic fireplaces are the simplest option for air heating. Such equipment has a simple design, represented by a combustion chamber and an external chimney. This ensures its reliability and ease of use. The main advantages of air fireplaces are the convenience and ease of installation. You don’t even need permits or quality certificates. In addition, there is no need to provide thermal protection. The disadvantages of air fireplaces are obvious:

• they have low power and will not be able to heat large areas;
• fuel will have to be loaded regularly, and this must be done manually (there are no automation systems);
• combustion efficiency will depend on natural draft, including the compliance of the chimney parameters.

As an independent alternative source of heating, it is advisable to use air fireplaces only in small houses (for example, guest houses) and when heating is not needed constantly. In other cases, this heating option will be a completely effective addition to the heating system.

6) Geothermal energy

Geothermal energy comes from the Earth's core. Scientists estimate the temperature in the core exceeds 5000 degrees Celsius. The rocky layers of the earth conduct heat, which ultimately reaches the surface of the planet. This geothermal energy will continue to flow to the surface of the earth for a very, very long time. Energy will continue to flow even when there are no fossil fuels left on the planet.

In Iceland, GeoPPs already account for 25 percent of the country's energy consumption. To generate electricity at a depth of more than 1.5 kilometers, special equipment raises steam and hot water, directing them to turbines, which generate energy.

Pellet fireplaces

Pellet fireplaces differ from simple air fireplaces in the design of the combustion chamber. It allows you to use pellets as the main fuel and supply them automatically. At the same time, the high fuel combustion coefficient significantly reduces the requirements for the chimney and natural draft. Based on the principle of operation, several advantages of such heating equipment can be identified:

• Well, you need complex installation or architectural modifications. Such fireplaces can be installed even in rooms without communications, and the chimney is routed directly through the wall (and not vertically upward);
• feeding automation simplifies equipment maintenance and increases cycle time.

The disadvantages include the following:

• A pellet fireplace can only heat the room where it is installed. It will not be enough to heat the entire house;
• storing a large supply of pellets may require a separate room;
• The efficiency of combustion and heating depends on the quality of the pellets.

In addition, you need to take into account that manufacturers of pellet fireplaces for each model strictly stipulate the permissible dimensions of the pellet - the length and diameter of the pellet. Therefore, not every fuel is suitable.

1) Kinetic energy

All people generate energy through movement. For example, if you ride a bicycle, you gain kinetic energy. There is a huge amount of kinetic energy that is not used in the world. Perhaps someday in the future, all major cities around the world will have paving slabs and other pedestrian surfaces equipped with equipment that can capture the kinetic energy we create when we walk or run.

For example, similar paving slabs have already been created. And the experiment showed that if you place such tiles on a busy street or in the subway, then during the day you can collect the energy necessary to power a small shopping center for 12 hours.

Fireplaces with water circuit

Fireplaces with a water circuit combine the features of a conventional fireplace and a solid fuel boiler. They are also installed indoors and connected to a common heating system. Structurally, this equipment is distinguished by the presence of a water tank inside the firebox. The water inside the tank is heated and pumped through the water heating circuit. In fact, such fireplaces do double duty at once: they heat the air in the room and the water in the system. This significantly increases their efficiency. Along with the advantages, this source of alternative heating also has disadvantages. The fireplace must be connected to a chimney with sufficient natural draft, which can create difficulties. In addition, the supply of the main fuel - firewood - cannot be automated, just like sufficient ash removal. Because of this, firewood will have to be added regularly. If you don’t do this, the fireplace will go out and the house will quickly cool down. Therefore, if it is not possible to hire a fireman, fireplaces with a water circuit are often used as an additional source.

The latest technologies and heating equipment are at your service

Scheme of a double-circuit heating system

With them, modern home heating can be arranged in such a way that you control not only the amount of heat, but also its distribution across different rooms. This became possible thanks to a system of devices operating according to a planned algorithm. Moreover, they are easy to choose for a room of any size and purpose.

Thus, one type of heating system is designed specifically for cottages or small country houses, another for multi-story buildings, and a third for large urban areas. But, since you are interested in installing heating for a country house or apartment, we took a closer look at these particular systems.

They differ in the type of coolant, operating principle and additional capabilities.

Water heating

During the operation of the water system, fuel is converted by the boiler into heat, which heats the water, and it heats the elements of the heating circuit.

You will learn about the nuances of connection and operation:

• gas, electric and solid fuel boilers
• single- and double-circuit units
• chimney and turbocharged structures

System elements

Water heating system

Hot water flows through pipes to the direct elements of the system, which heat the room. It can be:

• radiators
• warm floor
• heating coils
• boilers
• various heat exchangers

Radiators

How to choose the right radiators?

Having given off most of the heat to the radiators, the cooled water is returned to the boiler, where it is heated again. And the heating cycle repeats. You will understand how to choose the right radiators, and which ones are best to choose:

1. on steel
2. cast iron
3. aluminum
4. or bimetallic

You will learn which pipes are best to use, how to correctly calculate the required quantity, and what rules to use when choosing them.

Circulation pumps

A pump that forces water throughout the entire heating circuit.

In modern heating systems, circulation pumps are widely used, which force water throughout the heating circuit.

In the corresponding section of the site you will find information about:

1. in what rare cases can you do without pumps?
2. what are their advantages and design features
3. how to properly flush your heating system
4. what rules should be followed when servicing circulation pumps

Boilers and electric heaters

Many heating systems provide home residents with more than just heat. When it is necessary to solve the problem of hot water supply, the water is heated in special tanks - boilers. If these devices are relevant to you, you can familiarize yourself with the principles of their operation and installation. And they run on electricity - a safe, simple and convenient source of energy.

Warm floor

They provide additional comfort in your home or apartment, especially if you have small children. You will learn how to carry out calculations, correctly install such a system and take a comprehensive approach to the issues of providing heat in the house.

Air heating

Individual climate in the house

This heating system is one of the most promising ways to heat private houses and cottages. Its main advantages are simplicity and reliability.

You will get acquainted with the features of this system and learn how to choose each of its elements correctly:

• gas air heaters
• galvanized iron air ducts
• special gratings

Collector systems

Heating installation and design of collector systems can be done entirely by yourself. If you are interested, you will find information on how best to do this and why such systems are considered universal.

Everything for a private home or cottage

Which heating system to choose in a private house

If you need to install a heating system for a private home or cottage, we will advise you:

what tasks should you pay attention to first of all what issues should only be solved by specialists what and how you can do it yourself how to check the correctness of each stage of work

If you want to heat a dacha, garage, temporary shed, greenhouse or other outbuildings, you will also learn about all the nuances of choosing methods for heating them from the materials on the site.

And finally...

Electric convectors

Household electric convectors are one of the most common and popular methods of heating rooms. This alternative heating source has several important advantages:

• there is no need to create a heating network - heating occurs according to the air-to-air circuit;
• the equipment quickly reaches operating modes, which, accordingly, accelerates the heating of the room;
• convectors can be used almost anywhere where there is electricity.

Such electrical equipment is represented by many models of different types and capacities, both in the budget and premium segments. Heating using electric convectors is suitable for heating small rooms. And its use is completely justified if it is not possible to organize a full-fledged heating network. At the same time, such an alternative heating source also has disadvantages. Due to the nature of the equipment, there are several of them:

• Ideally, each room should have a separate convector, that is, to heat an entire country house you may need more than one or even five units;
• The home's electrical network must be able to withstand heavy loads (or even overloads). In houses with old wired wiring, it is better not to use this heating option;
• In the event of a power outage, the heating stops working completely. Due to the high power, even the presence of an electric generator will not help maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the house.

In addition, high-power equipment consumes a lot of electricity, which can ultimately lead to a loss of profitability.

A short summary

Alternative heating options will help every owner of a modern country property (be it a cottage or a small dacha) to ensure efficient heating of their home and create the most optimal living conditions.

At the same time, despite the rather significant cost of the initial installation of some types of heating systems (for example, heat pumps), the alternative to gas will still be cheaper than the traditional method of heating rooms

And the level of safety of heating systems will be significantly increased by eliminating mains or liquefied gas, which is important, given the number of accidents involving gas systems

Warm floor system

As an alternative to gas heating, modern private homes are increasingly beginning to use a heated floor system powered by electricity (mat or electric cable system). This option for heating a living space is very pragmatic and convenient because:

• no installation of a central unit (boiler or similar) is required;
• no need for radiators, which sometimes distort the interior;
• the equipment quickly reaches operating mode.

An additional advantage is uniform heating. Since the entire room is covered with a warm floor, and the heated air moves from bottom to top, the temperature in the entire room will be the same. As for the disadvantages, they are obvious, as in most (but not all) cases of heating with electrical equipment:

• dependence on electricity supply;
• high consumption;
• heavy load on the network.

In addition, heating with underfloor heating has another big drawback - the complexity of installation and maintenance. Difficulties are possible already at the installation stage. The specificity of underfloor heating involves the installation of special mats or electrical cables under the floor covering. That is, when organizing such heating in a residential area, you will have to do global repairs throughout the entire house, tear down the floors and lay them again, taking into account the laid communications. The second significant difficulty is the lack of direct access to system elements. That is, in the event of a breakdown or malfunction of a separate section or the entire system, in order to repair or replace it, the floors will also have to be torn down. Otherwise, it will be impossible to access the heated floor elements.

Types 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 places where the gas pipeline network is laid.

Alternative heating can have the following types:

1. Diesel.
2. Electric.
3. Solid fuel (coal, briquettes, firewood, etc.).
4. Natural renewable sources (wind energy, earth's heat, solar energy, etc.).

Which of the above options is most optimal for use in a private country house? To answer this question, consider the advantages and disadvantages of each of them from the point of view of efficiency and economy.

Use of diesel fuel

One of the main advantages of using diesel fuel for heating a private home is the relatively low cost of installing a thermal installation that produces 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 higher installation costs than boilers running on liquid fuel.

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, ensuring reliable and high-quality operation of the entire system.

Electric heating can be adjusted for each room individually. Click to enlarge.

In addition, heating systems operating on electricity are characterized by an almost maximum efficiency value (about 100%).

The list of numerous advantages can be supplemented by the small overall dimensions of heating systems and the ability to install them 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 boilers running on solid fuels.

These devices combine the relatively high availability of solid fuel, low installation cost and fairly high efficiency (efficiency 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 heating system using solid fuel are related to the need to prepare, dry and organize the storage of firewood (coal, briquettes, etc.).

Infrared panels

Modern infrared panels and lamps can also be used to heat a private home. They create a soft heat flow that warms the surrounding air circulating in the room. IR panels can operate from a simple household power supply and require virtually no maintenance. The main advantages of this heating method:

• complete fire and explosion safety;
• long-term reliability;
• absolute silent operation;
• “soft” heating of the air without drying it out and circulating dust.

Among the significant disadvantages of heating with infrared panels are:

• high energy consumption;
• the need to install IR panels or lamps in every room of the house;
• uneven heating of the room.

Even so, infrared devices can completely replace gas boilers.

We save on heating a private home

Regardless of what kind of heat supply scheme is implemented in an individual household, it is designed to function as efficiently and economically as possible. To do this, it is not enough to select only highly reliable boiler equipment, perform thermal protection of the building’s structural elements and replace the windows with new double-glazed windows. All homeowners, except for those mentioned above, must know and follow the rules for maintaining heating systems.

Advice from experienced specialists on economical management of the heating process of a residential building:

1. Perform equipment maintenance and control of thermal conditions. Any boiler unit requires maintenance and adjustment, and solid fuel boilers in particular, since they deal with an increased volume of soot formation and high combustion temperatures. Dirty heating surfaces of the boiler will not be able to provide the device with rated efficiency, since soot does not remove heat well and most of the high-temperature flue gases will be released into the atmosphere, thereby reducing the efficiency due to large losses with flue gases. Boiler maintenance, along with cleaning of heating surfaces and chimneys, must be carried out before each heating season.
2. The circuit of the intra-house heating circuit must be equipped with automation with the ability to set an individual heating mode for each room. This will provide an opportunity to save a lot on heating costs in general.
3. It is necessary to monitor the operation of the intra-house heating system and remove air pockets in a timely manner. During any shutdown of the boiler, the heating systems will become airborne, due to the stoppage of the circulation pump in forced circulation schemes or due to a drop in coolant temperature in natural circulation schemes. Air locks in the batteries and the “warm floor” system reduce the heat transfer of the entire system, while specific fuel consumption will remain very high. Finding such an air lock is quite simple.
4. In the case when, when starting the heating, there is a difference in the temperatures of the lower and upper parts of the battery, this indicates that there is an air area there that needs to be removed.

Household air conditioners

Many air conditioners installed in homes and offices have a heating function. It is implemented using a built-in heating element powered by electricity. The operating principle of an air conditioner for heating is in many ways similar to the use of an electric convector. It must be remembered that air conditioners are not initially designed for heating, that is, their efficiency will be lower than that of any other equipment. In addition, the performance of such equipment is often calculated for a specific room, rather than the entire house. This means that in order to heat the entire country house, you may need several air conditioners at once. It is rational to use this method of alternative heating during the transition period, when the temperature in the house is already dropping, but it is too early to turn on the main heating source. We must not forget that not all air conditioners can be used at sub-zero temperatures. This also partially limits the possibility of using air conditioners as the main source of heating.

9) Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectric power plants are very popular all over the world. It is noteworthy that in some countries hydroelectric power plants provide the population with 75 percent of the required energy.

For example, the hydroelectric dam in Itaipu (Paraguay) supplies 90 percent of the country's energy needs. In addition, this plant provides energy to Brazil, supplying 20 percent of the electricity needed by all of Brazil. The power of hydro turbines accounts for 10 percent of all hydroelectric power capacity worldwide.

The first large hydroelectric power station opened at Niagara Falls on the US-Canadian border in 1879. The dam provides cleaner energy generation.

Currently, the cost of hydroelectric power is less than half the cost of energy produced from solar panels and three times less than the cost of thermal energy.

Also, hydropower has a higher efficiency than when burning coal and gas. For example, the efficiency of fossil carbon is 50 percent, while the efficiency of hydroelectric power plants is 90 percent. In addition, almost all water used to operate electric turbines is returned to reserve storage.

Criterias of choice

There are many alternative heating sources and they are different. This means that there is “your” option for any conditions. But in order for the choice to be justified, a number of parameters must be taken into account:

• area of ​​the heated room;
• frequency of heating and the heat supply system as a whole (seasonal or year-round);
• type of room (air conditioners and infrared panels are not designed for heating industrial buildings);
• the market price of fuel (electricity, coal, pellets and others), which determines the profitability of use. This parameter is not taken into account only when installing heat pumps that do not require fuel.

What it is

Alternative energy sources are environmentally friendly, renewable resources, when converted, a person receives electrical and thermal energy used for his needs.

Such sources include wind and solar energy, water from rivers and seas, heat from the earth’s surface, as well as biofuel obtained from the biological mass of animal and plant origin.