Consumption of liquefied gas for heating the house. The transition to heating with liquefied gas is a real prospect with rising prices for natural gas. How much heat does liquefied or natural gas give off?

When arranging a heating system and choosing an energy source, it is important to find out the future gas consumption for heating a house of 150 m2 or other area. Indeed, in recent years, a clear trend towards an increase in prices for natural gas has been established; the last increase in price by approximately 8.5% occurred recently, on July 1, 2016. This led to a direct increase in heating costs in apartments and cottages with individual heat sources using blue fuel. That is why developers and homeowners who are just choosing a gas boiler should calculate heating costs in advance.

Initial data for calculations

To perform a preliminary calculation, you need to find out the following parameters:

calorific value (calorific value) of natural gas supplied in your area;
Efficiency of the boiler that is planned to be installed in a house or apartment.

The calorific value of the fuel is taken based on the value of the lower calorific value of the main gas.

Theoretically, when burning 1 m³ of blue fuel, 9.2 kW of thermal energy is released. In practice, this value differs and, as a rule, to a lesser extent. Due to the same rise in price, some unscrupulous suppliers dilute gas with air, which is why its calorific value can decrease to 7.5-8 kW/m³.

To determine gas consumption for heating a house, it is better to find out the caloric value from the management company, and when this fails, use a reserve figure: 8 kW/m³. If they share with you information about the specific heat of combustion and give you a figure expressed in other units, kcal/h, then you can convert it to Watts by multiplying by a factor of 1.163.

Another important indicator that directly affects fuel consumption is the thermal load on the heating system, which consists of heat losses through the building structures and losses due to heating of ventilation air. The best option is to perform or order an accurate calculation of all heat losses, but in the absence of any other option, you can determine the load using enlarged methods:

If the ceiling height does not exceed 3 m, then the heat consumption is assumed to be 0.1 kW per 1 m² of heated area of the building. Thus, for a house of 100 m2 you need about 10 kW of heat, 150 m2 - 15 kW and 200 m2 - 20 kW of heat energy.
Apply 40-45 W of heat per 1 m³ of heated room volume. The load is determined by multiplying this value by the volume of all heated rooms.

The efficiency of the heat generator, which affects the efficiency of fuel combustion, is indicated in its technical data sheet. If the unit has not yet been purchased, then you can take the efficiency of gas boilers of various types from the list:

gas convectors - 86%;
boilers with an open combustion chamber - 88%;
heat generators with a closed chamber - 92%;
condensing boilers - 96%.

Performing Calculations

A preliminary calculation of gas consumption for heating is made using the formula:

V = Q / (q x efficiency / 100).

q is the caloric content of fuel, the default is 8 kW/m³;
V is the required main gas flow rate, m³/h;
Efficiency is the efficiency of fuel combustion by a heat source, expressed in %;
Q is the heating load of a private house, kW.

As an example, we offer the calculation of gas consumption in a small cottage with an area of 150 m² with a heating load of 15 kW. It is planned that the heating task will be performed by a heating unit with a closed combustion chamber (efficiency 92%). The theoretical fuel consumption per 1 hour in the coldest period will be:

During the day, the heat generator will consume 2.04 x 24 = 48.96 m³ (rounded - 49 cubic meters) of natural gas - this is the maximum consumption on the coldest days. But during the heating season, the temperature can fluctuate between 30-40°C (depending on the region of residence), so the average daily gas consumption will be half as much, about 25 cubic meters.

Then, on average, per month a turbocharged boiler uses 25 x 30 = 750 m³ of fuel to heat a house with an area of 150 m², located in central Russia. Consumption for cottages of other sizes is calculated in the same way. Based on preliminary calculations, it is possible to carry out measures aimed at reducing consumption even at the construction stage: insulation, selection of more efficient equipment and the use of automatic control devices.

Autonomous heating of private houses with liquefied propane or its mixture with butane has not yet lost its relevance in the Russian Federation, although in recent years it has noticeably increased in price. It is all the more important to calculate the future consumption of this type of fuel for those homeowners who are planning such heating. The same formula is used for the calculation, only instead of the lower calorific value of natural gas, the parameter value for propane is set: 12.5 kW with 1 kg of fuel. The efficiency of heat generators when burning propane remains unchanged.

Below is an example of a calculation for the same building of 150 m², only heated with liquefied fuel. Its consumption will be:

for 1 hour - 15 / (12.5 x 92 / 100) = 1.3 kg, per day - 31.2 kg;
on average per day - 31.2 / 2 = 15.6 kg;
on average per month - 15.6 x 30 = 468 kg.

When calculating the consumption of liquefied gas for heating a house, it is necessary to take into account that fuel is usually sold in volumetric measures: liters and cubic meters, and not by weight. This is how propane is measured when filling cylinders or a gas tank. This means that it is necessary to convert mass into volume, knowing that 1 liter of liquefied gas weighs about 0.53 kg. The result for the example above will be:

468 / 0.53 = 883 liters, or 0.88 m³, propane will have to be burned on average per month for a building with an area of 150 m².

Considering that the retail cost of liquefied gas is on average 16 rubles. for 1 liter, heating will cost a considerable amount, about 14 thousand rubles. per month for the same cottage on one and a half hundred square meters. There is reason to think about how best to insulate walls and take other measures aimed at reducing gas consumption.

Many homeowners expect to use fuel not only for heating, but also to provide hot water supply. These are additional costs, they must be calculated, plus it is important to take into account the additional load on the heating equipment.

The thermal power required for hot water supply is easy to calculate. You need to determine the required volume of water per day and use the formula:

Q DHW = cm (t 2 - t 1).

c is the heat capacity of water, equal to 4.187 kJ/kg °C;
t 1 — initial water temperature, °C;
t 2 — final temperature of heated water, °C;
m is the amount of water consumed, kg.

As a rule, economical heating occurs to a temperature of 55 °C, and this must be substituted into the formula. The initial temperature varies and lies in the range of 4-10 °C. For a day, a family of 4 people requires approximately 80-100 liters for all needs, provided that it is used sparingly. It is not necessary to convert the volume into mass measures, since in the case of water they are almost the same (1 kg = 1 l). It remains to substitute the obtained value of Q DHW into the above formula and determine the additional gas consumption for DHW.

A natural or liquefied gas boiler is considered the most efficient, environmentally friendly, relatively inexpensive and quite convenient equipment for autonomous heating of apartments and country private houses. Of course, all potential owners of gas boilers want to know what financial costs they need to prepare for and whether the chosen option will be cost-effective compared to other heating systems.

In this article:

How to measure flow

Unfortunately, in most articles posted on the Internet, calculation examples do not provide a clear answer to this question, and further confuse the average consumer.

The reason for this is the fact that such calculations are based on the gas boiler that it produces over a certain period of time.

Power is measured in kilowatts (kW/h).

It is much clearer and more common to measure the consumption and cost of natural gas in cubic meters (cubic m/h), and liquefied gas in kilograms (kg/hour). Knowing the gas consumption for a certain period of time and the current gas tariffs, you can easily calculate the approximate cost of heating your home.

Calculation methods with illustrative example

Boiler Zhukovsky AOGV

The amount of gas spent on heating a house depends mainly on the characteristics of the gas boiler and its operating conditions.

Therefore, for calculations you will need to know:

technical parameters of the boiler;
its power and efficiency;
gas consumption specified in the technical passport;
room area.

Our example will involve a gas boiler AOGV-17.4-3 (JSC Zhukovsky) with a capacity of 17.4 kW with an efficiency of 88%.

Natural gas consumption – 1.87 cubic meters/h, liquefied gas – 1.3 kg/h.

The boiler will heat up to 140 sq. meters of total premises area.

Wherein should be considered that the values indicated in the passport correspond to continuous operation of the boiler at full power, but in fact the boiler operates 12-14 hours a day, so we will divide the calculated values by two.

Tariffs and fuel prices

Let’s assume that the cost of the natural gas tariff is 3.9 rubles. for 1 cubic meter.

The cost of refilling a standard 50-liter cylinder with liquefied gas is 600 rubles. Such a cylinder is usually filled to 80% (42.5 l), which is about 21 kg of propane-butane mixture.

Accordingly, the price of 1 kilogram of liquefied gas will be equal to 600 / 21 = 28.6 rubles (excluding the cost of transporting the cylinder to the gas station and back).

According to the device datasheet

This is the simplest and most approximate method of calculation.

For natural gas the consumption is 1.87 cubic meters/h, hence:

- daily consumption is 24*1.87/2=22.4 cubic meters with a cost of 22.4*3.9=87.5 rubles.

— per month (30 days): 22.4*30=672 cubic meters. at a cost of 672*3.9=2,621 rubles.

— for a year (7 months of the heating season): 7*672=4704 cubic meters at a cost of 4704*3.9=18,345 rubles.

For liquefied gas The boiler consumption is 1.3 kg/h, hence:

— daily consumption is 24*1.3/2=15.6 kg at a cost of 15.6*28.6=446 rubles.

— per month (30 days): 15.6*30=468 kg (22.3 gas cylinders) at a cost of 468*28.6=13,385 rubles.

— for a year (7 months of the heating season): 7*468=3276 kg (156 gas cylinders) at a cost of 3276*28.6=93,694 rubles.

According to the specific heat of combustion of gas

The specific heat of combustion (calorific value) of gas depends on the type of natural fuel and the quality of the mixture. This value can be found in reference books on heating engineering.

For natural gas the lowest value of the specific heat of combustion is 34.02 MJ/cub.m or 9.45 kW/h of thermal energy. With a device efficiency of 88%, this figure will be adjusted to 9.5*0.88=8.3 kW/h.

How much does a gas boiler consume:

- 1/8.3 = 0.12 cubic meters of gas are consumed per hour (per 1 kW of boiler output power), and the total gas consumption in the heating boiler is 17.4 * 0.12 = 2.09 cubic meters.

— per day comes out to 24 * 2.09/2 = 25.1 cubic meters, with a cost of 25.1 * 3.9 = 97.9 rubles.

- per month (30 days) it turns out 25.1 * 30 = 753 cubic meters, with a cost of 753 * 3.9 = 2.937 rubles.

— per year (7 months of the heating season) costs will be 7*753=5271 cubic meters, with a cost of 5271*3.9=20.557 rubles.

For liquefied gas the specific heat of combustion is 50.38 MJ/kg or 13.99 kW/h. With an efficiency of 88%, this figure will be adjusted to 13.99*0.88=12.3 kW/h.

LPG boiler consumption:

— 1/12.3*17.4=1.39 kg is consumed per hour.

— per day it turns out 24 * 1.39/2 = 16.7 kg at a cost of 16.7 * 28.6 = 477.6 rubles.

— per month (30 days): 16.7*30=501 kg (22.9 gas cylinders) at a cost of 501*28.6=14.329 rubles.

— per year (7 months of the heating season): 7*501=3507 kg (167 gas cylinders) at a cost of 3507*28.6=100,300 rubles.

Gas consumption is 20-25% more (add this difference to the final amount).

When comparing the results, it is noticeable that if we calculate by the specific heat of combustion of gas, then the costs and cost of heating are higher. This happens because the minimum value of the specific heat of combustion is taken, which in fact may be higher.

In any case, the cost of heating with natural gas will be approximately 5 times cheaper than heating a room with bottled gas. However, liquefied fuel is still cheaper than autonomous electric heating.

At the same time, one should take into account the possibility of connecting to the gas pipeline and the cost of such a connection, which amounts to a fairly significant amount.

It is also worth noting that such calculations are very rough and approximate, since they do not take into account a number of circumstances that can significantly influence the final amount of expenses. In this case, the amount of calculations can vary significantly up or down.

It is best to entrust an accurate calculation, taking into account all the circumstances, to heating engineering specialists.

How to cut costs

Additional factors affecting gas consumption when heating a home include:

quality of supplied fuel;
using the second circuit of the boiler to heat water in the domestic hot water system (gas consumption with intensive use of hot water increases by 20-25%);
outside air temperature;
features of the design and installation of the heating system;
condition of individual elements of the heating system during operation.

As well as the general heat loss of the house, depending on the degree of insulation of the walls, floor and ceiling, the number of windows and doors in the rooms, their size and condition, the presence and design of the ventilation system and other technological openings with access to the outside.

How to reduce gas consumption and reduce heating costs:

buy a boiler with the highest possible efficiency (the higher cost of such a device pays off during its long-term operation);
use modern turbocharged or condensing boilers;
try to reduce heat loss at home due to its high-quality insulation;
use modern automation (temperature regulators, sensors, etc.) that allow you to maintain and regulate the required temperature level in the rooms;
, which will reduce the operating time of the gas burner;
Maintain heating system elements in a timely manner (cleaning chimneys, bleeding air from radiators, etc.);
A slight decrease in indoor temperature (by 1-2 degrees), practically unnoticeable to humans, will in total significantly reduce costs for the entire heating season.

These measures allow you to reduce gas consumption by up to 25-30% or more, which will significantly reduce your financial expenses.

Gas is still the cheapest type of fuel, but the cost of connection is sometimes very high, so many people want to first assess how economically justified such expenses are. To do this, you need to know the gas consumption for heating, then you can estimate the total cost and compare it with other types of fuel.

Calculation method for natural gas

The approximate gas consumption for heating is calculated based on half the power of the installed boiler. The thing is that at the lowest temperature is set. This is understandable - even when it is very cold outside, the house should be warm.

But calculating gas consumption for heating using this maximum figure is completely incorrect - after all, the temperature is generally much higher, which means much less fuel is burned. That’s why it is generally accepted that the average fuel consumption for heating is about 50% of the heat loss or boiler power.

We calculate gas consumption by heat loss

If you don’t have a boiler yet, and you estimate the cost of heating in different ways, you can calculate it from the total heat loss of the building. They are most likely known to you. The technique here is this: they take 50% of the total heat loss, add 10% to provide hot water supply and 10% to remove heat during ventilation. As a result, we obtain the average consumption in kilowatts per hour.

Next, you can find out the fuel consumption per day (multiply by 24 hours), per month (by 30 days), and, if desired, for the entire heating season (multiply by the number of months during which the heating operates). All these figures can be converted into cubic meters (knowing the specific heat of combustion of gas), and then multiply the cubic meters by the price of gas and, thus, find out the heating costs.

Crowd name	Unit	Specific heat of combustion in kcal	Specific heat of combustion in kW	Specific heat of combustion in MJ
Natural gas	1 m 3	8000 kcal	9.2 kW	33.5 MJ
Liquefied gas	1 kg	10800 kcal	12.5 kW	45.2 MJ
Coal (W=10%)	1 kg	6450 kcal	7.5 kW	27 MJ
Wood pellets	1 kg	4100 kcal	4.7 kW	17.17 MJ
Dried wood (W=20%)	1 kg	3400 kcal	3.9 kW	14.24 MJ

Example of heat loss calculation

Let the heat loss of the house be 16 kW/hour. Let's start counting:

Convert to cubic meters. If we use natural gas, we divide the gas consumption for heating per hour: 11.2 kW/h / 9.3 kW = 1.2 m3/h. In calculations, the figure 9.3 kW is the specific heat capacity of natural gas combustion (available in the table).

Since the boiler has not 100% efficiency, but 88-92%, you will have to make further adjustments for this - add about 10% of the obtained figure. In total, we get gas consumption for heating per hour - 1.32 cubic meters per hour. Next you can calculate:

consumption per day: 1.32 m3 * 24 hours = 28.8 m3/day
monthly demand: 28.8 m3/day * 30 days = 864 m3/month.

The average consumption for the heating season depends on its duration - multiply by the number of months while the heating season lasts.

This calculation is approximate. In some months, gas consumption will be much less, in the coldest month - more, but on average the figure will be about the same.

Boiler power calculation

The calculations will be a little simpler if you have the calculated boiler power - all the necessary reserves (for hot water supply and ventilation) have already been taken into account. Therefore, we simply take 50% of the calculated capacity and then calculate the consumption per day, month, per season.

For example, the design power of the boiler is 24 kW. To calculate gas consumption for heating, we take half: 12 k/W. This will be the average heat demand per hour. To determine fuel consumption per hour, we divide by the calorific value, we get 12 kW/hour / 9.3 k/W = 1.3 m3. Then everything is calculated as in the example above:

Next, add 10% for the imperfection of the boiler, we find that for this case the consumption will be slightly more than 1000 cubic meters per month (1029.3 cubic meters). As you can see, in this case everything is even simpler - fewer numbers, but the principle is the same.

By quadrature

Even more approximate calculations can be obtained based on the square footage of the house. There are two ways:

Each owner can assess the degree of insulation of his home; accordingly, one can estimate what gas consumption will be in this case. For example, for a house of 100 sq. m. with average insulation, 400-500 cubic meters of gas will be required for heating, for a house of 150 square meters it will take 600-750 cubic meters per month, for heating a house with an area of 200 m2 - 800-100 cubic meters of blue fuel. All this is very approximate, but the figures are derived based on many factual data.

Calculation of liquefied gas consumption

Many boilers can run on liquefied gas. How profitable is this? What will be the consumption of liquefied gas for heating? All this can also be calculated. The technique is the same: you need to know either the heat loss or the power of the boiler. Next, we convert the required quantity into liters (units of measurement of liquefied gas), and, if desired, we count the number of required cylinders.

Let's look at the calculation using an example. Let the boiler power be 18 kW, respectively, the average heat demand is 9 kW/hour. When burning 1 kg of liquefied gas we get 12.5 kW of heat. This means that to get 9 kW, you will need 0.72 kg (9 kW / 12.5 kW = 0.72 kg).

per day: 0.72 kg * 24 hours = 17.28 kg;
per month 17.28 kg * 30 days = 518.4 kg.

Let's add a correction for the boiler efficiency. We need to look at each specific case, but let’s take 90%, that is, add another 10%, it turns out that the monthly consumption will be 570.24 kg.

Liquefied gas is one of the heating options

In total, this boiler will require 27 liquefied gas cylinders. Calculate the cost yourself - prices vary in the regions. But don't forget about transportation costs. By the way, they can be reduced by making a gas holder - a sealed container for storing liquefied gas, which can be refilled once a month or less often - depending on the storage volume and demand.

Again, remember that this is just an approximate figure. In cold months, gas consumption for heating will be higher, in warm months it will be much less.

1 liter of liquefied gas weighs approximately 0.55 kg and, when burned, produces approximately 6500 kW of heat;
There are about 42 liters of gas in a 50 liter cylinder.

Despite the general trend of rising prices for energy consumption, heating a home with natural gas is still considered the most efficient and cost-effective option. And all those who doubt and cannot decide on the optimality of such a heat source for their home can be advised to familiarize themselves with the approximate calculation of gas consumption for heating a house of 100 m².

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Basic calculation parameters

Gas heating is rightfully considered not only an economical, but also an environmentally friendly option. However, before purchasing equipment and installing it, it is necessary to calculate in advance the potential costs of blue fuel. Carrying out such a calculation is necessary in order not to make a mistake in choosing the power of the boiler and the consumables supplied with it, because the highest indicators in this matter do not always serve well during further operation.

And if a boiler that is too weak cannot boast of high performance, then a powerful installation with minimal loads tends to wear out very quickly and, as a result, fail ahead of schedule. In addition, boilers of increased power require greater consumption of resources, ultimately being more expensive to maintain, so there is no point in purchasing equipment for a room of 500 square meters if the issue of heating a house of 100 m² is on the agenda.

In order to correctly determine the potential costs of heating a residential premises, it is recommended to take into account certain factors and nuances. Usually it's about about such important parameters:

In order to determine the consumption of natural methane or propane-butane mixture for heating a house, it is necessary to take into account the level of heat losses that inevitably occur through walls, windows, roofing and floors. The calculation of this indicator is influenced the following factors:

To obtain the most accurate values, it is recommended to take into account not only the efficiency of the gas boiler, but also the performance of the entire heating system. In addition, the type of fuel used, which has different densities, should be taken into account.

Propane heating Gas consumption 2017 Buderus boiler

Not all owners have the opportunity to connect to the gas mains, but this is not at all a reason to refuse such an accessible, efficient to use and relatively safe energy resource. Today, for domestic purposes, it is common to use these types of gas:

There is no clear answer to the question of which type of blue fuel is the best, since both options have undoubted advantages and significant disadvantages.

For example, when heating a house with gas from the main networks, residents do not have to monitor the condition of the main equipment. At the same time, they completely depend on its serviceability, which is not so noticeable when installing gas tanks, which boast the highest level of autonomy.

The main disadvantage of a gas holder installation is its high cost, but in the absence of main gas pipes in the immediate vicinity, autonomous equipment becomes the only gas supply option. Nevertheless, such expenses are absolutely justified, because the gas mixture from the gas tank has a much higher calorie content, which is three times higher than the fuel from the main line.

Heating using liquefied gas (propane). Consumption, user experience.

When burning one cubic meter of propane-butane mixture, an average of about 28 kilowatts is generated, while when using network blue fuel that has undergone multi-stage filtration, this figure corresponds to only 9 kilowatts. This means that the average fuel consumption from gas tanks will be three times lower than the consumption of lower-calorie main gas.

Resource costs

You can find out how much gas will be used to heat a house with a certain area by performing basic calculations. In this case, it is recommended to carry out calculations taking into account the labeling of blue fuel and its main characteristics, among which density and specific heat should be highlighted. For example, one cubic meter of natural gas (labeled G20, G25) emits on average 9.2−9.5 kW of specific heat. Liquefied fuel (grade G30) produces about 12.5 kW of specific heat, having greater density and calorie content.

It is best to calculate the consumption of liquefied gas for heating a house of 100 m² using the formula A=Q/q*n, where the indicator Q is the product of the area of the house and the average energy consumption for one square meter, q is the specific heat corresponding to the selected labeling of blue fuel, and n - Efficiency of the equipment used in hundredths.

A conditional calculation of the required amount of energy resources is carried out taking into account normal indicators of external temperature, facade insulation and high performance of a gas boiler (efficiency = 0.95). Taking these factors into account, it is possible to calculate how many cubic meters of gas per heating season (As) will be required if its duration is a total of 6 months:

Q=100*50=5000 W or 5 kW;
A=5/9.45*0.95=0.56 m3/h.
Ac=0.56*24*30*6=2419.2 m³ - will be needed for the entire heating season.

In the same way, you can calculate the potential gas consumption for any other square footage of a living space. For the above fuel markings and the efficiency of the heating installation will be relevant the following values:

80m2	1987.2m3
150m2	3628.8m3
200m2	4838.4m3
250m2	6004.8m3
300m2	7214.4m3
350m2	8424m3
400m2	10275m3

Heating a house is four times cheaper than a gas boiler.

In addition, when choosing a boiler for heating, you should take into account that the passport attached to it provides maximum performance values, so the efficiency of this installation may be lower than originally expected.

When calculating the consumption rate of liquefied gas, its density and specific heat should be taken into account. For example, to heat a house of 100 square meters you will need the following amount of propane-butane mixture:

1. A=5/12.5*0.95=0.42 m3/h;
2. Ac=0.42*24*30*6=1814.4 m3/h.

When conducting a comparative analysis, it becomes obvious that with the main heating of an apartment or private house, more gas will be needed than with autonomous gas holder equipment.

At the same time, the cost of a mixture of propane and butane is much higher than methane, and even if we take into account that the ratio of consumption of raw material volumes will correspond to 1 to 3, then the total costs when using both types of heating will be approximately equal.

If the owners of the house live in a climate zone with harsh, long winters, and the cladding of their house is in unsatisfactory condition or there are some other features that have a direct impact on heat loss, then gas consumption can be calculated using a special calculator. Such programs allow you to take into account the maximum amount of data and give more accurate results.

Lifehack! How to save money on heating your home! Cost reduction

The estimated amount of fuel consumed can be reduced if several effective measures are taken before the start of the heating season. Reduce the cost of heating your home with gas The following actions will help:

Of course, all of the listed measures aimed at reducing overall gas consumption in winter require considerable investment. But all the invested funds will pay off in the coming heating seasons, so there is certainly no doubt about their feasibility.

It is unlikely that anyone doubts that heating a house with gas, not counting electrical systems, is the most convenient and cleanest compared to other options. If everything is done correctly, efficiency (read profitability) will also be at its best when, of course, we are talking about connecting to the main networks, and not about propane cylinders. But in any case, in order to make a final decision, all developers want to know what the real gas consumption for heating the house will be, and whether it is possible to optimize energy costs. It's not hard to find out.

How to calculate gas needs for the heating season

Nominal performance of the equipment

The first thing to do is to determine what power the boiler needs to be installed. It is important to us that gas heating in the house is guaranteed to provide a comfortable temperature in the premises even on the coldest days of winter. The most reliable way would be to carry out engineering surveys (if the building is already in use), or calculate the heat losses to be replenished (if construction is underway)

Gas boiler in the heating system of a private house

There is a simpler option, you can use the well-known rule, which states that for every square meter of home area there should be about 100 watts of heat generator power, that is, 1 kW per 10 m2. It doesn’t matter whether gas heating is being considered for an apartment building or a small private cottage, this formula applies to well-insulated buildings. It’s convenient for the average person to think in square meters, but cubic capacity is more important, so a simplified calculation is only suitable if the height of the ceilings in the rooms does not exceed 2.7 meters.

Important! If the boiler will also heat water for the DHW circuit, then it is worth providing a thermal performance reserve of 2-3 kilowatts.

So, as an example: for a house of 200 square meters you need to purchase a heating device with a power of at least 20 kW.

How much gas does the boiler burn for every 1000 watts of heat?

Heating devices on the market may differ significantly in technical characteristics, in particular in energy efficiency. However, there are average indicators that are quite suitable for calculations. Thus, for every kilowatt of thermal energy generated, modern gas boilers for heating a house use about 0.112 cubic meters of natural gas per hour.

Using a gas holder, you can stock up on liquefied gas for the whole season

To calculate consumption when heating a house with liquefied gas, you must proceed from the following data:

efficiency factor of the heat generator,
calorific value of the gas (the composition and quality of the mixture may vary greatly from different suppliers).

Depending on these conditions, generating one kilowatt of heat may require from 0.085 to 0.12 kilograms of liquefied propane per hour. On average, a flow rate of 0.1 kg/h is substituted into the formulas.

How many days a year will gas heating work at home?

The duration of the heating season depends on the climatic characteristics of the region. According to the tables of SNiP 23-01-99 “Building Climatology”, thermal engineering calculations take into account: air temperature (peak, average daily, in the coldest five-day period, amplitude), the prevailing direction and speed of winds, amount of precipitation, relative humidity.

Depending on the specific region, the heating season lasts on average in Russia from 210 to 250 days. Approximately from October to April inclusive. If autonomous heating is implemented in the home, then it is important what temperature in the premises the residents of the house consider comfortable.

This is approximately how temperatures are distributed in Moscow and the region. It is interesting that absolute minimums were recorded at the end of the century before last and the beginning of the last century, and in the 21st century record highs are increasingly being recorded

Total energy volume for the heating season

So, we calculate all the necessary gas for a house of 200 square meters (according to the floor area of the heated premises). A 20 kilowatt boiler will burn 2.24 cubic meters of gas per hour. 53.76 m 3 of fuel (24 X 2.24) will be required per day. For a heating season of 7 months - 11289.6 (210 X 53.76).

Don’t be in a hurry to get scared; there is no point in operating a gas boiler for heating a house at full power for seven or eight months. There are only a few dozen such cold days; the rest of the time the consumption is much less. Taking into account the controlled decrease in the productivity of the heat generator, in central Russia the calculated seasonal gas consumption is divided in half. That is, for our object we will need about 5645 cubes (11289.6: 2).

For systems where liquefied gas is used as an energy source, the formula will be similar. A 20-kilowatt unit uses approximately 2 kg of fuel per hour. Per day - 48 kilograms, for the entire season - about 5 tons.

Important! One liter of propane-butane in the liquid phase weighs about 550 grams (propane - 510, butane - 580). It is also worth noting that cylinders for storage and transportation are never fully filled for safety reasons.

Propane consumption for some types of heating devices operating on liquefied gas

Now, knowing the tariffs of suppliers, we can convert abstract numbers into banknotes that we will have to part with.

How to optimize gas consumption

The above calculations show average hypothetical fuel consumption. But this does not mean that these indicators are obtained easily and by themselves. Real results can be affected by a lot of different factors; excess gas consumption relative to the calculated one is not uncommon. Getting close to paper numbers can be difficult, and achieving meaningful savings is even more difficult. Let's try to formulate some practical tips.

Choosing the right gas boiler for heating your home

The power of the heat source must correspond to the needs of the building to replenish heat losses. It would be a mistake to think that “a good supply will not be superfluous.” A boiler that is too efficient, working at half capacity, can consume more than the one that is suitable according to calculations. In turn, a heat generator that is too weak will operate at the limit of its capabilities. Both modes are far from optimal, for which manufacturers indicate efficiency.

Important! It is believed that the most economical will be a boiler with a small capacity reserve, about 25-30 percent.

Choose models with the best efficiency. Real efficiency indicators start at 90 percent, on average it is 92-95%. Now gas heat generators have appeared that make it possible to extract heat, which usually leaves along with water vapor (about 20% of them in the exhaust combustion products) found in the exhaust gases. Additional energy is collected by condensing vapor in a secondary heat exchanger. These innovative boilers are called condensing boilers. The efficiency of these devices can approach 108 percent, which allows you to quickly recoup the relatively high initial costs and save up to 15-20 percent of gas.

Condensing boiler design

Important! Buy heat generators from well-known companies. Unfortunately, not all manufacturers honestly indicate the characteristics in passports and catalogs.

The efficiency of a heating device greatly depends on how the gas burner of the boiler for heating the house is designed. For example, burners that allow you to smoothly regulate power over the entire range (modulated) will be more economical than multi-stage ones, for which two modes are usually available - maximum and “standby” (about 30-40 percent of power). And multi-stage ones, as a rule, are more profitable than single-stage ones, which simply turn off or on when the set temperatures are reached.

Definitely, multi-fuel burners, designed to use gas and liquid fuel, are less efficient than mono-fuel burners - designed only for burning gas.

Open (natural draft) or closed combustion chamber. In boilers with a closed combustion chamber, air is forcedly supplied to create a combustible mixture using a fan burner. Gas in such heat generators is burned more completely, and the “exhaust” is cleaner. Horizontal coaxial chimneys are often used here, in which the supply air masses are first heated by the exhaust smoke before entering the firebox. It is hardly possible to calculate how much more economical a boiler with a closed chamber will be; most likely, this will be visible in the efficiency.
If you need to heat water for hot water supply, consider installing an indirect heating boiler. Often, in terms of energy consumption, this solution turns out to be more profitable than using a double-circuit boiler.

Wiring diagram for an indirect heating water heater

Using automation

One of the main functions of automation is to switch the boiler to an economical operating mode. The more technologically advanced and sensitive it is, the less gas will be consumed. To do this, feedback is established between the heat generator and the system (and the environment) through sensors and controllers. Receiving information from sensors, the boiler can respond to the heating level of the coolant, or to the air temperature in the premises or even outside. You can control the equipment remotely, for example via a remote control or smartphone/PC.

Significant gas savings can be achieved if it is possible to program the operation of the boiler using a timer. For example, without compromising comfort, you can reduce system performance at night or during “working” hours (from 8:00 to 15:00), when no one is at home.

Important! It is believed that reducing the temperature in the premises by just one degree will help save from 3 to 5 percent of gas for heating the house.

Many modern boilers are equipped with an informative control panel with an LCD display

Insulation of enclosing structures

Even heating with main gas in a private house may turn out to be unprofitable if the heat easily escapes to the street. By improving the insulation characteristics of a building, moving closer to the “zero house” concept, gas consumption can be reduced.

In addition to insulating the walls and roof, in a cottage you should take care of heat loss through the basement ceiling; as a rule, the most powerful cold bridges are balcony slabs “cutting through” the outer wall. Door and window openings are considered vulnerable areas; for example, you should not get carried away with large areas of glazing, no matter how high-quality the door is, it is recommended to provide a vestibule in the entrance area. Special attention should be paid to ventilation, for example, installing a heat recovery system.

Additional heat source

An alternative to gas heating at home is relevant, not only if there is no possibility of crashing into the main pipe. The fact is that in order to stimulate savings in some countries, gas tariffs for the population are higher, the higher the consumption. Essentially, a preferential price is set for a certain volume of gas used per month.

Therefore, in order to stay within a specific tariff category, it makes sense to integrate an additional heat source into the heating system, for example, some modification of a solid fuel boiler, a solar collector or an air source heat pump.

Combined gas/coal heating system

Optimizing the operation of the heating system

Practice shows that a properly designed and well-assembled heating system is the most important condition, without which there is no hope of saving resources. In this case, the following points are considered:

type of highway routing,
arrangement and method of piping heating devices,
selection of suitable heating devices,
cross-section of pipelines in various sections,
nomenclature and characteristics of shut-off and control valves.

One of the main signs of a high-quality system is the possibility of precise balancing, when the user can distribute heat evenly in all rooms. Or, on the contrary, using taps or thermal heads, deliberately switch the heating in some rooms from comfortable operating mode to standby mode. For example, this way you can heat empty guest rooms, a storage room, or a wardrobe.

Electronically controlled thermal control head

When working on a project, specialists are required to carry out hydraulic and thermal calculations; as a result, the customer receives the necessary diagrams and drawings for installation, as well as specifications for equipment and components. It has been proven that money spent on professional design will pay off in the first heating season.