Liquefied gas or pellets. A competent approach to the choice of fuel for organizing an autonomous heating system: liquefied gas or pellets? Which boiler is more environmentally friendly

What and how to heat Vacation home in winter? AT recent times a new type of fuel for home heating has appeared on the market - pellets. How profitable and convenient is it? In the article brought to your attention, a comparison is made with the cheapest fuel today - gas. The purpose of this article is not to convince the reader to choose one or another option and, accordingly, denigrate the second, but to give food for thought and talk about the possible "pitfalls" of one or another option.

Many people who have built a house outside the city are faced with a choice - to connect the house to an existing gas main pipe or to purchase an autonomous boiler that runs on liquid or solid fuel. There are various types of boilers, but the cheapest to operate (but, unfortunately, not in terms of purchase price) today are pellet boilers (wood fuel pellets). So, as competing projects are considered: the option of connecting the house to the existing gas line at a short distance (up to 500 m) and installing a pellet boiler in the house.

Connection
Gas
The estimated scope of work for connecting to the existing gas pipeline includes:

• preparation of documentation (gasification project and various approvals, checks);
• acquisition and laying of pipes (+, if necessary, the acquisition of a lowering station);
• construction works in the house (preparation of a place for a boiler, inserting a pipe, painting chimneys);
• purchase of additional gas equipment (faucets, meters, couplings, etc.);
• installation of the boiler and its direct connection to the gas supply;
• pressure testing of the pipeline;
• connection fee.

Calculation and most of the work is carried out by a third-party participant - the gas trust.

As other project participants, in addition to employees of the gas service, one can note the employees of the fire service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, performing various surveys (in particular, the chimney and grounding) and construction workers (including digging a trench for pipes).

After evaluating the prices in your area, you can calculate the approximate cost of the work. According to the experience of connections in the Moscow region (with the purchase of a step-down station), connection to a pipe at a distance of up to 100 meters can cost around 5 thousand USD. On the other hand, if you are the first to connect in a cottage settlement, then in the future, with an increase in the number of connections within the framework of this gasification project, it is possible for new participants to partially return your costs.

Pellets
The cost of equipping a place for installing a boiler is comparable to a gas one (chimneys, fire prevention measures).

Installation and connection of the boiler is possible without the involvement of external participants (you can do without the Ministry of Emergencies).

On average, a 10 kW boiler requires 2 kg / hour or 2 bags of pellets per day (50 kg), respectively, you need 14 bags per week and about 1.5 tons per month. In order not to go every day for pellets, you need to store it all somewhere. To store a large supply of fuel (for example, for a month), a special container is required, a fairly significant volume, however, given the properties of pellets (including biological inactivity), summer time it is possible to use this repository for other purposes.

In principle, during storage there should be no direct moisture, but storing pellets in winter under a canopy will not improve their quality.

Safety
Gas
Possible problems - gas leakage (rare enough today).

Pellets
The safest fuel today.

Cost of equipment
Gas
gas boiler with full automatic costs in the region of 1.5-2 thousand USD. You can purchase a separate burner and install it in an existing boiler, which is correspondingly cheaper.

Pellets
The cost of a pellet boiler with a capacity of 15-20 kW is 3-4 thousand USD. It is also possible to purchase a pellet burner, costing 2-3 thousand USD, and install it in an existing TT boiler.

Exploitation
Gas
Cleaning, checking, adjustment - once a year, the cost depends on the region. The incoming gas meets the standards, the quality of the fuel is unchanged.

Pellets
Ash emission - 1 time in 2 weeks, cleaning of the burner - depending on the quality of the fuel, but not less than 1 time in 2 months, complete cleaning with removal decorative panels 1 time per year. The frequency of cleaning depends primarily on the quality of the pellets. The quality of the pellets depends on the raw materials used by the producers, the manufacturing technology used, the storage and transportation conditions for the pellets, etc. There is no Russian standard for pellets.

Ecology
Gas
Subjective opinion, but not everyone likes the smell of gas. High level of CO.

Pellets
The smell of burning wood. Much lower CO emissions compared to gas.

Heating cost
Gas
Calorific value gas - 33 MJ / cubic meter (7500 Kkakl / cubic meter)
The cost of 1 thousand cubic meters of gas is 1200 rubles

Pellets
Calorific value of pellets (depending on quality, etc.) - 19 MJ/kg (4500 Kcal/kg)
The average cost of 1 ton of pellets is 3500 rubles

Cost calculations
If heating a room requires 1 thousand cubic meters of gas, then, accordingly, heating the same room will require 1.73 tons of pellets, or in monetary terms 1200 rubles or 7000 rubles (i.e. the difference will be 5 times).

The costs for the season are determined depending on the volume of the house, the degree of its insulation, the temperature difference in cold weather (external - on the street and internal - at home). There are various methods for calculating the power of the boiler required for heating, it can be roughly estimated as 100 square meters. meters \u003d 10 kW (with an average temperature difference for the season of 40 degrees - 20 on the street and + 20 at home).

Other benefits
Gas
Ease of use, connectivity gas stove for cooking food. No need to think about where and when to purchase fuel and how to load its storage.

Pellets
Autonomy (although quite subjective, pellet boilers require electricity to operate).
The possibility of using pellets in an unconventional way (as a filler for cat litter, absorbent substance (for example, in case of leakage of technical fluids - oils, etc.).

prospects
Gas
Considering that the cost of gas in the domestic market is 50 USD. for 1000 m3, and on the outside 250 c.u., i.e. 5 times more, then it is most likely to assume an increase in prices in the domestic market and a gradual approach to world prices, as happened with gasoline.

On the other hand, Gazprom continues the program of gasification of villages and villages, and it is possible that the blue light will soon come to you, and the costs of connecting it will be commensurately less than those indicated in the article.

Pellets
Most likely, their cost will not decrease, due to a significant share going for export, however, the availability of pellets will increase every month, more and more enterprises start producing pellets.
Given that the technology for using pellets is quite new, further improvement of thermal equipment is possible (increase in overall efficiency, production of mini power plants operating on pellets).

conclusions

There are many unique advantages to using gas or pellets as fuel, and the final choice depends on the consumer's attitude towards these specific advantages. For some, ecology is important, and some cannot tolerate rudeness and extortion from representatives of various services.

On average, the initial costs for connecting to the main line (with certain restrictions: distance to the main line, attitude of the gas trust towards you, etc.) and installation gas boiler one and a half to two times the cost for the installation of a pellet boiler of the same capacity.

At the same time, the use of gas for heating five times cheaper than using pellets.

Therefore, in our opinion, if the savings from subsequent heating costs justify the high cost of organizing (connecting) gas supply, then you should definitely choose gas. If not, then it is more logical to opt for pellets.

In any case, we are sure that the buyer will make right choice.

As you know, natural gas is the most economical and efficient raw material for heating. However, in the absence of central gas supply, owners of country cottages and private houses need to choose suitable option to provide housing with heat. The TransGas company will try to figure out which option is the most profitable and optimal for space heating.

Heating options for a private house

There are several main ways to provide private houses with heat. Heat country cottages is possible with:

• electricity;
• firewood or coal;
• liquefied gas;
• pellets.

The use of electricity is the most accessible way in terms of organization. A cable with voltage, unlike a gas pipeline, can be carried out to almost any house. However, this method of heating has its drawbacks. Firstly, 1 kW is quite expensive. Secondly, not all power lines are designed to provide locality required load.

With proper operation of a standard stove, the efficiency will be much higher than when heating a house with electricity. However, to create indoor optimal microclimate it will take a lot of effort. After all, coal or firewood must be constantly thrown into the furnace.

The most optimal solution for organizing heating is the use of liquefied hydrocarbon gas (propane-butane) or fuel pellets (pellets). Let's consider both of these options in more detail.

How to heat rooms with propane-butane and pellets?

The principle of operation of the heating system with propane-butane is to use a special tank for storing LPG - a gas tank, which is most often located underground. also in this case gas boiler is used. It converts the gas into thermal energy. For a full-fledged gas supply at home, it is necessary to refuel the gas tank 1-2 times a year.

For burning pellets are used solid fuel boilers, which can independently regulate the supply of fuel and the release of thermal energy. Of course, such equipment is not cheap, but its efficiency is much higher than that of a standard furnace.

What is more expensive: propane-butane or pellets?

When burning 1 kg solid fuel 5 kW of thermal energy is released, and 12.8 kW is obtained from 1 kg of liquefied gas. Moreover, the efficiency of propane-butane is higher than that of pellets. However, fuel pellets have a lower price - about 7 rubles/kg compared to 27 rubles/kg. That is, 1 kW of pellets costs approximately 1.4 rubles, while the cost of 1 kW of propane-butane is 2.1 rubles.

So, we found out that LPG is 1.5 times higher than that of fuel pellets. However, when choosing a heating option, one should take into account not only the upcoming costs, but also performance characteristics systems. The gas tank is usually located underground, due to which it does not require free space on the plot of land. To store pellets, you need a special room in which the humidity of the air is maintained at a minimum level. In addition, fuel pellets must be periodically loaded into boilers. The gas tank, in turn, is refueled no more than twice a year.

Thus, pellets are best used in small businesses, especially in the woodworking industry. Fuel pellets can be made from wood residues, obtaining waste-free production. In addition, in such conditions it is easy to organize a suitable place for storing fuel. But for country houses Autonomous gasification is more suitable. Despite the fact that 1 kW of propane-butane is more expensive than pellets, the convenience in the operation of such a system covers this minus.

(greenhouses, warehouses, hangars)

1. Main gas is a modern fuel for heating.

pros

+ Lowest cost compared to other fuels
+ Big choice equipment for every taste and budget
+ Increase in the value of a plot of land with a connected gas pipeline
+ No need to store it
+ Good quality fuel

Minuses

- Connection cost for Krasnodar Territory for individuals averages about 200 thousand rubles. if gas pipe passes “along your street” and much more money commensurate with the distance of the gas pipeline from the construction site if it is possible to connect (several million rubles are quite real amounts).
FROM legal entities everything is much more complicated.
- Constant growth of tariffs and increased tariffs for legal entities
- Constant attention of the inspection bodies with a boiler house capacity of more than 1 MW and the corresponding requirements for maintenance personnel and equipment
- fire hazard
- Complex systems approvals
- Attachment of the building territorially (only next to gas pipelines)
- You need a room with certain requirements (for example, tiles on the floor and walls, a window of a certain size, etc.)
- A project is required, the connection is carried out only by gas services
- It is necessary to purchase and install a gas meter, which requires periodic metrological verification or replacement.
- Instability of pressure and fuel supply at high loads in the network

2. Firewood

pros

+ classic fuel
+ Availability
+ Large selection of equipment from homemade to highly professional products

Minuses

- The impossibility of automation and, accordingly, comfortable operation of the boiler room
- The need for constant monitoring of the filling of the boiler with fuel
- The cost of obtaining heat is comparable to wood pellets
- Fuel instability in terms of moisture content, size, quality
- Requires a large amount of storage space
- Low efficiency of boilers, with the exception of expensive high-end models
- In the absolute majority, the high humidity of firewood, which negatively affects their calorific value

3. Liquefied gas

pros

+ Energy independence
+ Average cost of heat production

Minuses

- Expensive storage tanks for liquefied gas are needed -
gas tanks (from 100 thousand rubles), which are dug into the ground on the site at the construction stage
- Large volume of construction earthworks at a distance of at least 10 meters from the house
- Need a project
- Certain requirements for the room where the gas boiler is installed
- Need installers high level for laying gas pipelines
- The impossibility of using land plots with gas tanks for another purpose
- Impossibility or difficulty of excavation in mountainous terrain
- Specialized vehicles are used to fill gas tanks,
which increases the shipping cost.
- It is necessary to immediately pay a large amount for filling gas tanks
(usually for the entire heating season)
- According to the requirements, gas holders are only 85% filled with gas, the remaining 15% is given for expansion processes, which increases their volume and, accordingly, the cost
- Most distrust regarding the safety of liquefied gas
(neighbors will definitely not be happy)
- When using cylinders - frequent recharging and transport costs

4. Diesel fuel

pros

+ Energy independence
+ Large selection of equipment of various classes and prices

Minuses

- High cost of fuel
- Quality requirements - poor fuel will require constant maintenance of the equipment, which will increase operating costs
- fire hazard
- The need for fuel storage tanks
- High toxicity of flue gases, odor

5. Electricity

pros

+ Ubiquity
+ Huge selection of equipment
+ Highest efficiency

Minuses

- The highest cost of heat generation
- Limited consumption both when connecting the facility to networks and during operation. Especially after the introduction of social norms in the Krasnodar Territory.

6. Wood and sunflower husk pellets

pros

+ The lowest cost of obtaining a kilowatt of heat after the main gas
+ Independence from the gas pipe and therefore the ability to build where you want or need, and not where the gas pipeline reaches
+ Lower cost of land without gas, which allows you to allocate funds for the purchase of a pellet boiler and receive inexpensive heat for many years (the estimated life of the boiler is more than 20 years)
+ No need for approvals, design and requirements for the premises
+ Savings on connection fees and gas pipelines
+ Environmentally friendly, as it does not contain harmful substances
+ Stability of fuel indicators, constancy of the shape and size of pellets
+ fire safety
+ Convenient storage and packaging (from 20 kg in bags to 1 ton in big bags)
+ The growth of competition in the market of pellet producers and their disunity, as well as the availability of raw materials, guarantee affordable prices and low prices, especially in summer

Pros, subject to the correct selection, installation and commissioning of a pellet boiler by professionals:

+ Wide possibilities of automation and comfortable operation of this equipment
+ High equipment efficiency
+ Ability to work on fuel with high ash content (pellets from sunflower husks)
+ The ability to organize independent heating from 120 m2 to industrial facilities (greenhouses, hotels, workshops, etc.)

Minuses

- Comparatively higher cost of equipment associated with a large number of boiler elements, mandatory automation and design features
- Difficulty in choosing a contractor, because there are certain requirements for the professionalism of employees
- At the moment, it is possible to organize heating on pellets in areas from 120 m2
- Relatively small selection of equipment and manufacturers
- The probability of the impossibility of buying a pellet boiler from the manufacturer's warehouse in the autumn
- Limited pellet producers. But in the Krasnodar Territory and in Russia, their number is steadily growing, and following the demand, more and more new pellet manufacturers appear.
- Fear of new technology and distrust of efficiency.

The reputation of pellets was really badly spoiled by non-professionals who, not knowing the technology and experience, apply conventional solid fuel and liquid fuel approaches to pellet boilers, and as a result, the lack of the high efficiency of the boiler promised by them, the disappointment of the end user in this technology.

Western Europe has been burning with pellets for decades and consumption continues to grow, so the largest Russian manufacturers of this solid fuel are exported, which confirms the effectiveness of the technology.

conclusions

Of course, it is more economically profitable to heat with main gas if there is a pipeline along the street, you have prepared a room, a project, you have received all approvals for connection, you are not embarrassed by a pipe running along the site, and significant investments in the land “next to gas” or are ready to wait until You will be brought by a gas pipeline (which can take years).

The second most affordable is heating with pellets from both wood and sunflower husks with great potential for efficiency and power, if performed correct selection, installation and commissioning.
The price is justifiably slightly higher compared to equipment on wood, coal, gas, diesel fuel.

Possessing high environmental friendliness, safety and convenience at a low cost per 1 kW of heat, a pellet boiler is an excellent alternative to gas with great benefits in terms of price per site and the possibility of comfortable operation of the equipment.

Diesel fuel, liquefied gas and firewood have a number of disadvantages that many owners are willing to put up with, but they all lose in convenience, operating costs, safety and environmental friendliness to pellets.

We wish you to make an informed choice and enjoy the warmth at the best price.

Get free estimate for your object

We calculated the cost of obtaining 1 kWh of heat from various kinds fuel, as well as expenses for the entire heating season, plus payback periods heating systems.

It is generally accepted that the most profitable heating option is main gas. But not everyone can say for sure how quickly its connection will pay off, even if the gas pipe has already been laid along the border of your site. Therefore, the question “the cheaper it is to heat a house” will be very relevant. To answer it, we have prepared two tables and a chart. The first table collected information on the cost of obtaining 1 kWh of heat from various types of fuel at prices at the beginning of 2016. The diagram shows fuel costs for one heating season. And in the second table - the payback period of heating systems in comparison with an electric boiler.

Table of the cost of obtaining thermal energy for heating from various types of fuel

Type of fuel	Unit price, rub.	The cost of 1 kWh of heat received, rub.	Typical efficiency of boilers (furnaces), %	The cost of the received 1 kWh of heat, taking into account the efficiency, rub.
Coal "eco-peas", kg.	3	0,39	0,8	0,48
Main gas, m.cub.	5,04	0,54	0,9	0,60
Firewood dry coniferous (20%), kg.	3,9	0,99	0,7	1,41
Air-to-water heat pump, kW.**	1,1	1,10		1,10
Pellets, kg.	6	1,26	0,8	1,57
Firewood of natural humidity, coniferous (40%), kg.*	3	1,33	0,7	1,90
Liquefied gas, l.	15,3	2,71	0,9	3,01
Diesel fuel, l.	29	2,86	0,85	3,37
Electricity (day/night)***	4,11	4,11		4,11

* - taking into account the density of stacked chopped firewood and the density of the wood itself
** - taking into account the efficiency at average temperatures around -5 ° C, which corresponds to winter near Moscow
*** - the average value of tariffs for MO was taken in proportions 2/1.

The data in the table is sorted by the cost of heat generated by burning each type of fuel, converted to kWh. We deliberately did not sort the list taking into account the efficiency of boilers, since there may be options. Although the bulk of high-quality boilers for different fuels have an efficiency of 80%. We will also leave aside questions of the convenience of using a particular type of fuel. Of course, the most trouble-free here will be electricity, a heat pump, as well as main gas, albeit to a lesser extent. In other cases, there will be more trouble.

Next, we will calculate heating season cost for the Moscow Region, based on a house insulated according to SNiP with an area of ​​100 m 2. We will conditionally accept that it is necessary to actively heat from November to March (150 days a year). At the same time, with an average temperature difference of 25 degrees (we take the average temperature of all five months as -4 ° C), the total heat loss will be approximately 2.3 kW. Those. per day for heating such a house you need to spend 55.2 kWh. For the season - ~ 8280 kWh.

Heating season costs for different types fuel for an insulated house 100 m 2

The most profitable types of fuel are coal and gas. The most expensive is electricity.

Now let's count payback periods of heating systems for different types of fuel. Let's assume that the house has water heating with an electric boiler with a power of 9 kW (15 thousand rubles). Let's take this as the base case. To switch to main gas, you need to replace the boiler (15 thousand rubles), install a chimney (30 thousand rubles) and connect to the main (from 50 to 400 thousand rubles, we used 200 thousand for calculations). To switch to coal, firewood or pellets, you also need to install a chimney and replace the boiler with an appropriate one (40 thousand rubles for a regular one and ~ 80 thousand for a boiler with automatic feed), plus prepare a storage room. For liquefied gas, in addition, you will need a gas tank with an installation (190 thousand rubles). And for the heat pump - the system itself with the installation (~ 350 thousand rubles). At the same time, we will assume that the owner carries out further ash removal and maintenance of the systems independently.

Payback period of different heating systems in comparison with an electric boiler

Everyone should draw the conclusions from this table in accordance with their needs and capabilities. We will only make a reservation that for houses larger area than we took into account, heating with electricity is not applicable, since electric boilers with a power of 10 kW or more already require connection to a three-phase 380 V network. Also, payback calculations will be slightly different for houses with an area of ​​​​more than 200 m 2.

Important note! All calculations in the article are given without taking into account ventilation losses, which, for one reason or another, are usually absent in small country houses. If we follow SNiP in this matter, when the air in the room of the configuration under consideration should be updated about once an hour, then heating costs should be approximately tripled! But in practice, ventilation, if you do not forget about it, is provided by supply valves and vents, which in the end can increase the costs shown in the diagram by 1.5 times. Accordingly, this will lead to a decrease in the payback period in the table.

A universal or multi-fuel boiler for pellets and gas is a heating equipment with the ability to quickly switch from one type of fuel to another. The refurbishment takes place by replacing the burners. In most models, a built-in electric heating element is also provided.

The device and principle of operation of the pellet-gas boiler

Universal pellet-gas boilers are distinguished by the presence of several combustion chambers mounted in general design. Fuel change is carried out in 10-15 minutes by connecting the desired burner. Combined pellet-gas boilers are especially relevant when connected to. Bottled gas is allowed.

The efficiency of the combined gas-pellet boiler reaches 90% on the main, and 85% on the reserve type of fuel. The basic package includes a main and a replacement burner. Re-equipment is made as simple as possible in order to enable independent replacement of the burner device, without inviting specialists.

Working on pellets

Transfer to pellets is carried out by means of an installation connected to the fuel bunker. After installing the burner, the operation of the boiler is as follows:

• Pellets come from the fuel bunker to the burner through a screw conveyor.
• Immediately after the start of the pellet supply, electric ignition is carried out using a piezoelectric element.
• In the flare burner, the built-in fan is turned on, which pressurizes. The combustion of pellets is carried out at an artificially raised combustion temperature.

To install a pellet burner, connectors are provided in the lower combustion chamber. Most manufacturers make fireboxes of standard sizes, which allows you to install a burner device from almost any manufacturer.

Boilers for gas and pellet burners are mainly made of cast iron. in mind heavy weight, the installation is performed on a pre-prepared concrete base.

Work on gas

Pellet boilers with a gas burner, in the first place, are designed for connection to cylinder installations and gas holders. This type of equipment has also become widespread during the construction of houses in new cottage settlements, the gasification of which is planned for the near future.

To connect a gas burner, just perform a few simple manipulations:

• Close the unused furnace with a sealed hatch.
• Install a burner in the hole under the gas equipment.
• Set the switch to gas consumption mode.

Converting a pellet boiler to a gas one takes 10-15 minutes. There is no need to call a specialist to carry out the modification. Installation gas burner carried out in accordance with detailed instructions manufacturer, included in the basic configuration of the equipment.

Comparative characteristics of the efficiency of heating on pellets and bottled gas show the advantage of the first type of fuel. But after connecting the main gas, the financial efficiency of fuel pellets is significantly reduced.

Features of the operation of a gas-pellet boiler

Universal combined boiler for burning pellets and gas, has a high degree automation and security. The design provides for a large number shut-off and control valves, preventing the occurrence of emergencies.

Despite this, a multi-fuel combined heating boiler operating on gas and pellets requires the following measures:

• Installation is carried out with strict observance of all existing norms SNiP and PPB.
• Installation work is carried out on a previously prepared solid base. The walls and floor of the room used for the boiler room are lined with ceramic tiles or other non-combustible materials.
• The minimum requirements for a boiler room are: ceiling height of at least 2.4 m; area 12 m²; box entrance doors should not have a lower threshold; ventilation holes are provided in the canvas.
• Installation of a chimney for a pellet boiler that switches to gas is carried out in compliance with the PPB standards. Provide fire breaks when passing the roof, walls and floor slabs. To increase traction, install a deflector. To prevent fire, a spark arrester is placed on the head of the pipe.

During operation, it is necessary to carry out periodic maintenance of the boiler. Depending on the availability of a self-cleaning system, work is carried out at intervals of several days to a month. During maintenance, accumulated soot and wood dust are removed from the electric drive, and the moving elements of the pellet fuel transmission.

Which is better - a combined boiler or two separate ones?

Combined gas and pellet boilers have the following advantages over mono-fuel systems:

• Smaller footprint.
• The cost is less, about a third, than you have to pay for two separate boilers.
• The possibility of using an alternative source of thermal energy.
• The consumption of a pellet boiler, compared to a gas boiler operating on bottled fuel, is somewhat less. But when connecting the highway, it becomes more profitable to use natural gas. The design of the boiler allows you to quickly switch from one type of fuel to another.
• Installation costs are halved.

The combined boiler is traditionally used for space heating, in cases where there is no stable supply of the required type of fuel. So, in the presence of pellets, you can heat the building with them, but after they finish, the equipment is quickly transferred to gas and vice versa.

With stable supplies, it becomes possible to choose which fuel is more economically profitable. In these aspects, universal boilers are more convenient than mono-fuel units.