Contents
Each of us wants to install heating equipment that will work not only efficiently, but also economically. Are there economical gas boilers? Depends on what you mean by that. It would be possible to give a list of models with minimal fuel consumption, but everything is relative here, and many factors affect the cost of maintenance. Let’s analyze each of them.
The most economical heating boilers
How to reduce gas consumption in the heating system? First of all, you need to choose a device that is suitable for your home. Why is that? Because only taking into account the area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe room, the material of the walls, the number of windows and other factors, it is possible to calculate the required power and performance of the boiler. Only then the equipment will effectively give off heat without consuming excess energy.
If you want to save on gas consumption, then connect only to the general highway. Balloons are very expensive. What criteria affect the economy:
- Design features;
- Efficiency factor (COP);
- The power of technology;
- Fuel quality;
- Optimal mode.
Let’s go through each point in more detail.
Equipment design
Heating boilers come with one and two circuits. A single-circuit device is designed only for space heating, and for hot water supply (DHW) you will have to additionally connect a boiler. But double-circuit models already include everything you need for heating the house and for hot water supply.
To calculate the savings, pay attention to the type of combustion chamber. An open chamber takes air from the room to maintain combustion and exhaust gases. Closed, forcibly drives air from the street. The removal of combustion products is carried out by a fan. This principle contributes to the complete combustion of the fuel, as well as the minimum emission of CO2.
Closed-type appliances are connected to a coaxial chimney. Its tube-in-pipe design traps more heat. Therefore, the air from the street is heated, which increases the efficiency of combustion.
Influence of efficiency
Today the market offers the buyer convection and condensing boilers. Which one is more economical? It is believed that condensation, because it uses the energy of condensate. When taking into account additional energy, a conventional unit has an efficiency of 92-94%, and a condensing one – 100-102%.
Standard work is to burn fuel and exhaust gases to the street, which have a high temperature. Combustion products contain impurities and moisture. Passing through the heat exchanger, the gases reach 60°. Because of this, sediment falls out and accumulates in the tank. In the process, energy is released, which is used by the condensing device. It is believed that this can save up to 20% of fuel. But even here there are “pitfalls”. Such units are installed to low-temperature systems with underfloor heating.
There are also a number of other nuances that we described in the article “What is a gas condensing boiler.”
What affects the efficiency of a convection boiler:
- Physical malaise. When air is burned instead of gas. affects the quality of the fuel;
- Chemical burn. Depends on the amount of carbon monoxide in the combustion process;
- Poor insulation, wall insulation.
How to set up optimal performance:
- Clean the system at least once a year. Remove scale from the heat exchanger, soot from the burner and tubes;
- Put a damper on the pipe to restrict air flow;
- Clean the soot from the parts of the combustion chamber, otherwise the gas consumption will increase.
Equipment Capacity
The power of wall and floor boilers is different. Mounted heat rooms up to 300 m². But the floor can heat huge areas. The optimum coolant temperature depends on the power. Why is this indicator important?
There is such a thing – boiler clocking. This is the frequency of turning the heating on and off depending on the temperature drop. A device that is too powerful will not be able to work optimally – the manufacturer takes this into account when indicating the efficiency of the model. The appliance will turn on frequently and the rest interval will be short.
Weak equipment, on the contrary, will wear out quickly, as its work will go to the limit. Before buying, pay attention to the optimal power – this is 75% of the maximum performance.
How to economically set up equipment
We examined the main factors that affect the degree of fuel consumption. How to choose the right boiler and use it so as not to overpay the bills?
Power calculation
What factors are taken into account:
- Room dimensions;
- Wall materials, the presence of insulation;
- Availability of additional heating radiators;
- number of windows;
- Climatic zone.
It is best to entrust the calculation to a specialist. In the future, you will be able to save on operation thanks to this.
Technical condition
Timely carry out technical inspection, prevention of breakdowns. Install a water filter to reduce salt buildup. When water is heated, scale is deposited in the heat exchanger tubes. It interferes with heat transfer, so that the device begins to consume more gas. Therefore, you should periodically clean the radiator from deposits.
Also remove dust and soot from taps and parts.
Gas quality
You cannot influence this factor as well as the pressure drops in the line. But you can choose equipment with maximum adaptation to Russian conditions. Then it will work stably even with pressure drops.
Optimal mode
What temperature to set? You yourself choose the temperature for the normal operation of the boiler. For example, you set the value to 55 degrees, which means that the unit will constantly work at this temperature. But the weather outside the window in winter changes: it gets cooler, then warmer. It is clear that because of this, the temperature in the room becomes less comfortable. How to fix it and even save money? Let’s reveal the trick: you need to install an automation system.
In new models, it is already built in, and if yours is not, it is not a problem to buy it. This includes control sensors and an external thermostat. The latter measures the temperature in the house, thanks to which the mode is regulated. The equipment will respond adequately to temperature changes, consume less resources.
Another savings secret: set a lower temperature for the night.
To all of the above, we add good insulation of walls and windows: this will give + 20% of energy resources to the piggy bank.
Brand and manufacturer
Remember, we wrote that the efficiency of technology is relative? This is true. But still, foreign models are more economical in terms of efficiency: “Buderс”, “Baksi”, Bosch. The documentation of Russian and foreign manufacturers may indicate the same percentage of efficiency. But we know that the same Germans approach the assembly of equipment more carefully and scrupulously. On the other hand, do not forget that most foreign models are assembled in China or here in Russia.
Conclusion: the most economical boiler – correctly selected in terms of power, efficiency, build quality. During operation, this is affected by maintenance, prevention of breakdowns, and the set mode. We hope our article will help you make the right choice and “legally” reduce gas consumption.