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When thinking about which heating system to choose for a house or summer cottage, they often think about the use of electricity. The advantage of this type of energy carrier is its environmental friendliness, “cleanliness” and high reliability of electric heaters. The downside is a considerable price, which is why electric heating is not the most popular way of heating.
What can it be
Heating a home with electricity can be done in many ways. Whatever type of heating you choose, its efficiency largely depends on how well the house is insulated. This issue should be given maximum time.
First of all, you need to decide on the type of system: it can be air, water and steam, you can also heat it with warm floors. Let’s briefly go over the main advantages of each of the systems.
Steam heating (do not confuse with water)
Steam heating is very effective, but dangerous – the temperature of heating radiators and pipes going to them is about one hundred degrees (higher or lower depends on the type of system chosen). The system is very similar to a water system, but more economical at the stage of arrangement: much fewer radiator sections are required, pipes can be taken with a smaller section.
In general, in view of the high danger, it is prohibited in public and apartment buildings, but it can be done in a private house. An electric steam boiler can act as a heat source in this system. So this is also one of the varieties of electric heating, although it is completely unpopular.
air
Air heating using electricity can be organized using convectors or other heaters powered by electricity – ceramic heating panels, infrared emitters. These systems are good because they immediately begin to heat the air in the room. They are also attracted by low costs at the stage of arrangement – there is no need to build anything. Bought heaters, installed, turned on, began to warm up.
The disadvantage of this method of heating is the active circulation of air in the room (uncomfortable) and with such heating the air is too dry (an installation to increase humidity is required). Another disadvantage is the need for almost constant work. If electric heaters are installed with thermostats, this is not so critical, since they will turn off when the set temperature is reached. But low inertia leads to the fact that the room cools down quickly and, therefore, most of the equipment is in operation.
Among all electric heaters, infrared installations are considered more economical, but they also “pull” a decent amount of electricity. So this method of heating is often used as an additional one – during severe cold weather. The second area of application is cottages, where they live only periodically. With this mode of visits, only the necessary rooms can be heated upon arrival. In this case, the advantage of this type of electric heating is that it is not afraid of freezing (only when choosing heaters, pay attention to whether they tolerate freezing).
Electric underfloor heating
This electric heating can be both additional – to increase the level of comfort, and the main one. Electric heaters for underfloor heating can be different:
- heating cables (resistive and self-regulating);
- heating cable mats (easier to install);
- carbon films (with infrared radiation);
- carbon mats (not yet very reliable in operation).
Electric heating with underfloor heating requires calculation. Like any other, it must make up for heat loss. The only difference is that the heating elements have a large area and one square meter can have very little power. Read more about calculating the power of an electric underfloor heating here.
This option of electric heating is only suitable for houses with permanent residence – too much time (and resources) is spent on warming up the concrete slab, in which the heater is usually “packed”. And that seems to be a disadvantage. But on the other hand, a large heated mass helps to maintain a stable temperature in the house. Another positive point: it takes several days for such a stove to cool completely, so temporary power outages in this case are not very scary.
Electric heating with underfloor heating cannot be called very economical. The amount of payment depends on the degree of insulation of the house. But it is worth remembering that it is necessary to make an electric floor heating only in tandem with a thermostat and temperature sensors. In this case, the heaters will turn on only part of the time and the bills will be relatively small. Well, the fact that underfloor heating is the most comfortable way of heating, there is probably no need to say.
Water heating by electric boilers
In fact, this is a heating system familiar to everyone with pipes, radiators and a coolant (water or non-freezing liquid) that circulates in the system. The only difference is that the boiler runs on electricity. Electric boilers are of three types:
- on TENs;
- induction;
- electrode.
Boilers on heating elements are the most common. Induction and electrode are used less frequently. Manufacturers (and many users) say that they are more economical. As for savings, there are still disputes, but there is no need to argue about the size. The induction boiler looks like a piece of medium-diameter pipe. It takes up very little space, is easy to install, and can work offline.
It is a little more difficult with the electrode one: you need to monitor the condition of the electrodes, select the composition for the coolant (usually a certain amount of salt is poured in to increase the conductivity of the water). So periodic maintenance for such a boiler is a must.
What type of electric heating to choose
The type of heating system is usually chosen based on its purpose. It is more rational to make electric heating of a dacha of an air type – less installation costs, low inertia – this is what is required. But this is only if you do not plan to maintain positive temperatures in it all winter.
For a permanent home, electric underfloor heating or water heating are suitable. By the way, a warm floor can also be made with water, but whether it makes sense when using an electric boiler, you need to think about it. Both of these systems have a large inertia, which can rather be assessed as a plus – they cool down for a long time. The disadvantages of these systems are high costs during the arrangement.
When installing electric floor heating under the tile, it is necessary to lay the heating elements in the screed, and this takes a lot of time. If the flooring is laminate or linoleum (special), everything is much simpler. The electric underfloor heating under the laminate (and linoleum) is laid on a flat base, on a special substrate. A laminate or a rigid base for linoleum (plywood) is mounted on top.
Water electric heating is standard. However, in some cases, there is an opportunity to save.
How to make water electric heating economical
Many regions have introduced multi-zone tariffs. If such tariffs are provided for in your area, you can make the cost of electric heating minimal. This will require the installation of a multi-tariff meter and a heat accumulator (TA). A heat accumulator is a large container of water. In our case, it serves to accumulate heat during the period of the “night”, cheaper tariff.
During the time when electricity is much cheaper, the water in the tank heats up to quite respectable temperatures. During high tariffs, heating does not work, and the temperature in the network is maintained using the heat that has been accumulated in the heat accumulator. Such a system really helps to save money, but the specific result depends on the region – tariffs are very different in different regions.