Gas appliances have gained popularity due to the high efficiency that is generated in the process of fuel combustion. In addition, exhaust gases contain a minimum amount of harmful substances. When buying heating equipment, we want to get an efficient and economical device. Therefore, it is important to calculate in advance the actual gas consumption in the boiler.
What factors affect fuel consumption
Years of using different fuels have proven that gas is 30% cheaper than diesel and electricity. Most users connect to a common line, as when using gas in cylinders, funds are spent on delivery.
Factors to consider when choosing a heating boiler so that there is no high fuel consumption:
- Thermal losses. The consumption of a gas boiler directly depends on heat loss through walls, windows, doors, and a roof. Therefore, preliminary calculations of the power of equipment are carried out. The area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe room, the quality of insulation, the purpose of neighboring rooms are taken into account.
- Settings system. Automatic installation includes sensors that record the ambient temperature and set the unit to work in the optimal mode. This allows you to save on consumption.
- Technology type. When using a condensing unit, gas consumption is reduced by 15–20%. Unlike the conventional convection type, the condenser contains a separate heat exchanger to direct the energy of the combustion products to heating the system. This increases the coefficient of performance (COP) up to 100%.
The presence of one or two circuits also matters. A single-circuit device works only for heating. Whereas double-circuit – for hot water supply (DHW) and heating. Therefore, its consumption will be higher.
Units with a closed combustion chamber consume less fuel than with an open one. The duration of the heating season also affects. After all, in winter the boiler operates at maximum, while in summer it operates at a minimum, only for heating hot water.
Why appliances consume a lot of gas? The fault is the poor insulation of the building, scale deposits.
The table shows an example of maximum consumption for 210 days.
| Equipment power (kW) | How much gas it consumes (hour/m³) | Consumption for the whole season (m³) |
| 10 | 1,12 | 5 644 |
| 12 | 1,6 | 8 064 |
| 15 | 1,68 | 8 467 |
| 20 | 2,6 | 13 104 |
| 24 | 3,1 | 15 624 |
| 30 | 3,9 | 19 656 |
| 40 | 5,2 | 26 208 |
| 50 | 6,5 | 32 760 |
| 60 | 7,9 | 39 816 |
| 100 | 13,1 | 66 024 |
| 200 | 26,2 | 132 048 |
Knowing how many cubes it takes per hour, you will calculate the rate per day and per month.
How to calculate fuel consumption
For heating a private house or apartment, calculations are used that are based on two parameters: the power of the heating equipment and the area of u1bu10bthe room. An average calculation is taken – XNUMX kW per XNUMX m².
Many articles have been written on this topic, but few specify that the kilowatt unit is thermal power, not electrical power. This is confusing for many users.
It would be more logical to measure work on natural gas in cubic meters (m³ per hour), and on liquefied gas – in kilograms (kg / h).
On average, 1 cubic meters per hour of main gas is consumed per 0,112 kilowatt of thermal power.
For example, let’s take the AOGV unit with a capacity of 17,4 kW. The passport data indicate the consumption of main fuel 1,87 cubic meters, liquefied gas – 1,3 kg / h. These values are valid for continuous operation, but if the device is constantly working for wear, then the parts will quickly fail. When choosing, throw plus 20% to the specified power.
“AOGV” in our example will be installed in a room of 140 m². Now take a look at the rates (roughly):
- Natural fuel: 3,9 rubles per cubic meter.
- On bottled gas, the calculation is based on the volume of the container. For 50 liters – 600 rubles. The cylinder is filled with propane not completely, by about 80% (21 kg). So: 600/21= 28,6 rubles. You can add shipping costs to this.
The calculation per day for the main connection will be as follows:
Day (24 hours) x 1,87 (cubic meters / h) / 2 = 22,4 cubic meters. To find out the cost: 22,4 x 3,9 (tariff) = 87,5 rubles.
Per month:
22,4 (daily consumption) x 30 (number of days) = 672 m³.
Per year (seven months – heating season):
7 x 672 (monthly rate) = 4 m³.
Working on propane per day:
24 (hours) x 1,3 (kg / h) / 2 = 15,6 kg. To find out the minimum costs: 15,6 x 28,6 (tariff) = 446 rubles.
Per month (30 days):
15,6 (per day) x 30 = 468 kg. It turns out that you use 22,3 containers of propane per month.
For a year (seven months):
7 x 468 (per month) = 3 kg or 276 cylinders.
Keep in mind that these calculations are for one model only. Each brand has different values, you need to look at the documentation. See tables below:
| Mark/мощность | Consumption cube. m/h |
| “Proterm” 24 | 2,677 |
| “Navien” 24 | 2,06 |
| Buderus (“Buderus”) 24 | 2,72 |
| “Ariston” 20 | 2,73 |
| “Baksi” 10 | 1,2 |
| “Empty” 24 | 2,52 |
| “Vailant” 24 | 2,3 |
| “Whisman” 26 | 2,6 |
And also for bottled gas:
| Manufacturer | Consumption kg/h |
| “Baksi” 10 | 0,86 |
| “Proterm” 24 | 1,96 |
| “Buderus” 24 | 1,93 |
| “Vailant” 24 | 1,8 |
| “Beretta” 24 | 2,0 |
Consumption is affected by the location of the device: floor or wall. Heat exchanger material, type of gas burner, number of working days.
How to cut costs
If you follow our recommendations in the domestic sphere, then you can save on the use of the boiler:
- Start by choosing a technique. The condensing boiler is considered the most economical. It saves up to 25% of fuel, and the efficiency reaches 100-110%. Of course, its cost is much higher, but, according to experts, it will quickly pay off. Pay attention to customer reviews when buying. A double-circuit boiler uses 20–25% more heat energy. Therefore, if the room needs only heating, give preference to a single-circuit installation.
- Take care of the insulation of the walls, install plastic double-glazed windows. Heat loss through the roof is easy to determine by the growth of icicles. The more heat escapes, the more icicles. In this case, cover the roof, use special materials for insulation.
- Choose modern technology on automation. Manufacturers knowingly install sensors, thermostats and regulators. This system works as a single organism, automatically adjusting and adjusting the operation of the equipment to the conditions in the room. Timers and special modes allow you to maintain minimum values during a holiday or weekend. And also you can choose the mode “Winter – Summer”.
- Do routine maintenance once a year. Be sure to call a specialist for technical inspection. Keep debris clear of parts. Accumulation of scale on the heat exchanger contributes to an increase in the use of thermal energy. Remove soot and soot from the burner nozzles, clean the chimney in a timely manner.
- Install a heat accumulator (TA). This buffer tank accumulates the coolant and retains heat for a long time (according to the principle of a thermos). Even when the boiler is turned off, the TA will supply liquid to the radiators. Using such a buffer saves 20–30% of fuel.
- Do not select the maximum temperature. Set comfortable indicators, because against the background of average monthly consumption, even 1-2 degrees matter.
This is how heating costs are calculated. If you are not sure about the accuracy of the calculations, contact a specialist. He will take into account all the nuances and help you with the selection of economical equipment.