Gas technology has gained popularity due to the high efficiency that is produced in the process of fuel combustion. In addition, the exhaust gases contain a minimum amount of harmful substances. When buying heating equipment, we want to get an efficient and economical appliance. Therefore, it is important to pre-calculate the actual gas flow in the boiler.
What factors affect fuel consumption
Years of using different types of fuels have proven that gas is 30% cheaper than diesel and electricity. Most of the users are connected to the common trunk, since when using gas in cylinders, delivery costs are spent.
Factors to consider when choosing a heating boiler, so that there is no large fuel consumption:
- Heat loss. The consumption of a gas boiler directly depends on heat loss through walls, windows, doors, and roof. Therefore, preliminary calculations of the power of the equipment are carried out. The area of the room, the quality of insulation, the purpose of neighboring rooms are taken into account.
- System settings. Automatic installation includes sensors that record the temperature of the environment and configure the unit in optimal mode. This saves on consumption.
- Type of equipment. 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 the heating system. This increases the coefficient of performance (COP) to 100%.
The presence of one or two circuits also matters. The single-circuit device only works for heating. While dual-circuit - for hot water (DHW) and heating. Consequently, its consumption will be greater.
Units with a closed combustion chamber consume less fuel than with an open one. Also affects the duration of the heating season. Indeed, in winter the boiler runs at maximum, while in summer - at minimum, only for heating hot water.
Why does technology consume a lot of gas? The blame for the poor insulation of the building, scale deposits.
The table shows an example of maximum consumption for 210 days.
Power of equipment (kW) | How much gas does it consume (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 are consumed 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 the room. The average calculation is taken - 1 kW per 10 m².
Many articles have been written on this subject, but few specify that the unit of measurement of kilowatts is thermal power, not electric. This is misleading to many users.
It will be more logical to measure work on natural gas in cubic meters (m³ per hour), and on liquefied - in kilograms (kg / hour).
On average, 1 kilowatt of thermal power consumes 0.112 cubic meters per hour of main gas.
For example, 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 during continuous operation, but if the device constantly works for wear, then the parts will quickly fail. When choosing, throw plus 20% of the indicated power.
“AOGV” in our example will be installed in a room of 140 m². Now take a look at the rates (approximately):
- Natural fuel: 3.9 rubles per cubic meter.
- For bottled gas, the calculation is from the volume of the tank. For 50 liters - 600 rubles. The cylinder is not completely filled with propane, about 80% (21 kg). So: 600/21 = 28.6 rubles. You can add shipping costs here.
The calculation per day for the trunk connection will be as follows:
Day (24 hours) x 1.87 (cubic m / 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 intake) x 30 (number of days) = 672 m³.
Per year (seven months - heating season):
7 x 672 (monthly rate) = 4 704 m³.
When 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.
For a month (30 days):
15.6 (per day) x 30 = 468 kg. It turns out that per month you use 22.3 containers with propane.
For a year (seven months):
7 x 468 (per month) = 3,276 kg or 156 cylinders.
Do not forget that these calculations are only for one model. Each brand has different values, you need to look in the documentation. See the tables below:
Brand/power | Cube consumption m / h |
Proterm 24 | 2,677 |
Navien 24 | 2,06 |
Buderus ("Buderus") 24 | 2,72 |
Ariston 20 | 2,73 |
Baxi 10 | 1,2 |
Bosch 24 | 2,52 |
Vailant 24 | 2,3 |
Wisman 26 | 2,6 |
And also for bottled gas:
Manufacturer | Kg / h consumption |
Baxi 10 | 0,86 |
Proterm 24 | 1,96 |
Buderus 24 | 1,93 |
Vailant 24 | 1,8 |
Beretta 24 | 2,0 |
The consumption is affected by the location of the device: floor or wall. Heat exchanger manufacturing material, gas burner type, number of working days.
How to reduce costs
If you adhere to our recommendations in the domestic sphere, then you can save on the use of a boiler:
- Start by choosing a technique. The most economical is a condensing boiler. 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. The double-circuit boiler uses 20–25% more thermal energy. Therefore, if the room needs only heating, give preference to a single-circuit installation.
- Take care of wall insulation, install plastic double-glazed windows. Heat loss through the roof is easy to determine by the growth of icicles. The more heat leaves, the more icicles. In this case, close the roof, use special materials for insulation.
- Choose modern technology on automation. Manufacturers are not in vain installing 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 the holidays or weekends. And also it is possible to choose the Winter - Summer mode.
- Perform routine maintenance once a year. Be sure to call a specialist for a technical inspection. Clean clogged parts. The accumulation of scale on the heat exchanger increases the use of thermal energy. Remove soot and soot from the burner nozzles, clean the chimney in a timely manner.
- Install the heat accumulator (TA). This buffer tank collects coolant and retains heat for a long time (by the principle of a thermos). Even when the boiler is turned off, the TA will supply fluid to the radiators. Using such a buffer saves 20-30% of fuel.
- Do not select maximum temperature. Set comfortable indicators, because against the background of average monthly consumption, even 1-2 degrees matter.
This is how housing costs are calculated. If you are not sure of the accuracy of the calculations, consult a specialist. He will take into account all the nuances and help you with the selection of economical equipment.