Alternative heating of a private dwelling makes it possible to obtain heat from natural sources while minimizing the environmental load on the environment. The massive use of renewable natural energy sources contributes to a more economical use of natural resources. Rising gas and electricity prices are also prompting residents to look for alternatives that don't have to pay bills.
Definition of alternative heating
Alternative sources of heating for a private house include types of heat supply systems that use natural energy sources. At the same time, the costs of installing such installations should be affordable and incomparable with the cost of the serviced dwelling. Such schemes are used, as a rule, in country houses. For residents of apartment complexes, this issue is not raised, since each apartment is connected to centralized heating.
The interest in alternative heating sources is associated with the steady rise in prices for most common energy sources. This also applies to the cheapest option - main heating. Due to limited natural resources, this trend will continue in the future, forcing the search for new sources of energy. In addition to the economic benefits, such ways to heat the house are good because the atmosphere is not polluted by solid and gaseous emissions resulting from the combustion of different types of fuel. This contributes to the improvement of the ecological situation.
Varieties of alternative heating
Ways to heat a house without connecting to the main energy carriers can be classified based on which source is used to generate heat. They differ in terms of plant design and imposed restrictions.
Biomass energy
This method is most familiar to most consumers. This includes such forms of solid fuels as sawdust (and pellets made from them), wood waste, straw, hay, and other plant by-products of agriculture.
In order to obtain heat from the combustion of such raw materials, in some cases it is not even necessary to fundamentally rebuild the heating system. When using a solid fuel or combination boiler or stove capable of assimilating such fuel, you do not need to do anything. If the heating unit cannot work with biomass, it is dismantled and a suitable one is installed in its place. A compact and easy-to-install option is a metal stove. Also, special heat generators with automation, working on pellets and biomass pellets, are suitable.
There are also facilities for processing agricultural waste and animal waste into gas fuel. After cleaning it, you can use it to service a conventional gas boiler. The waste remaining after the process is used in the fields for fertilization.
Solar systems
There are different schemes for heating a home with solar energy. Some are based on turning it into an electric one, which serves for the operation of heating devices.In others, a heat-transfer fluid heated by the sun circulates through convector or radiator elements. The simplest system is based on the use of a collector device and a pump that ensures the movement of water.
The following variations of the installation are possible:
- The collector works in parallel with the electric heater. The water temperature is regulated by a sensor. When it falls below the set value, heating elements are used in heating.
- An inverter device and a battery are installed in the solar battery. During the daytime, energy accumulates in it. If you use capacious batteries and large batteries with a large working area, you get an autonomous heating system. The problem is that the service life of the battery cells does not exceed five years, and their price is comparable to the electricity spent in the same period.
- Battery with inverter and controller connected in parallel with the outlet. A mechanical counter is also used. In the sunny season, when the batteries produce even more electricity than is needed for heating, the device counts kilowatts in the opposite direction. It helps a lot to save resources. An electronic device is not suitable for this installation - it does not have a reverse motion.
The method is good by the complete absence of the load on the environment and the need to pay for solar energy, as well as saving space in the room (collectors are installed on the roof or in the yard).
In Russia, solar systems will be used as the only heating method year-round only in the southern regions. In most of the country, it is necessary to combine the use of collectors with other types of heating, for example, electric heating, in winter.
Wind energy
Here, the principle of operation is based on converting the mechanical energy of a wind generator into electricity, which is then used to heat the living space. Vane devices are available with a small number of blades (1-2 pairs) and with a large number (up to 24). Mechanisms of the first type require a more intense wind to initiate work (at least 5-8 m / s) and have a high efficiency. Multi-blade generators have a high material consumption, they operate silently and start with minimal blowing, but their efficiency is lower. The impellers are large: a 4 kW device can have one with a length of 10 m.
There are carousel generators with blades moving along a circular path. They are launched from the minimum wind, are silent, but have low efficiency. As in the case of solar systems, the constant presence of an energy factor (wind) is needed to fully maintain the living space, so they are best suited for regions with appropriate weather.
Heat pumps
Such devices transfer heat into the home from a source with a low potential. The main components are similar to those of cold stores - a compressor, a heat exchanger and an evaporation unit. The most economical option for the price is an air-to-air split system set for heating mode. There are also pumps with a finned heat exchanger blown by a slow-speed fan. They use street air masses. Installation costs are low, but efficiency decreases in cold weather. This is explained by the fact that it is more difficult to remove heat from cooled air.
Pumps of the "soil-water" type are equipped with a horizontal collector element. They are immersed in soil below freezing point. The heat taken from it is spent on heating water or transferred to heaters. If there is running groundwater in the vicinity of the dwelling, a water-to-water pump can be installed.
Advantages and disadvantages
An indisputable plus of alternative heating of a private house is environmental friendliness.Power plants help to conserve natural resources, eliminate or minimize emissions of fuel combustion products into the atmosphere. Due to the absence of open fire and flue gases, maximum safety for the home and its inhabitants is ensured. Such forms of heating provide autonomy (or, at least, reduce dependence on trunk networks). Another plus - residents do not need to apply to the authorities to obtain the required documents.
The disadvantages are related to the fact that in some cases certain climatic parameters are required to take energy from natural sources, sufficient for full service of the house.
Basics and principles of operation of alternative heating
The functioning of most of these heating systems is based on taking energy resources from one or another natural source (wind, soil, water, sunlight) with its subsequent transformation into electricity used to operate heating devices. There are also options that do not use electricity, when heat is transferred to a liquid coolant flowing through radiators (some solar systems and heat pumps). Combustion of biofuel in a furnace or boiler makes it possible to heat a room without being tied to the mains.
Alternative sources of heating are attractive for their environmental friendliness and the possibility of autonomous home maintenance. For high-quality heating in winter, they have to be supplemented with other devices.
