Savings in obtaining thermal energy for heating a private house or apartment leads to the emergence and improvement of new sources. Along with gas and solid fuels, solar energy is now widely used, as well as increasingly efficient heat pumps. But are heating sources of houses and apartments really suitable: alternative, autonomous?
Features of alternative energy sources for heating
First of all, you need to decide on the efficiency indicators and thermal characteristics of any heating system. They directly affect the relevance of the use of a system. Modern autonomous sources of heating must have certain parameters.
The fundamental difference between them and the classical methods of maintaining a comfortable temperature in the room is to minimize energy costs. But this does not mean that they will be completely absent. Given this, each alternative heating source for a country house should be selected according to the following parameters:
- The cost of equipment, its installation, maintenance. These are the main characteristics that will determine the payback time of the entire system;
- Thermal efficiency - the amount of energy generated in a certain period of time. It should compensate for the heat loss of the room;
- The dependence of work on the time of year. So, the functioning of solar collectors (solar systems) in the vast majority of cases in the winter is impossible.
How suitable are alternative sources of heating for an apartment? Alas, in this case there are much fewer options than for a country house. Do not forget that all supposedly “free” energy systems for heating actually consume electrical energy. It is necessary for the operation of control units, pumps and other electrical equipment.
It is best to use alternative sources of heating for a private house as auxiliary. They will help reduce current costs for the main type of heating - gas, solid fuel.
Solar energy for heating
The simplest and most affordable is the energy of the sun. It has great potential, which is currently not fully disclosed. A striking example of how you can make alternative sources of heating with your own hands are solar collectors.
The design consists of a network of pipelines, under which flows antifreeze or coolant. The first is used in expensive models of solar systems, as it is a year-round source of energy for heating. The pipeline is located in a special sealed enclosure, protected by a plexiglass panel or similar material.
The advantages of such autonomous heating sources are as follows:
- The possibility of using the system in the summer for hot water supply;
- For the manufacture of a simple design will require a minimum of materials. But at the same time, its effectiveness will be low - large heat losses;
- Installation is carried out on the roof of the house, or wall. This makes it possible in some cases to use the solar system as an alternative source of heating for an apartment.
The main disadvantage of solar collectors is the dependence on outdoor temperature.
The lower it is, the slower the heat carrier will heat up.With increasing thermal insulation of the structure, its efficiency also decreases. After all, the main condition is direct sunlight on the pipes. A home-made solar collector, as an alternative source of heating for a country house, has established itself on the positive side in the southern regions of the country, where the average winter temperature does not exceed -7-8 ° С. It is there that you can often find these structures on the roof of houses.
Before purchasing a factory-made solar system, you need to find out which liquid is used as a coolant. Its operating temperature should not be lower than the minimum for a specific region.
Home Heating Heat Pumps
If more efficient sources of thermal energy are needed, it is recommended to consider the option of installing a heat pump. It is less dependent on external weather conditions, but has a high cost, and the manufacture of this alternative heating source with your own hands is associated with great difficulties.
The basis for the operation of the heat pump is the change in temperature of the refrigerant during its compression. The same principle is used in simple household refrigerators. However, for the practical implementation of such a system of an alternative source of heating for a private house, a source of thermal energy should be determined. Often, they will be accompanied by the effect of increasing the temperature of the soil as it deepens into it.
The heat pump design consists of 3 circuits - external, heat exchange and connected to the heating system of the house. The external pipeline is located in deep wells (ground-to-ground system) or in a body of water (water-to-ground). There, the coolant warms up to a minimum temperature of 7-9 ° C. Further, the energy received from this source for heating is transferred to the refrigerant, which is in a gaseous state. After it is compressed by the compressor, the temperature rises to 65-70 ° C. Using a heat exchanger, it heats the coolant in the main circuit.
The main disadvantage of such an alternative source of heating water in pipes is the initially high cost of the equipment. Factory installation for heating a private house with an area of up to 700 thousand rubles. Independent manufacture of a heat pump is problematic, since many factors must be taken into account in it. But, despite this, the main advantages of using the energy of land and water as an alternative source of heating air in a country house can be distinguished:
- Independence of outdoor temperature;
- High rate of efficiency. For 1 kW of consumed electrical energy, an average of 10 kW of heat is obtained;
- Thermal energy from the earth can be obtained from vertical mines. They will take a minimum of space on the plot.
Such a source is not suitable for alternative heating of an apartment, since in practice it is impossible to equip an external heat circuit. Therefore, in this case, the only option remains - mounting the solar collector on the wall or roof of the house.
It is often proposed to make a wind farm as a source of alternative heating. But the received power will hardly suffice for simple lighting at home, not to mention electric heating appliances.
Is it worth it to install heating sources for houses and apartments as alternative. Autonomous systems in most cases are not able to perform this function completely. Therefore, first you need to calculate the heat loss of the building and compare them with the power of a particular energy source for the heating system. It should compensate for losses at the lowest possible air temperature in winter.
To understand the difference between the home-made design of an alternative source of heating for a private house and the factory one, it is recommended to watch the video on the manufacture of Valiant solar collectors:
