Which is better and more profitable - a gas or electric boiler? Arguments for choosing the most practical option

All owners of private homes would like to get an autonomous heating system with the least investment. It remains to decide which is better - a gas or electric boiler, if both of these energy sources are available.

In fact, this task is not very simple, since in addition to a variety of equipment prices, there are many more nuances in connection, registration of documents and energy tariffs. If you approach this issue seriously, you can get a reasonable answer to it and make the right choice.

Let's work together to figure out which version of the unit and heating arranged on its basis will be more practical. In the article we presented, we evaluate the cost of installation work and compare economic indicators. The information we provide will help you make the right choice.

Features of heating from electricity

For each house or cottage, you need to determine the types of work needed, draw up an individual estimate and get the amount that you will need to eventually pay for the heating system. It is also necessary to calculate the amount of electricity or gas required for the cold season, and knowing their cost, it is easy to calculate the annual costs.

Electric boilers, which are used for heating a country house, are classified as consumers with high power. It follows that in most cases it will be necessary to incur costs not only for the purchase and installation of equipment, but also for the alteration of the power supply system.

Norms and limits of consumption

To determine the required power of an electric or gas boiler, you need to calculate the heat loss at home.

If you calculate in detail the structure of heat loss at home, then you can take effective measures to warm it. This will save on heating.

Heat loss has two meanings:

• The average, which is calculated based on the average daily temperatures for the entire heating period (Q_wed)It is used to calculate the amount of energy consumed per year (gas, electricity, firewood, fuel oil, etc.).
• Maximum, which is determined by the temperature of the coldest five-day (Q_Max) It is used to calculate the minimum permissible boiler power.

During peak cold weather, the boiler can operate continuously, and during temperatures close to the standard, periodic heating of the coolant circulating along the heating circuit occurs.

The values ​​of heat loss can be obtained in several ways:

• calculate yourself using simplified methods or special calculators;
• calculate independently using more accurate calculations using the thermal resistance parameter of the materials of which the house is built;
• order settlements to third parties.

Any boiler must be selected by the parameter of maximum thermal power (P_Max) considering the following condition:

P_Max ≥ Q_Max / (K / 100)where

K - the efficiency of the equipment.

The efficiency of modern electric heaters is equal to or greater than 98%, while gas heaters are usually in the range from 92% to 96%.

Double-circuit boilers are equipped with a circuit for hot water supply. This leads to additional energy costs, which must also be taken into account.

Having calculated the required maximum boiler power, it is necessary to determine the possibility of its connection to the network. For small buildings, sometimes it is possible to meet the normative 15 kW, which the electricity supply organization is obliged to provide to the consumer, who is an individual.

According to the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1178 dated December 29, 2001 (as amended), the cost of technological connection in this case now amounts to only 550 rubles.

If the required power exceeds 15 kW or the networks are located at a distance of more than 500 meters (in the city limits - 300 meters) from the object, then the connection price will be higher. It can depend on many factors, therefore it is easier to find out from the electricity supplying organization by sending an appropriate request.

In addition, the applicant may be given a reasoned refusal to such a connection if there is a technical problem, for example, overloading a substation.

Purchase and installation of electric boiler

One of the obvious advantages of an electric boiler over its gas counterpart is the ease of installation and the possibility of installing it almost anywhere in the house.

Electric boilers do not require a separate room with normalized ventilation and do not need to bring a chimney to them. They are also easy to fit into the interior.

If you make a comparison that will ultimately be more profitable - an electric or gas boiler, then you need not to take into account those works that are the same price for any type of equipment. For example, the installation of a water circuit around the perimeter of a house does not depend on the type of energy source supplied.

Therefore, when installing an electric boiler, the following financial costs must be considered:

• connection to the heating circuit (piping);
• power supply;
• placement and connection of the heat accumulator.

The heat accumulator is relevant when using a two-zone tariff. It allows you to accumulate heat at night, when the cost of electricity is much lower.

Gas heating specifics

The procedure for obtaining permission to connect to the highway, installing gas equipment and its launch is more complicated than for boilers powered by electricity. Therefore, it is quite difficult to calculate the costs yourself and you will have to contact the organizations responsible for gas delivery and installation of systems.

How to connect to the trunk system

All work carried out on the territory located outside of private property is carried out by the gas supply organization.

Gas can be brought to the house by underground or by air. The second option is less attractive, as it imposes restrictions, for example, on the trajectory of arrival of personal vehicles at the site

First of all, you need to collect a package of documents and get technical conditions with calculation of payment for technological connection.

Typically, a private individual is assigned to the first category applicants who satisfy the following conditions:

• gas consumption no more than 20 m³ / hour;
• network operating pressure 0.3 MPa;
• distance in a straight line to the network 200 m.

These parameters are spelled out in paragraph 2 of Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1314 dated 12/30/2013, as amended on 02/21/2019. The cost of the technological connection (including VAT) for the first group is set within the range of 20 to 50 tr. and depends on regional tariff rates.

However, the presence of a fragment of the gas network near the site does not mean that you can connect to it, since it is possible that all the power of this branch has already been selected. In the event that you have to pull the pipes from afar, or additionally install gas distribution equipment to lower the pressure, the cost of work can grow significantly, up to several million rubles.

Also, the cost of technological connection can be caused by the presence of ravines, ponds, roads with asphalt concrete pavement and other obstacles in the way of the lay-off to the house, if additional work is needed to overcome them.

Another disadvantage of using gas is the many documents that need to be provided to the gas supplying organization. This can also be taken into account in monetary terms.

The next type of cost is carrying out gas communications on the site. The owner must pay for them. It is important to know that such work can be carried out by any company with SRO approval. Very often, the cost of design and construction on the client’s site at gas supply companies with which it will be necessary to conclude an agreement on the construction of the system and connection and maintenance is overstated.

Since gas pipelines are classified as high-risk facilities, construction and installation work must be carried out only after a series of studies, which are also paid by the owner:

• preparation of the topographic plan of the site;
• development of a gas supply project;
• project coordination in services (architecture, electricians and gas workers);
• registration of the project with gas workers.

Upon completion of the installation of the gas boiler, the final procedure will follow, which also requires cash investments - putting the entire system into operation: checking whether the facility meets the requirements, conclusion of an agreement, final paperwork and commissioning.

Features of the installation of equipment

The use of gas requires compliance with safety rules, which are more complex than similar requirements for electricity. Therefore placement and gas boiler installation must be implemented in accordance with SNiP 41-01-2001 (paragraphs 6.14-6.15). If inconsistencies are found with this document, the heating system will not be accepted by the gas service specialist.

In order to comply with the requirements for ventilation and removal of combustion products for a floor gas boiler, a separate room is required - a boiler room. This also entails additional costs, especially if this room was not originally provided for in the building design.

In addition to high-quality ventilation, the boiler room must comply with fire safety requirements, as well as provide convenient access to all equipment

The total list of works required for the installation of a gas boiler includes the following actions:

• placing the boiler on the floor or wall;
• connection to the heating circuit (piping);
• installation chimney for gas boiler;
• first start of heating and adjustment.

The system of removal of combustion products for gas heating equipment has its own specifics. The temperature at the beginning of the chimney will be significantly lower than that of stoves or solid fuel boilers.

Therefore, you must comply with all the rules for the diameter and slope of the pipes, their location outside the building and insulation. Otherwise, the boiler automation may respond to insufficient traction and block its operation.

Comparison of energy tariffs

The cost of energy is regulated by order of the Federal Tariff Service No. 20-e / 2 of 08/06/2004. For the population, as retail consumers, the price of a unit of electricity (kW × h) and gas (m³) may vary depending on the conditions of their production and delivery to the end user.

Rates are published on the sites of the administration of regions, cities and constituent entities of the Russian Federation. You can also find them by contacting the company that supplies the energy carrier, or in the housing and communal services department of the local administration.

In any case, in the Russian Federation in terms of heat generated, trunk gas is much cheaper electricity.

The price of a unit of heat when burning liquefied gas is almost equal to the cost of electricity. Given the cost of the gas tank, heating from a propane-butane mixture loses to the rest of the options

To calculate the cost of electricity consumed, there are two more nuances:

• The ability to reduce by 30% the tariff for rooms that are located in the city limits and are equipped with stationary electric heating devices. This is real if some formal procedures were followed at the design stage of the house.
• Ability to use multi-tariff option. To stimulate consumption at night (when there is a decline in the total load on the network), supplying organizations lower the cost per kW × h. This can significantly save on electricity costs.

When calculating the use of a reduced rate at night, it should be remembered that in this case a heat accumulator will be needed, and the boiler capacity should be higher in order to ensure a supply of heat for a whole day during the night.

Total Cost Comparison

On average, the cost of an electric boiler is not much lower than a gas one, and with a heat accumulator it can be even higher. However, the price for electricity connection services is much lower than when laying a gas pipe and obtaining all operating permits.

Thus, the one-time cost of installing equipment and supplying communications for gas is higher than for electricity.

Part of the procedures for providing heating can be done independently. But when calculating the final cost of all costs, you still need to take into account your work, since it should also be appreciated

Considering that, in terms of the generated heat, the price of gas is lower than for electricity, the following situation is obtained:

• You can install heating from electricity. Advantages - relatively low cost of equipment and work, ease of installation and variability in choosing the location of the boiler.
• You can choose heating from the main gas. Plus - an economical type of energy carrier, which after a while will beat off the initial costs.

To calculate the period T (year), for which heating from gas will become more profitable than from electricity, it is necessary to solve the following equation:

T = (N_g - N_uh) / (L_uh - L_g)where:

• N_g - one-time costs for the installation of gas equipment and communications (p.);
• N_uh - the same for electricity (p.);
• L_g - annual costs for gas and equipment maintenance (p. / Year);
• L_uh - the same for electricity (p. / Year).

Let's determine which boiler is better - electric or gas using an example of a real object. House in the area of ​​Belgorod, an area of ​​100 m². Estimated heat losses for the heating period are 3,500 watts, and for the coldest five-day period - 7,000 watts.

The duration of the heating season can be taken from the table. 1. SNiP 23-01-99 (column 11). Although users of autonomous heating can extend the season at their discretion

We calculate the one-time costs for installing an electric boiler:

• Thermotrust ST9 boiler (9 kW, 380 V): 11 tr .;
• connection to the heating circuit: 12 tr .;
• connection to electricity: 2 tr

The house has a capacity of 15 kW. When the electric boiler is operating, only 6 kW remains for all other consumers.

Given that the devices (refrigerators, microwave ovens, electric furnaces, electric kettles, washing machines, etc.) operate from 220 V, it is impossible to “scatter” the three-phase connection in such a way as to ensure their operation.

In this case, you will have to incur additional costs:

• payment of technological connection 30 kW at a standardized tariff rate of 157 rubles / kW: 5 tr .;
• payment for the replacement of the automatic machine unit and the installation of wiring at home to the location of the boiler: 10 tr

Total: N_uh = 40 tr

We calculate the one-time costs of installing a gas boiler:

• preparation of a room for a boiler room according to regulatory requirements: 50 tr .;
• gas boiler ProTerm 12 KSO (12.5 kW): 19 tr .;
• installation of equipment and connection to the heating circuit: 25 tr .;
• installation of a system for the removal of combustion products (1.5 tr for 1 r.m.): 12 tr .;
• technological connection to the highway: 30 tr .;
• design and installation work on the site: 90 tr
• closing documents (project approval, registration) and a specialist call: 50 tr .;
• boiler start-up and setting: 5 tr

Total: N_g = 281 tr

The term for technological connection to gas for the first category of applicants may not exceed 1 year. Therefore, when entering a new house, you need to start the whole procedure in advance

Given the duration of the heating season of 191 days, to compensate for heat loss, it is necessary to spend 3500 × 24 × 191 = 16044000 W × h or:

• 16371 kWh of electricity with an efficiency of electric boiler 98%;
• 1816 m³ natural gas with a boiler efficiency of 95%.

With electric heating, the annual heating costs will be:

• independent boiler maintenance and minor repairs: 2 tr .;
• electricity charge at a tariff for rural areas 2.80 p. per kW × h: 46 tr

Total: L_uh = 48 tr

When heating gas, the annual costs will be:

• boiler maintenance by a certified specialist and minor repairs: 5 tr .;
• payment for gas at a rate of 6.28 p. per m³: 11 tr

Total: L_g = 16 tr

For the house in question, the time for which gas heating equals the cost of electric heating will be:

T = (281 - 40) / (48 - 16) = 7.5 years.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

The cost of gas and electric heating in the Kaliningrad region. Subscription subsidies for some categories of citizens:

Prices and terms for connecting gas to a country house:

To justify the choice of energy carrier, if it is possible to connect heating from both gas and electricity, it is necessary to carry out calculations of one-time and annual investments.

To do this, you will have to turn to the energy supplying companies. Based on the data obtained, it will already be possible to construct a cost schedule and objectively evaluate your financial capabilities.

And which version of the boiler did you purchase to equip your house / apartment? Share your own deciding choices. Please leave comments in the block under the article’s test, post a photo and ask questions about the topic of the article.