Installation of solar heating systems

What is alternative heating?

Probably, there is no such person who would not have heard about the existence of alternative heating. However, when classifying one or another type of energy production in an unconventional way, some confusion arises. They mistakenly believe that the use of infrared radiation, biofuels, geothermal energy and a number of others are all alternative energy sources. Therefore, when determining alternative methods of obtaining energy, it will be correct to consider as such those for which the consumer does not pay the energy supplier and, at the same time, the costs of obtaining it are at an acceptable level.

Why electricity

Electric heating differs from classic water-furnace and gas systems in greater efficiency and practicality. We will leave the first aspect for discussion a little lower, and describe the operational advantages here:

Electric heating is not only silent, but also environmentally friendly. It is transported safer than gas and does not emit harmful substances at all, both into the atmosphere and into the room. In the absence of waste, the need for exhaust chimneys and traction structures also disappears. Heating on coal or wood is not at all comparable to electrical systems.
Heating with electricity does not require large one-time costs. You can make a comparison using the example of gas: in order to connect a house, you must purchase equipment for each room, install communications, a boiler, and crash into a common highway. Moreover, it is necessary to do all this together, since it is impossible to postpone bringing some part of the house to the system. And the electric method allows you to organize sequential installation: first, the most important parts of the house are connected, and then, as funds accumulate, peripheral ones.
Thanks to the possibility of using a multi-tariff meter in a private house or apartment, as well as the constant development of technologies in this area, heating with electricity is already the most economical among analogues

Do not focus on the high price of equipment - it quickly pays off due to low energy consumption.
Almost every method of organizing electric heating allows you to do the installation yourself, without many additional tools.

Of course, the use of electrical systems for heating cannot be called ideal.Work on high-quality heating of each house requires taking into account many features. In some regions, the cost of electricity can be so high that gas cannot be abandoned. In old apartment buildings, it is difficult to switch to electric heating for two reasons: it is very difficult to disconnect from the central highway, and the power grid will have to be built again, taking into account powerful equipment.

Despite this, the overall picture tips the scales in favor of electricity. For rooms in which there is no gas or there is no possibility to supply it, it is a real salvation.

Excursion into history

The first solar collector was invented more than two centuries ago: its work was based on the fact that a dark surface heats up more intensively than a light one.

The Swiss flat-plate collector was immediately used in everyday life. It was this device that in the 19th century helped D. Herschel cook food when he went on his famous African expedition.

In 1908, W. Bailey developed a heat-insulated collector with copper tubes. This made it possible to bring the principle of solar heating to the modern level of understanding, but tangible changes occurred only in the 70s of the last century.
The reason for the attention to alternative energy sources was the crisis in the oil market. Scientists in many countries have resumed active work in the field of the use of natural heat, which has significantly increased the efficiency of solar heating systems. Such developments have become of strategic importance in the policy of states.

Modern technical innovations in heating systems

Recently, the latest innovative developments in heating systems for a house or apartment have become increasingly popular. Among the technical innovations are:

• infrared floor;
• Special heat pumps;
• Solar panels.

We present a more detailed description of innovative systems.

infrared floor

The new heating system on the market quickly gained popularity among the owners of country houses. It is more economical, but at the same time quite efficient, especially when compared with other electric heating options.

The operation of a warm floor that is installed in a screed or glue under a tile depends on electricity. Heating elements reproduce infrared rays, which supply heat to objects and residents, and from them to the entire room.

Among the advantages of infrared floor are:

• A modern version of a warm floor with carbon mats and a film cannot be damaged by furniture;
• The automated system can regulate the temperature in the room independently, depending on the heating of the room;
• Thermostats with which you can set the time and temperature;
• Low energy consumption.

Heating with heat pumps

What is a heat pump and how does it work? This is a device that moves heat from a source to a carrier. The basis of its work is to receive heat from the external environment and transfer it to the heating system. In this way, you can not only heat, but also cool the premises.

Pumps are divided into the following options:

• Open loop. Their principle of operation is to receive water from underground, and transfer it to heating elements and return to the starting place;
• Closed loop.A coolant passes through a specialized pipe installed in a reservoir, which tends to transfer or receive thermal energy from water.

The advantage of heating with heat pumps is the possibility of using the energy of water, air or earth. The house does not have to be connected to the gas main. The disadvantage is only the high cost of such equipment, but its cost will quickly pay off in operation, because it significantly saves energy costs.

Solar panels

Collectors of this type are a special installation that collects thermal energy from the sun and transports it to heat carriers (water, oil or antifreeze) in the house.

The design of solar batteries has additional heating elements that insure the main system and start working when the efficiency of solar collectors decreases.

All solar installations are divided into two options:

• Flat-plate collectors, equipped with an absorber with a transparent surface and thermal insulation. Heat up to 200 degrees;
• Vacuum batteries, multi-layer type with hermetic closure that forms a vacuum. The heating temperature of such an installation is 250-300 degrees.

The main advantages of solar collectors are simple installation, light weight of equipment, high level of efficiency. The disadvantage of the system can be called only its significant dependence on the temperature difference. To date, the choice of a heating system is increasingly moving away from the traditional version of the water type. Technological innovations offer ever newer, more economical and safer options.It is difficult to determine which one is better, because the choice of a particular system and its effectiveness depend on a detailed analysis and understanding of all the advantages and disadvantages, as well as specific installation conditions and further operation.

How to calculate the required collector power

When calculating the required power of a solar collector, it is very often mistaken to make calculations based on the incoming solar energy in the coldest months of the year.

The fact is that in the remaining months of the year the entire system will constantly overheat. The temperature of the coolant in the summer at the outlet of the solar collector can reach 200°C when heated by steam or gas, 120°C of antifreeze, 150°C of water. If the coolant boils, it will partially evaporate. As a result, it will have to be replaced.

Manufacturers recommend proceeding from the following figures:

• provision of hot water supply no more than 70%;
• provision of the heating system no more than 30%.

The rest of the necessary heat should be generated by standard heating equipment. Nevertheless, with such indicators, an average of about 40% is saved per year on heating and hot water supply.

The power generated by a single tube vacuum system varies by geographic location. The indicator of solar energy falling per year on 1 m2 of land is called insolation. Knowing the length and diameter of the tube, you can calculate the aperture - the effective absorption area. It remains to apply the absorption and emission coefficients to calculate the power of one tube per year.

Calculation example:

The standard length of the tube is 1800 mm, the effective length is 1600 mm. Diameter 58 mm. Aperture is the shaded area created by the tube. Thus, the area of ​​the shadow rectangle will be:

S = 1.6 * 0.058 = 0.0928m2

The efficiency of the middle tube is 80%, solar insolation for Moscow is about 1170 kWh/m2 per year. Thus, one tube will work out per year:

W \u003d 0.0928 * 1170 * 0.8 \u003d 86.86 kW * h

It should be noted that this is a very approximate calculation. The amount of energy generated depends on the installation orientation, angle, average annual temperature, etc.

Solar collector selection and installation

A homeowner who decides to create solar heating for a private house with his own hands is faced with the task of choosing the most suitable type of collector. This question is quite complicated, but it is necessary to understand it.

Open collectors are not suitable due to low capabilities, so it makes no sense to talk about them. Usually the choice is made between tubular and flat types. The first and most significant selection criterion is usually the ratio of price and quality of products.

This approach is justified, but maintainability cannot be ignored. So, vacuum tubes can be changed not in all types of collectors, which makes the choice risky. If one of them fails, some types of collectors will have to change the entire panel, which will require expenses. In general, all vacuum devices are a rather risky acquisition, since any mechanical impact threatens to lose the source of thermal energy.

Having chosen the best option, proceed to installation. For him, you need to choose a suitable site, located near the house

This is important, since transporting the coolant over long distances will require high-quality insulation and the installation of a circulation pump. Typically, collectors are installed on the roof to allow circulation by gravity.The only problem is the location of the slopes relative to the position of the sun in the sky - sometimes you have to install a tracking system to rotate the panels

This is expensive and requires the use of flexible tubes, but the effect is much higher.

Comparative characteristics of some types of solar collectors

The main characteristic of any solar collector is its performance. Depending on the design features and the temperature difference, the efficiency of the system is determined. it should be taken into account that the cost of flat-plate collectors is much lower than that of tubular systems.

When choosing a solar collector, you should carefully study the parameters on which the efficiency of solar water heating and the power of the structure depend.

Solar collectors have a number of rather important characteristics:

• The ratio of the total and absorbed energy of solar radiation can be determined from the adsorption coefficient.
• The ratio of the amount of transferred heat and absorbed energy is determined by the emission factor.
• The ratio of the total and aperture area.
• Efficiency.

Calculation of the heating system at home

System calculation - online calculator

Why is a preliminary calculation of heating in a private house necessary? This is required to select the correct power of the necessary heating equipment, which allows you to implement a heating system that provides heat in a balanced way to the corresponding rooms of a private house. A competent choice of equipment and the correct calculation of the power of the heating system of a private house will rationally compensate for heat loss from building envelopes and the flow of street air for ventilation needs. The formulas themselves for such a calculation are quite complex - therefore, we suggest you use the online calculation (above), or by filling out the questionnaire (below) - in this case, our chief engineer will calculate, and this service is completely free.

How to calculate the heating of a private house?

Where does such a calculation begin? Firstly, it is required to determine the maximum heat loss of the object (in our case, this is a private country house) under the worst weather conditions (such a calculation is carried out taking into account the coldest five-day period for this region). It will not work to calculate the heating system of a private house on the knee - for this they use specialized calculation formulas and programs that allow you to build a calculation based on the initial data on the construction of the house (walls, windows, roofs, etc.). As a result of the data obtained, equipment is selected whose net power must be greater than or equal to the calculated value.During the calculation of the heating system, the desired model of the duct air heater is selected (usually it is a gas air heater, although we can use other types of heaters - water, electric). Then the maximum air performance of the heater is calculated - in other words, how much air is pumped by the fan of this equipment per unit of time. It should be remembered that the performance of the equipment differs depending on the intended mode of use: for example, when air conditioning, the performance is greater than when heating. Therefore, if in the future it is planned to use an air conditioner, then it is necessary to take the air flow in this mode as the initial value of the desired performance - if not, then only the value in the heating mode is sufficient.

At the next stage, the calculation of air heating systems for a private house is reduced to the correct determination of the configuration of the air distribution system and the calculation of the cross sections of the air ducts. For our systems, we use flangeless rectangular air ducts with a rectangular section - they are easy to assemble, reliable and conveniently located in the space between the structural elements of the house. Since air heating is a low-pressure system, certain requirements must be taken into account when building it, for example, to minimize the number of turns of the air duct - both the main and the terminal branches leading to the grates. The static resistance of the route should not exceed 100 Pa. Based on the performance of the equipment and the configuration of the air distribution system, the required section of the main air duct is calculated.The number of terminal branches is determined based on the number of feed grates required for each specific room of the house. In the air heating system of a house, standard supply grilles with a size of 250x100 mm with a fixed throughput are usually used - it is calculated taking into account the minimum air velocity at the outlet. Thanks to this speed, air movement is not felt in the premises of the house, there are no drafts and extraneous noise.

online calculator

Features of the generators

A generator is the fastest and easiest way to provide a private home with electricity. For operation, the unit uses gasoline or diesel fuel and, as a result of its combustion, produces the required amount of energy.

The main advantage is the complete independence of the device from seasonal changes and weather fluctuations. The disadvantages include the mandatory presence on the site of a specially equipped storage facility for fuel, designed for a volume of 200 liters or more.

The diesel generator set is convenient and easy to operate, but for full operation it needs to receive at least 250 ml of fuel per hour.Powerful stations capable of providing energy to a small private house with an actual resource consumption of several kilowatts per day will “eat” about a liter of diesel fuel for 60 minutes

Most often, gasoline and diesel generator sets are used as backup or temporary sources of electricity. This is due to the fact that for full-fledged operation, the devices require significant amounts of fuel, the cost of which is constantly increasing.

A powerful gasoline or diesel generator is capable of providing an uninterrupted supply of electricity with the right amount of fuel. However, the device produces a lot of noise during operation. In order not to suffer from unwanted sounds, it is worth placing the unit in one of the adjacent utility rooms located at some distance from your own home and neighboring houses

The equipment itself is also expensive and needs preventive maintenance. Gas units are among the more profitable options for generating sets. They do not need an uninterrupted supply of fuel and do not require storage for fuel materials.

However, the full operation of these devices is ensured by such an item as mandatory connection to the central gas network, which is far from always possible and affordable.

The installation of a gas generator in the house is carried out only on the basis of a package of permits and with the obligatory participation in the installation of a team of craftsmen from a local gas distribution company.It is not recommended to connect the device to the gas pipeline on your own in order to avoid potential leaks and various malfunctions in the future.

It is because of these difficulties that generators are rarely chosen as the main source for supplying electricity to a private home.

But generators are an ideal solution for temporary use, for example, during the construction of a country house and paperwork for its connection:

Image gallery

Photo from

Generator during construction work

Four batteries and an inverter

Lighting at night and in the evening

Lighting for wiring and finishing

During the first stages of construction, the generator will serve as the main source of energy, and after paperwork and obtaining permits for connection to the general power grid, it will become a backup equipment and will certainly come in handy more than once.

Additional operating costs

The use of this does not imply any care or maintenance other than periodic cleaning of dirt and snow in winter (if it does not thaw itself). However, there will be some associated costs:

Repair, everything that can be changed under warranty, the manufacturer can be replaced without problems, it is important to buy an authorized dealer and have warranty documents.
Electricity, it is spent quite a bit on the pump and controller. For the first one, you can put only 1 solar panel at 300 W and it will be enough (even without a battery system).
Flushing of the coils, it will need to be done once every 5-7 years

It all depends on the quality of the water (if it is used as a heat carrier).

Stove heating device in a private house: the design of modern stoves

The main structural elements in the furnace heating devices of a private house are: foundation, trenches, ash chamber, firebox, smoke channels (smoke circulation), chimneys.

The foundation is the base of the furnace, which takes on the loads from the furnace and chimneys. This structural element must be reliable, since the safety of the operated structure depends on its strength. The correct placement of the furnace foundation implies its separate location from the foundation of the house. The minimum gap between them is 3 cm, which is filled with sand.

First of all, they dig a well, which is then filled with small fragments of stone or burnt brick, after which everything is carefully compacted. Thus, prepare a pillow for the foundation. Then a liquid cement mortar is poured into the pit. The laying of a brick or stone foundation is carried out with dressing of the seams. The last layer of cement mortar is carefully leveled.

After the foundation has been erected, they begin to carry out such a structural element of the furnace as slats. They are rows of brickwork that raises the stove on top of the foundation. Two or three rows of brickwork are made for the device of the slats. The bottom of the furnace is thus also involved in heat transfer.

Such an element of the design of heating furnaces as a blower, or an ash chamber, serves to supply air to the firebox and to accumulate the ash coming from it. A special grate in the form of iron or steel rods is installed between the firebox and the ash chamber.During the operation of the furnace, the chamber door must be open, and at the end of the furnace it is closed to prevent rapid cooling of the air inside the furnace.

The firebox in the device of heating furnaces is a furnace chamber in which fuel is burned - firewood and coal. A special hole is arranged in the upper part of the firebox for the removal of flue gas. The dimensions of the chamber are selected in such a way that it is possible to load into the furnace the amount of fuel necessary to heat the furnace.

In the lower part of the firebox, slopes are arranged to the grate, ensuring the free movement of ash into the blower. In order to prevent coal and ash from falling out of the furnace chamber, its door is installed above the grate by one row of brickwork. You can extend the life of the firebox by lining it with refractory bricks.

The principle of operation of the furnace heating system in a private house is based on the intake of heat by smoke channels, or smoke circulations. They can be placed both vertically and horizontally, as well as rise and fall. How efficiently a stove works depends on the size of the flues and their location.

Flue gas, passing through the channel, gives off energy in the form of heat to the walls, which heat the furnace. In order to increase heat transfer, the smoke channels are made in such a way that they are long and often change direction.

The smoke circulation of a modern furnace heating of a private house can be 13 x 13, 13 x 26, 26 x 26 cm, their walls are made smooth (they are not plastered, since if the plaster is destroyed, the channels may become clogged). Access to smoke circulations for their cleaning from soot is carried out through special doors.

To obtain traction, which contributes to the removal of gases from the burned fuel, a chimney is arranged, which is placed outside the house - on the roof. Most often, it is made of a circular cross section, since the movement of gas is somewhat difficult in pipes with corners. In addition, round pipes are more convenient to clean. As a material for their manufacture, ceramic or asbestos-cement pipes are used.