What is the gas consumption for heating an apartment? Algorithm for calculating gas consumption for heating a house

Gas in the house

Gas is used today in almost every home. With its help, water is heated for domestic purposes, food is prepared and the house is heated. Gas supply makes life comfortable and household chores less burdensome. But what is the price of the issue? This is especially true for heating a building. After all, gas costs for heating a home make up the lion's share of the overall cost structure. This type of fuel cannot be called the most expensive, but it has never been free either. Therefore, it is advisable to calculate gas consumption at the design stage of the heating system.

The advantage of gas as a fuel

Considering the established consumer price, we can say that gas is by far the most economical type of fuel for most regions of the country. Its composition is characterized by a negligible content of sulfur components, which largely determines the efficiency of blue fuel. When burning, very few air polluting compounds are released, which allows us to talk about its environmental friendliness.

Blue fuel is characterized by another positive factor - it does not cause corrosion of the metal parts of the boiler when heating water. And regarding soot and soot, it has no equal compared to other types of energy resources (except electricity). Consequently, there is no need to clean chimneys. The overall picture is organically complemented by the durable operation of all types of gas heating appliances.

Example of calculating gas consumption

According to regulatory data obtained as a result of the practical use of heating systems, in our country, about 1 kilowatt of energy is required to heat 10 square meters of living space. Based on this, a room with an area of 150 sq. m. can heat a 15 kW boiler.

15 kW * 30 days * 24 hours a day. This turns out to be 10,800 kW/hour. This figure is not absolute. For example, the boiler does not operate at full capacity all the time. Moreover, when the temperature outside the window rises, sometimes you even have to turn off the heating. The average value in this case can be considered acceptable.

That is, 10,800 / 2 = 5,400 kW/hour. This is the rate of gas consumption for heating, which is quite enough to ensure a comfortable temperature in the house for one month. Taking into account that the heating season lasts about 7 months, the required amount of gas for the heating season is calculated:

7 * 5400 = 37,800 kW/hour. Considering that a cubic meter of gas produces 10 kW/hour of thermal energy, we get - 37,800 / 10 = 3,780 cubic meters. gas

For comparison, 10 kW/hour (according to statistical data) can be obtained from burning 2.5 kg of oak firewood with a humidity of no more than 20%. The firewood consumption rate in the given example will be 37,800 / 10 * 2.5 = 9,450 kg. And even more pine trees will be needed.

Ways to save gas

A way to save gas - economical boiler mode

The data in the example is given in order to clearly calculate the heating of a house. But they do not take into account the need for heating water for domestic needs and for cooking. In each specific case, the result needs to be adjusted. Its value depends on the number of inhabitants of the housing and their individual needs.

You can save on heating, which consumes the lion's share of gas, in the following ways:

Insulation of walls and ceilings, installation of energy-saving double-glazed windows, sealing the contour of the front door.
Use of technological gas equipment.
Installation of effective automatic heat supply control systems. Manufacturers tirelessly insist that its payback does not exceed 2 months.

The simplest and most feasible way for everyone is to lower the comfort temperature in the room. One or two degrees is not very noticeable for the human body, but based on the results of the heating season, the result will be a very decent figure.

When designing a gas heating system, all factors affecting gas consumption are taken into account: the size of the housing, the number of floors, insulation of the main structures, power and how many people live in the house. Heating a private home with gas is beneficial from an economic point of view for several reasons.

Benefits of use

Firstly, it is characterized by high efficiency of the combustion process due to its low sulfur content. This also allows you to save resources for cleaning the boiler. Secondly, it is easy to reduce heat losses and gas consumption with the help of good thermal insulation. Thirdly, gas is also an environmentally friendly material, since when it is burned, a very small amount of harmful substances is released into the atmosphere.

When using gas as a fuel for heating, the boiler walls do not suffer from corrosion, which increases the service life of the equipment. It is convenient to use liquefied gas: it has better quality and is delivered in cylinders to places where there are no highways, making life easier for thousands of people.

Complexity and cost features

Gas consumption for heating a house is directly proportional to the living area of the room. You can calculate the consumption in kW/hours by multiplying the boiler power by the number of hours/day and day/month.

However, this mode is practically not used for everyday life. The real indicator for calculating gas consumption is the average monthly kW/hour. To do this, the maximum monthly consumption for heating a house is divided in half. If this is a residential building, then the calculation is made based on the length of the heating season.

Algorithm

Data for calculating boiler power are based on the ratio of 1 kW/h per room of 10 m². Thus, to heat a house with an area of 100 m², you will need to divide it by 10: i.e. the required power will be 10 kW/h.
How much gas is consumed for a different size house is calculated according to the same principle, i.e. the area is divided by 10. For example, for an area of 200 m2, the calculation will look like this: 200 m2/10, i.e. 20 kW/hour will be spent on heating this room.

Adjustment for days

Monthly gas consumption is calculated by multiplying the daily requirement of a house of 100 m2 by the number of days in a month: 10 kW/h * 24 hours * 30 days (total - 7200 kW). Since the system usually operates in medium mode, the maximum flow rate is divided in half, and the result is 3600 kW.

Adjustment for the season

If the duration of the heating season is 7 months, then the calculation of gas costs is obtained by multiplying 3600 kW by 7. i.e. heating a private house with an area of 100 m² will cost 25,200 kW. Heating a house of 200 m2 will require 50,400 kW, respectively.

If the heating season is shorter or longer than 7 months, then gas consumption is calculated accordingly by multiplying by the period required by the user.

Knowing the tariff for 1 kW/hour, it is very easy to calculate the monetary equivalent of consumption. The cost of 1 kW/hour may vary depending on the region.

Nuances and additional factors

There are special programs for calculating fuel consumption that will greatly facilitate the work. For apartment buildings that are connected to the main gas supply, consumption standards are established.

Despite the available methods, for a more accurate result it is still recommended to contact specialists. After all, calculating the need for a gas boiler takes into account the use of fuel only for heating the house.

But you also need to remember about the presence of a gas stove and a water heating system, which will increase your costs. The number of people living in a house or apartment is also important for the consumption indicator. All these factors will be taken into account by specialists.

In addition, our experts will help you minimize gas consumption through the use of special technologies.

Features of autonomy

If there is no gas main near a residential or country house, then an autonomous heating system that runs on a mixture of propane and butane is an excellent solution.

The cost of purchasing and installing autonomous heating equipment that uses a mixture of propane and butane as fuel is lower than the cost of connecting to a central gas main.

pros

Such a system reduces the risk of emergency shutdown of pipelines and the threat of a sudden drop in pressure. Autonomous heating has reservoirs that maintain the ability to consume gas for heating for some time.

In the event of a power outage or fuel supply, the safety system with which all boilers are equipped blocks the solenoid valve. After gas supply is restored, you need to start it again.

Tricks for saving

Reducing gas consumption for heating can be achieved in the following ways:

installation of an automatic control system;
installation of gas sensors, which will also help to detect leaks in time;
insulation of the house: sheathing of walls, roofs;
compliance with the temperature regime in the room with cylinders not lower than 25°C;
purchasing cylinders from a trusted supplier, since poor fuel quality also reduces efficiency.

These measures make it possible to reduce gas consumption by up to 40%, which makes it possible to use 1 cylinder for 3-4 days.

Based on the combination of convenience and cost-effectiveness criteria, probably no other system can compare with one running on natural gas. This determines the wide popularity of such a scheme - whenever possible, the owners of country houses choose it. And recently, owners of city apartments are increasingly striving to achieve complete autonomy in this matter by installing gas boilers. Yes, there will be significant initial costs and organizational hassle, but in return, homeowners get the opportunity to create the required level of comfort in their properties, and with minimal operating costs.

However, verbal assurances about the efficiency of gas heating equipment are not enough for a zealous owner - he still wants to know what energy consumption he should be prepared for, so that, based on local tariffs, he can express the costs in monetary terms. This is the subject of this publication, which was initially planned to be called “gas consumption for heating a house - formulas and examples of calculations for a room of 100 m².” But still, the author considered this not entirely fair. Firstly, why only 100 square meters. And secondly, consumption will depend not only on the area, and one might even say that not so much on it, as on a number of factors predetermined by the specifics of each particular house.

Therefore, we will rather talk about the calculation method, which should be suitable for any residential building or apartment. The calculations look quite cumbersome, but don’t worry - we have done everything possible to make them easy for any homeowner, even if they have never done this before.

General principles for calculating heating power and energy consumption

Why are such calculations carried out at all?

The use of gas as an energy carrier for the operation of the heating system is advantageous from all sides. First of all, they are attracted by the quite affordable tariffs for “blue fuel” - they cannot be compared with the seemingly more convenient and safe electric one. In terms of cost, only available types of solid fuel can compete, for example, if there are no special problems with the procurement or purchase of firewood. But in terms of operating costs - the need for regular delivery, organizing proper storage and constant monitoring of boiler loading, solid fuel heating equipment is completely inferior to gas heating equipment connected to the network supply.

In a word, if it is possible to choose this particular method of heating your home, then there is hardly any doubt about the feasibility of the installation.

It is clear that when choosing a boiler, one of the key criteria is always its thermal power, that is, the ability to generate a certain amount of thermal energy. To put it simply, the purchased equipment, according to its technical parameters, must ensure the maintenance of comfortable living conditions in any, even the most unfavorable conditions. This indicator is most often indicated in kilowatts, and, of course, is reflected in the cost of the boiler, its dimensions, and gas consumption. This means that the task when choosing is to purchase a model that fully meets the needs, but, at the same time, does not have unreasonably inflated characteristics - this is both disadvantageous for the owners and not very useful for the equipment itself.

It is important to understand one more point correctly. This is that the specified nameplate power of a gas boiler always shows its maximum energy potential. With the right approach, it should, of course, slightly exceed the calculated data for the required heat input for a particular house. In this way, the same operational reserve is laid down, which may someday be needed under the most unfavorable conditions, for example, during extreme cold, unusual for the area of residence. For example, if calculations show that for a country house the need for thermal energy is, say, 9.2 kW, then it would be wiser to opt for a model with a thermal power of 11.6 kW.

Will this capacity be fully utilized? – it’s quite possible that not. But its supply does not look excessive.

Why is all this explained in such detail? But only so that the reader becomes clear on one important point. It would be completely wrong to calculate the gas consumption of a specific heating system based solely on the equipment’s nameplate characteristics. Yes, as a rule, the technical documentation accompanying the heating unit indicates the energy consumption per unit of time (m³/hour), but this is again a largely theoretical value. And if you try to get the desired consumption forecast by simply multiplying this passport parameter by the number of hours (and then days, weeks, months) of operation, then you can come to such indicators that it will become scary!..

Often, passports indicate a consumption range - the boundaries of minimum and maximum consumption are indicated. But this probably will not be of great help in calculating real needs.

But it is still very useful to know gas consumption as close to reality as possible. This will help, firstly, in planning the family budget. Well, secondly, the possession of such information should, willingly or unwillingly, stimulate zealous owners to search for reserves of energy savings - perhaps it is worth taking certain steps to reduce consumption to the possible minimum.

Determining the required thermal power for efficient heating of a house or apartment

So, the starting point for determining gas consumption for heating needs should still be the thermal power that is required for these purposes. Let's start our calculations with it.

If you look through the mass of publications on this topic posted on the Internet, you will most often find recommendations to calculate the required power based on the area of the heated premises. Moreover, for this a constant is given: 100 watts per 1 square meter of area (or 1 kW per 10 m²).

Comfortable? - undoubtedly! Without any calculations, without even using a piece of paper and a pencil, you perform simple arithmetic operations in your head, for example, for a house with an area of 100 “squares” you need at least a 10-watt boiler.

Well, what about the accuracy of such calculations? Alas, in this matter everything is not so good...

Judge for yourself.

For example, will the thermal energy requirements of premises of the same area, say, in the Krasnodar Territory or regions of the Server Urals be equivalent? Is there a difference between a room bordering on heated premises, that is, having only one external wall, and a corner one, and also facing the windward north side? Will a differentiated approach be required for rooms with one window or those with panoramic glazing? You can list a few more similar, quite obvious, by the way, points - in principle, we will deal with this practically when we move on to the calculations.

So, there is no doubt that the required amount of thermal energy for heating a room is influenced not only by its area - it is necessary to take into account a number of factors related to the characteristics of the region and the specific location of the building, and the specifics of a particular room. It is clear that rooms within even the same house can have significant differences. Thus, the most correct approach would be to calculate the need for thermal power for each room where heating devices will be installed, and then, summing them up, find the total figure for the house (apartment).

The proposed calculation algorithm does not claim to be a professional calculation, but has a sufficient degree of accuracy, proven by practice. To make the task extremely simple for our readers, we suggest using the online calculator below, the program of which has already included all the necessary dependencies and correction factors. For greater clarity, brief instructions on how to perform the calculations will be provided in the text block below the calculator.

Calculator for calculating the required thermal power for heating (for a specific room)

The calculation is carried out for each room separately.
Enter the requested values sequentially or mark the desired options in the proposed lists.
Click “CALCULATE THE REQUIRED THERMAL POWER”

Room area, m²

100 W per sq. m

Indoor ceiling height

Up to 2.7 m 2.8 ÷ 3.0 m 3.1 ÷ 3.5 m 3.6 ÷ 4.0 m more than 4.1 m

Number of external walls

No one two three

External walls face:

The position of the outer wall relative to the winter “wind rose”

Level of negative air temperatures in the region in the coldest week of the year

35 °C and below from - 30 °C to - 34 °C from - 25 °C to - 29 °C from - 20 °C to - 24 °C from - 15 °C to - 19 °C from - 10 °C up to - 14 °C not colder than - 10 °C

What is the degree of insulation of external walls?

External walls are not insulated. Average degree of insulation. External walls have high-quality insulation.

What's underneath?

Cold floor on the ground or above an unheated room Insulated floor on the ground or above an unheated room A heated room is located below

What's on top?

Cold attic or unheated and uninsulated room Insulated attic or other room Heated room

Type of installed windows

Number of windows in the room

Window height, m

Window width, m

Doors facing the street or cold balcony:

Explanations for thermal power calculations

We start with the area of the room. And we will still take the same 100 W per square meter as the initial value, but many correction factors will be introduced as the calculation progresses. In the input field (using the slider) you must indicate the area of the room, in square meters.
Of course, the required amount of energy is influenced by the volume of the room - for standard ceilings of 2.7 m and for high ceilings of 3.5 ÷ 4 m, the final values will differ. Therefore, the calculation program will introduce a correction for the height of the ceiling - you must select it from the proposed drop-down list.
The number of walls in the room that are in direct contact with the street is of great importance. Therefore, the next point is to indicate the number of external walls: options are offered from “0” to “3” - each value will have its own correction factor.
Even on a very frosty, but clear day, the sun can affect the microclimate in the room - the amount of heat loss is reduced, direct rays penetrating the windows sensitively heat the room. But this is typical only for walls facing south. As the next data entry point, indicate the approximate location of the external wall of the room - and the program will make the necessary adjustments.

Many houses, both country and urban, are located in such a way that the outer wall of the room is windward most of the winter. If the owners know the direction of the prevailing winter wind rose, then this circumstance can be taken into account in the calculations. It is clear that the windward wall will always cool more strongly - and the calculation program calculates the corresponding correction factor. If there is no such information, then you can skip this point - but in this case, the calculation will be carried out for the most unfavorable location.

The next parameter will adjust for the climatic specifics of your region of residence. We are talking about temperature indicators that are typical in a given area for the coldest ten days of winter. It is important that we are talking specifically about those values that are the norm, that is, they are not included in the category of those abnormal frosts that every few years, no, no, and even “visit” any region, and then, due to their atypicality, remain for a long time in memory.

The level of heat loss is directly related to the degree. In the next data entry field, you must evaluate it by choosing one of three options. At the same time, a wall can be considered fully insulated only if thermal insulation work has been carried out in full, based on the results of thermal engineering calculations.

The average degree of insulation includes walls made of “warm” materials, for example, natural wood (logs, beams), gas silicate blocks 300-400 mm thick, hollow bricks - masonry of one and a half or two bricks.

The list also shows walls that are not insulated at all, but, in fact, in a residential building this should not happen at all by definition - no heating system can effectively maintain a comfortable microclimate, and energy costs will be “astronomical”.

A considerable amount of heat loss always occurs in the ceilings - floors and ceilings of rooms. Therefore, it would be quite reasonable to evaluate the “neighborhood” of the room being calculated, so to speak, vertically, that is, above and below. The next two fields of our calculator are devoted precisely to this - depending on the specified option, the calculation program will introduce the necessary corrections.

An entire group of data entry fields is dedicated to windows.

— Firstly, you should evaluate the quality of the windows, since this always determines how quickly the room will cool down.

— Then you need to indicate the number of windows and their sizes. Based on this data, the program will calculate the “glazing coefficient”, that is, the ratio of the area of the windows to the area of the room. The resulting value will become the basis for making appropriate adjustments to the final result.

Finally, the room in question may have a door “to the cold” - directly to the street, to the balcony or, say, leading to an unheated room. If this door is used regularly, then each opening will be accompanied by a considerable influx of cold air. This means that the heating system of this room will not have the additional task of compensating for such heat losses. Select your option from the list provided and the program will make the necessary adjustments.

After entering the data, all that remains is to click on the “Calculate” button - and you will receive an answer expressed in watts and kilowatts.

Now let’s talk about how such a calculation would be most conveniently carried out in practice. This seems to be the best way:

— First, take a plan of your house (apartment) - it probably contains all the necessary dimensional indicators. As an example, let's take a completely derivative floor plan of a suburban residential building.

— Next, it makes sense to create a table (for example, in Excel, but you can just do it on a sheet of paper). The table is of any form, but it must list all the rooms that are affected by the heating system, and indicate the characteristic features of each of them. It is clear that the value of winter temperatures for all rooms will be the same value, and it is enough to enter it once. Let, for example, it be -20 °C.

For example, the table might look like this:

Room	Area, ceiling height	External walls, number, location relative to cardinal directions and wind rose, degree of thermal insulation	What's above and below	Windows - type, quantity, size, presence of a door to the street	Required thermal power
TOTAL FOR HOUSE	196 m²				16.8 kW
1ST FLOOR
Hallway	14.8 m², 2.5 m	one, North, windward, y/n – full-fledged	below - warm floor on the ground, above – heated room	There are no windows one door	1.00 kW
Pantry	2.2 m², 2.5 m	one, North, windward, y/n – full-fledged	the same	Single, double glazing, 0.9×0.5 m, no door	0.19 kW
Dryer	2.2 m², 2.5 m	one, North, windward, y/n – full-fledged	the same	Single, double glazing, 0.9×0.5 m, no door	0.19 kW
Children's	13.4 m², 2.5 m	Two, North-East, windward, y/n – full-fledged	the same	Two, triple glazing, 0.9×1.2 m, no door	1.34 kW
Kitchen	26.20 m², 2.5 m	Two, East - South, parallel to the direction of the wind, y/n – full-fledged	the same	Single, double glazing, 3×2.2 m, no door	2.26 kW
Living room	32.9 m², 3m	One, South, leeward, y/n – full-fledged	the same	Two, triple glazing, 3×2.2 m, no door	2.62 kW
Dining room	24.2 m², 2.5 m	Two, South-West, leeward, y/n – full-fledged	the same	Two, triple glazing, 3×2.2 m, no door	2.16 kW
Guest room	18.5 m², 2.5 m	Two, West-North, windward, y/n – full-fledged	the same	Single, triple glazing, 0.9×1.2 m, no door	1.65 kW
Total for the first floor in total:	134.4 m²				11.41 kW
2nd FLOOR
… and so on

- All you have to do is open the calculator - and the whole calculation will take a matter of minutes. And then you need to summarize the results (you can first by floors - and then for the entire building as a whole) in order to obtain the required thermal power necessary for full heating.

By the way, please note that the table shows real calculation results as an example. And they differ quite significantly from those that could be obtained using the ratio 100 W → 1 m². So, only on the first floor with an area of 134.4 m², this difference, to a lesser extent, turned out to be about 2 kW. But for other conditions, for example, for a more severe climate or for less perfect thermal insulation, the difference may be completely different and even have a different sign.

So, why do we need the results of this calculation:

First of all, the required amount of thermal energy obtained for each specific room allows you to correctly select and arrange heat exchange devices - this means radiators, convectors, and “warm floor” systems.
The total value for the entire house becomes a guideline for choosing and purchasing the optimal heating boiler - as mentioned above, take a power a little more than the calculated one so that the equipment never works at the limit of its capabilities, and at the same time is guaranteed to cope with its direct task even with the most unfavorable conditions.
And finally, the same total indicator will become our starting point for further calculations of the planned gas consumption.

Carrying out calculations of gas consumption for heating needs

Calculation of network natural gas consumption

So, let's move directly to the calculations of energy consumption. To do this, we need a formula showing how much heat is produced during the combustion of a certain volume ( V) fuel:

W = V × H × η

To get the specific volume, let’s present this expression a little differently:

V = W / (H × η)

Let's look at the quantities included in the formula.

V– this is the same required volume of gas (cubic meters), the combustion of which will give us the required amount of heat.

W- the thermal power required to maintain comfortable living conditions in a house or apartment - the same one that we just calculated.

The same one, it seems, but still not quite. A few clarifications are required:

Firstly, this is by no means the rated capacity of the boiler - many people make a similar mistake.
Secondly, the above calculation of the required amount of heat, as we remember, was carried out for the most unfavorable external conditions - for maximum cold, and even along with a constantly blowing wind. In fact, there are not so many such days during the winter, and, in general, frosts often alternate with thaws, or are established at a level very far from the indicated critical level.

Further, a properly adjusted boiler will never operate continuously - the temperature level is usually monitored by automation, choosing the most optimal mode. And if so, then to calculate the average gas consumption (not peak, mind you) this calculated value will be too much. Without any particular fear of making a serious mistake in the calculations, the resulting total power value can be safely “halved”, that is, 50% of the calculated value can be taken for further calculations. Practice shows that over the entire heating season, especially taking into account the reduced consumption in the second half of autumn and early spring, this is usually the case.

H– under this designation lies the heat of combustion of fuel, in our case, gas. This parameter is tabular and must comply with certain standards.

True, there are several nuances in this issue.

Firstly, you should pay attention to the type of natural network gas used. As a rule, a gas mixture is used in household gas supply networks G20. However, there are chains that serve consumers a mixture G25. Its difference from G20– higher concentration of nitrogen, which significantly reduces the calorific value. You should check with your regional gas utility to find out what kind of gas is supplied to your homes.
Secondly, the specific heat of combustion may also vary slightly. For example, you can find the designation Hi- this is the so-called lower specific heat, which is used to calculate systems with conventional heating boilers. But there is also a quantity Hs– highest specific heat of combustion. The bottom line is that the combustion products of natural gas contain a very large amount of water vapor, which has considerable thermal potential. And if it is also used usefully, the thermal output from the equipment will increase noticeably. This principle is implemented in modern boilers, in which the latent energy of water vapor, due to its condensation, is also transferred to heating the coolant, which gives an average increase in heat transfer by 10%. This means that if a condensing boiler is installed in your house (apartment), then it is necessary to operate with the highest calorific value - Ns.

In various sources, the specific heat of combustion of gas is indicated either in megajoules or in kilowatts per hour per cubic meter of volume. In principle, translation is not difficult if you know that 1 kW = 3.6 MJ. But to make it even easier, the table below shows the values in both units:

Table of values for the specific heat of combustion of natural gas (according to the international standardDINEN 437)

η – this symbol usually denotes the efficiency factor. Its essence is that it shows how fully the generated thermal energy in a given model of heating equipment is used specifically for heating needs.

This indicator is always indicated in the passport characteristics of the boiler, and often two values are given at once, for the lower and higher calorific value of gas. For example, you can find the following entry Hs / Hi – 94.3 / 85%. But usually, in order to get a result closer to reality, they still operate with the Hi value.

In principle, we have decided on all the initial data, and we can proceed to calculations. And to simplify the task for the reader, below is a convenient calculator that will calculate the average consumption of “blue fuel” per hour, per day, per month and for the whole season.

Calculator for calculating network gas consumption for heating needs

It is necessary to enter only two values - the total required thermal power obtained according to the algorithm given above, and the boiler efficiency. In addition, you need to select the type of network gas and, if necessary, indicate that your boiler is a condensing boiler.

In fact, it is quite simple to calculate the average gas consumption for heating a house with a functioning heating system. It is enough to record the gas meter readings on the first and last day of the month. But at the stage of designing a cottage or dacha, it is also necessary to make these calculations, at least in order to select the energy carrier, and then the heating equipment. In this article we will show how to correctly determine the average gas consumption for heating a private house for a given area.

Payment procedure

The main indicator on which the calculation result depends is the power consumption for heating. In accordance with the standards, it is calculated for each room at the street temperature in winter during the coldest five-day period. Such calculations are quite complex and are carried out with the aim of correctly selecting boiler equipment.

In reality, thermal energy is consumed on average by half less than calculated. This is understandable, because during the heating season the outside air temperature fluctuates from above zero to the lowest, and the gas consumption rate also changes. Taking this point into account, we will follow the generally accepted path of determining the approximate amount of heat for a building. That is, instead of 100 W of energy required for each square meter of area, let’s take the real average value - 50 W / m2 for 1 hour.

Accordingly, a house with an area of 100 m2 will consume 5000 W / h or 5 kW / h. To calculate the volumetric amount of fuel for a given area, the following formula is used to calculate gas costs for heating:

L = Q / (qH x 0.92), where:
L – volumetric fuel consumption for 1 hour, m3;
Q – required thermal power for heating, kW;
qН – lower heating value of fuel, for natural gas equals 10.175 kW/m3;
0.92 – efficiency of a boiler plant burning fuel.

Thus, the hourly calculation of gas consumption for heating a house with an area of 100 m2 looks like this:

5 / (10.175 x 0.92) = 0.53 m3/h natural gas.

Then everything is simple: per day the volume of fuel will be 0.53 x 24 = 12.7 m3, and per month - 12.7 x 30 = 381 m3. Those homeowners who find it convenient to determine all values relative to 1 m2 of area, so that they can subsequently calculate the consumption for any building, are asked to divide the resulting value by the square footage of the building. Then it turns out that per month the gas consumption per 1 m2 is 3.81 m3.

Knowing all the values, you can easily determine the volume of fuel required to heat a house of a given quadrature per year, that is, during the heating season. To do this, it is enough to find out the number of days in the heating season and multiply the daily consumption of natural gas by this value.

It should be noted that with this algorithm, the accuracy of the calculations is not too high and is applicable at the stage of economic calculation of the cost of heating and comparison with heating with other coolants. By the way, the above formula is suitable for determining the mass or volumetric flow rate of other types of fuel, both solid and liquid.

Liquefied gas consumption

Many modern boilers are designed in such a way that they can burn liquefied gas even without replacing the burner. Therefore, of interest are not only the costs of consuming methane gas, but also propane-butane supplied in cylinders. Finding out these values will be useful for those homeowners who plan to organize autonomous gas heating due to the temporary lack of mains fuel.

So, to calculate the amount of gas for a building with an area of 100 m2 that burns in 1 hour, you need to substitute the calorific value of liquefied gas into the previous formula and recalculate it again. At the same time, do not forget that the consumption of natural gas is calculated in liters and m3, and liquefied gas - in kilograms, which then need to be converted into liters. So, taking into account the calorific value of gas in the amount of 12.8 kW / kg (46 MJ / kg), we obtain:

5 / (12.8 x 0.92) = 0.42 kg / h of liquefied gas.

1 liter of propane-butane weighs 0.54 kg, which means that heating a house with a gas boiler in 1 hour will require 0.42 / 0.54 = 0.78 liters of liquefied gas. Per day - this is 18.7 liters, per month - 561 liters. Taking into account that a regular cylinder contains about 42 liters of fuel, in a month to heat a building of 100 m2 you will have to use 561 / 42 = 14 cylinders, this is quite a lot and will not be cheap.

As a summary, let us present the results according to which the approximate monthly consumption of liquefied gas for heating a house is:

100 m2 – 561 l;
150 m2 – 841.5 l;
200 m2 – 1122 l;
250 m2 – 1402.5 l.

How to reduce gas consumption

Measures to reduce fuel consumption for heating one square meter of space, and therefore the entire cottage, are well known. This includes replacing old windows in apartments, insulating external walls, floors and roofs (especially for reinforced concrete and brick houses), as well as using various methods of automatically regulating air temperature.

But there are other ways to save money that affect gas consumption in boilers:

use of an underfloor heating system: the coolant is heated to a maximum of 50 ºС instead of 90 ºС with a radiator system, which provides considerable fuel savings;
arrangement of an organized heated air flow: the lion's share of the heat (about 60%) produced by the boiler goes to heating the cold air that randomly penetrates the building from the outside;
programmed automatic decrease in air temperature at a certain time of the day: there is no point in warming up the entire volume of the room when there is no one in it.

Conclusion

As can be seen from the examples given, performing calculations to determine the gas consumption used to heat a house or apartment is not a very difficult task. You need a little personal time, and also some care when introducing various units of measurement into the formula. The calculation results will certainly help you in the future when selecting a heat generator and estimating financial costs.

Houses 100 m2, 150 m2, 200 m2?
When designing a heating system, you need to know how much it will cost during operation.

That is, determine the upcoming fuel costs for heating. Otherwise, this type of heating may subsequently prove unprofitable.

How to reduce gas consumption

A well-known rule: the better the house is insulated, the less fuel is used to heat the street. Therefore, before starting the installation of the heating system, you should perform high-quality thermal insulation of the house - roof/attic, floors, walls, replacement of windows, airtight sealing loop on the doors.

You can also save fuel due to the heating system itself. By using batteries instead, you will get more efficient heating: since heat spreads by convection currents from bottom to top, the lower the heating device is located, the better.

In addition, the standard temperature of floors is 50 degrees, and radiators are on average 90. Obviously, floors are more economical.

Finally, you can save gas by adjusting the heating according to time. There is no point in actively heating a house when it is empty. It is enough to maintain a low positive temperature so that the pipes do not freeze.

Modern boiler automation () allows remote control: you can give a command to change the mode through a mobile provider before returning home (). At night, the comfortable temperature is slightly lower than during the day, etc.

How to calculate main gas consumption

Calculation of gas consumption for heating a private house depends on the power of the equipment (). Power calculation is performed when selecting . Based on the size of the heated area. They calculate for each room separately, focusing on the lowest average annual temperature outside.

To determine energy consumption, the resulting figure is divided approximately in half: because throughout the season, the temperature fluctuates from severe minus to plus, gas consumption varies in the same proportions.

When calculating power, the ratio is based on the ratio of kilowatts per ten square meters of heated area. Based on the above, we take half of this value - 50 watts per meter per hour. At 100 meters – 5 kilowatts.

Fuel is calculated using the formula A = Q / q * B, where:

A – the required amount of gas, cubic meter per hour;
Q – power required for heating (in our case 5 kilowatts);
q – minimum specific heat (depending on the type of gas) in kilowatts. For G20 – 34.02 MJ per cubic meter = 9.45 kilowatts;
B is the efficiency of our boiler. Let's say 95%. The required figure is 0.95.

We substitute numbers into the formula, and for 100 m2 we get 0.557 cubic meters per hour. Accordingly, gas consumption for heating a house of 150 m2 (7.5 kilowatts) will be 0.836 cubic meters, gas consumption for heating a house of 200 m2 (10 kilowatts) will be 1.114, etc. It remains to multiply the resulting figure by 24 - you get the average daily consumption, then by 30 - the average monthly.

Calculation for liquefied gas

The above formula is also suitable for other types of fuel. Including for liquefied gas in cylinders. Its calorific value, of course, is different. We accept this figure as 46 MJ per kilogram, i.e. 12.8 kilowatts per kilogram. Let's say the boiler efficiency is 92%. We substitute the numbers into the formula, we get 0.42 kilograms per hour.

Liquefied gas is counted in kilograms, which are then converted to liters. To calculate the gas consumption for heating a 100 m2 house from a gas holder, the figure obtained from the formula is divided by 0.54 (the weight of one liter of gas).

Average monthly consumption, approximately:

liquefied gas consumption for heating a house of 100 m2 is about 561 liters;
liquefied gas consumption for heating a house of 150 m 2 - approximately 841.5;
200 squares – 1122 liters;
250 – 1402.5, etc.

A standard cylinder contains about 42 liters. We divide the amount of gas needed for the season by 42, find the number of cylinders. Next, we multiply by the price of the cylinder, we get the amount needed for heating for the entire season.

Video about how to reduce boiler gas consumption.