What is better and cheaper - pellets or a gas holder? Comparison of main characteristics

It’s good when a country house or cottage is connected to a centralized gas main. Convenient, almost no hassle with maintenance.What if you need to organize an autonomous system? Chopping wood and fiddling with coal on a frosty morning is not very pleasant. The search for alternative options begins. And many users find it difficult to make a choice: pellets or a gas tank, which is better in a particular case.

If you are also in search of the optimal solution, we will help you understand the issue - in this article we will compare fuel by price, quality, and efficiency. We will touch on the cost of the equipment itself, its installation, ease of operation, as well as reliability and safety. Let's see what is more economical and in what cases, why it is important to take into account the characteristics of the region. We will summarize all the review data in a table to clearly assess the advantages and disadvantages of the systems.

General information about the gas tank and pellets

The pellet boiler runs on “modernized” wood. These are wood fuel pellets made from compressed sawdust, chips, and shavings.

According to safety rules, a separate room with minimum humidity levels must be equipped for storing pellets.

The pellet boiler has a burner, a hopper, and is equipped with automation. It can work autonomously for a week if there is an auger that continuously supplies fuel to the boiler. There are models with remote control

A gas holder in a simplified description is a container for storing liquefied hydrocarbon gas.

The design of the gas tank includes: an automatic system for regulating pressure, volume, and distribution of gas in the system.

The gas tank is installed mainly horizontally and underground. It must be placed at a distance of at least 10 m from residential buildings and at least 5 m from outbuildings

Comparison of fuel and equipment performance

For clarity, let's compare pellets and a gas holder. In the comparative review, we will take the following data as a basis. For heating an area of ​​10 m² with a ceiling height of 3 m, 1 kW of energy is required. Additionally, you can take into account a reserve of 15-20%, which will be used to heat water.

The average operating time of boiler equipment is 10 hours/day. The duration of the heating season in central Russia is 7-8 months. per year. The rest of the time the boiler is used to heat water and maintain the minimum temperature in the rooms at 8 degrees.

Criterion #1 - fuel efficiency in terms of efficiency

1 kg of pellets is equivalent to 1.6 kg of firewood and releases 5 kW of energy when burned. If the area of ​​the house is 100 m², you need 10 kW per hour, i.e. 2 kg of pellets.

The average efficiency of such fuel ranges from 50-90%. Efficiency depends on the heat loss of the building, the quality characteristics of the pellets and other factors. These are the lowest figures when compared with electricity and gas.

Good pellets are smooth, shiny in appearance, have no longitudinal cracks, hard to break, 6 mm in diameter. But it is impossible to guarantee quality even in a batch from the same supplier

Another nuance is the types of pellets. They come in white, industrial and agro. The former have low ash content; when using them, the boiler requires cleaning once a month.Agro is made from sunflower and buckwheat, they are the “dirtiest”, but cheaper than the others.

Comparison of pellets from different raw materials

Why does this matter? The choice of boiler, efficiency and cost of fuel depend on the availability of a particular type of pellet. White granules are expensive, but they have the highest calorific value.

And here liquefied gas shows a stable 97%. Fuel is supplied evenly, the process is fully automated. The system does not depend on network fluctuations or pipeline accidents, and the gas quality is almost always high. 1 kg of liquefied gas produces 12.8 kW of energy.

Criterion #2 - heating cost per season

A ton of pellets is sold at a price of 8-9 thousand rubles. Let's take the average - 8.5 thousand rubles.

For a heating season of 8 months. we get the following numbers:

• losses - 28224 kW/h;
• fuel consumption - 5644 kg;
• amount - 48 thousand rubles.

We will add the cost of delivery - from 7 thousand rubles. For waste removal you will need to pay from 5 thousand rubles. We receive 60 thousand rubles. for the heating season. If the services of a stoker are needed, this will entail additional costs in the amount of 10 thousand rubles. per month.

One liter of LPG (liquefied gas) costs 18-20 rubles. already with delivery. At 1 m² The area consumed on average is 27 liters per season. That is, the gas tank volume of 2700 liters should be enough for the entire heating period. Is this really true?

The gas tank capacity is filled to a maximum of 85%. The volume of the remainder should vary within 25-30%. Therefore, a 2700 liter tank with active use will need to be refilled twice per season

The total costs for LPG are 49-54 thousand rubles. in year. We talked in more detail about gas consumption from a gas tank in next article/

So what is cheaper to heat - gas or pellets? Gas is a little more expensive, but pellets require additional effort and expense.

Criterion #3 - cost of pellet and gas boilers

Let's look at the cost of the equipment. The range in prices for pellet boilers is large: from 40 to 100 thousand rubles. and higher.

You can include a regular solid fuel boiler, potbelly stove or bulerian into the system. But such designs need modernization of the grate.

There are several ways to reduce gaps to prevent granules from falling through:

• replace the grate;
• place a wire mesh on top or bottom;
• insert the pads.

The pellets will burn under such conditions, but in the absence of constant forced air exchange and maximum supply, some of the pellets can literally fly out into the chimney due to natural draft.

Pellet boilers with automation are more expensive - from 150 thousand rubles, but they are comfortable to operate and are able to maintain a stable temperature in the premises. If there are power outages in the region, take a closer look at simpler models

And we still need delivery, installation and connection, as well as debugging of a pellet boiler. All this will cost another 23-25 ​​thousand rubles. In total, we get an average value of 175 thousand rubles. But you still need to equip a room for storing pellets - fuel reserves take up a lot of space.

We provided more pros and cons of heating with a pellet boiler, as well as recommendations for choosing one, in our other article: Pellet heating boilers: types, advantages and rules for choosing the best boiler

For the heating season you need 5-6 tons of pellets. 1 ton of such fuel occupies 1.5 m³, T.That is, to store bags and packages you will need a separate room of several square meters. m

To service a house 100 m away² A gas holder with a capacity of 2700 liters is sufficient. The price of the tank is 155-165 thousand rubles. Plus cost gas boiler — from 40 thousand rubles. We receive approximately 260 thousand rubles.

Land works, gas holder installation, delivery and other organizational work will cost another 60-70 thousand rubles.

Criterion #4 - ease of use of systems

Heating with pellets implies the presence in the household of a person who will search for fuel, store it, load it, monitor the combustion process, clean the boiler, and remove waste.

Some actions can be automated if you choose a boiler with automatic supply and the ability to schedule a fuel supply. Then loading granules can be done once a week, but this will entail additional costs for equipment.

1 ton of pellets, depending on the ash content, produces about 5 kg of waste. Even a boiler with good automation does not completely eliminate the need to clean it. Plus, in addition to purchasing the appropriate equipment, you will need electricity to maintain the system.

When choosing a heating system, it is worth starting from the region. LPG delivery is available everywhere and at approximately the same cost. But the price and availability of pellets depends on the area

The gas tank is refilled 1-2 times a year, the process takes a couple of hours, then the system works independently. LPG does not need to be loaded; it moves through the pipes itself and provides heat.

The tank is located underground and does not take up space; it does not require a separate storage room.

But the gas tank requires technical inspection twice a year: in spring and autumn.If necessary, cosmetic repairs are carried out.

Often companies that install tanks offer free equipment maintenance for the first year. Then a contract is concluded for 12 months. with a subscription fee of 12-13 thousand rubles, which includes emergency departure. One-time maintenance costs 3.5-4 thousand rubles.

To see a detailed analysis of the pros and cons of heating with a gas holder, please go to via this link.

Criterion #5 - reliability and safety

Solid fuel and pellet boilers are reliable if two conditions are met: there are fuel reserves and a person servicing the system. Plus, in the absence of pellets, such equipment can be loaded with other solid fuels: firewood, coal.

There is no doubt about the reliability of the gas tank. Gas evaporation occurs even at the lowest temperatures. The human factor does not affect the process.

Problems with a gas tank arise due to incorrect selection or installation of the tank. What matters is the height of the pipes and the exact calculation of the immersion depth of the installation. If you choose the right container, gearbox, and carry out high-quality installation, there will be no complaints

Regarding safety, when using a solid fuel or pellet boiler there is a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. When the boiler room is located in the house, you need to be ready to respond to smoke at any time: open windows, doors, reconfigure equipment. Therefore, it is advisable to immediately install and carbon monoxide sensor.

LPG is safe when stored correctly. In the event of a leak, liquid gas goes into the ground because it weighs more than air.

Leakage is possible when using an old tank with worn seams. Plus, it is important to observe when installing gas holder placement rule away from stray currents and heating mains (SP 62.13330.2011).

But in a room where gas-using equipment is installed, a gas leak may occur for various reasons - breakdown of the boiler, stove, leakage of connections, etc. To detect it in time, it is advisable to install gas leak sensor.

Final comparison table

The above calculations are relevant for a house 100 m². Costs do not reflect all options; actual figures are affected by the climate of the region, the severity of winter, and the level of thermal insulation of the house.

The combination of a gas holder plus a gas boiler provides ease of use and a certain independence from external factors (electricity, quality of pellet production). But it implies the presence of free space on the site far from residential premises and the implementation of such a project will cost more than the “competitor”.

Pellet equipment is cheaper, as is the fuel itself.But it requires high quality pellets, constant maintenance or additional costs for modernization. At the same time, it produces low efficiency when compared with a gas tank. But a gas boiler also requires annual maintenance.

We also recommend that you read the side-by-side comparison. gas tank and main gas.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Experience in operating a Zota Pellet 15s pellet boiler with remote control worth 165 thousand rubles.

Installation of a gas tank with some nuances and connecting equipment to it.

Part 1:

Part 2:

When choosing what to install - a pellet boiler or a gas holder, take into account all the factors of economic benefit and operating conditions.

The amount for the purchase of equipment, its installation, and connection refers to one-time costs. The cost of fuel and equipment operation are already fixed expenses and they hit the family budget the hardest.

What fuel do you use? Share your experience with other users - the feedback form is located below.

If you still have questions about the topic of the article, ask them to our experts and visitors to our website in the comments block.