Electricity consumption of a gas boiler: how much electricity does a typical heating unit consume

Perhaps for someone it will be news that the gas boiler equipment needs not only gas, but also electricity. And along with the gas consumption, the electricity consumption of the gas boiler, which is the heart of your heating system, should also be taken into account.

Now there is bound to be a reader who will object and will be right. And his correctness is that there are still boilers on gas without being connected to the mains. These are classic floor-standing units with an open combustion chamber; they require a separate room and strict adherence to strict fire safety rules in it.

Non-volatile boilers are currently used in villages remote from cities, in dachas - where there are power outages. Or, if you want to save money on the purchase of equipment. We will talk about modern gas heating equipment, but it works only if there is a high-quality reliable power supply.

What is the power supply for a gas boiler?

With the advent of closed combustion chambers, gas units became dependent on electrical networks. Electricity consumption in such boilers is determined by the composition and amount of electronics in its insides.

And it is already allowed to install them not only in an isolated boiler room, but also in kitchens and bathrooms. From a security point of view, they have a high level of protection.

Let's list what exactly requires energy consumption:

• electric ignition;
• circulation pump;
• a fan in a closed combustion chamber;
• automation (gas supply regulation, as well as traction sensors, gas pressure, water pressure, etc.).

An electric ignition gas boiler ignites automatically from an electric spark. There is no ignition wick, which constantly burns in other ignition systems, at all, gas is not wasted in vain for its combustion.

At the moment of the appearance of an electric spark, some kind of electricity is spent, but the moment itself lasts a fraction of a second. In this case, electricity is consumed minuscule, gas savings due to the missing igniter covers these costs. The only negative is that in the absence of electricity, the boiler equipment cannot be started.

If the power supply to the network is lost suddenly, then the gas cutoff will be triggered. When the power comes on, the electric ignition will restart the heating system again without human intervention.

The circulating pump - so it raises the power consumption dramatically! But it is possible to minimize the costs when operating a gas boiler if you use thermostats in all rooms, integrating them into the general circuit of the pump's power supply and the functioning of the boiler.

Another economic result is significantly increased by the programmer. The thermostat only helps to maintain a stable set temperature, and the programmer is able to set the day / night mode, changes by day of the week, etc.

A fan (turbine) in a closed combustion chamber also consumes electricity, but less than a circular pump. The costs are justified by the improved smoke extraction. Boiler with coaxial chimney does not burn out oxygen in the room, does not allow carbon monoxide to pass outside and makes less noise.

Automation in a gas boiler increases its final cost, but with it control of the heating system is reduced to setting the desired temperature and pressing just one button.

Electricity is needed to operate the gas controller and many sensors. Its consumption depends on how complex the automation is, but in general we are talking about low-cost energy consumption.

Gas boiler electricity consumption in figures

Usually, everyone is primarily interested in gas consumption. And the question of how much electricity a typical gas boiler consumes seems to fade into the background. Let's deal with it.

A volatile gas boiler is connected to an alternating current network with standard characteristics: 220 V and 50 Hz. For the stable operation of the unit, it is important that the voltage does not drop beyond the 195 V mark. At lower voltages, electrical components will go wild and start to shut down.

Minimum electricity consumption

The need for electricity at different stages of work is different. The minimum electrical consumption of a gas boiler is 65 W. This is in the phase of operation of the circular pump, and at the time of electric ignition - 120 W, i.e. almost twice as high. If the fan is on, then it also consumes electricity - another 30-35 watts.

We draw conclusions. Electric ignition requires 120 W, then, with the pump and fan running, the power consumption will be:

65 + 30 (35) = 105 (110) W

This is the minimum daily power consumption. It does not take into account the consumption of electricity by other elements of the heating unit - the same automation. Let it be insignificant, but the final result will increase.

And it should also be noted that the figures are based on a single-circuit apparatus, i.e. only heating without hot water supply is taken into account. If we take the same thermal power, but double-circuit boiler, power consumption will be higher.

What does the data sheet of a gas boiler say?

In the characteristics of any gas boiler there is information about power consumption. Having studied the technical documentation for the products of Bosch, Baxi, Vaillant, Ariston and others, we see that the electrical power of the floor units is in the range from 100 to 200 W, and of the floor units - from 15 to 160 watts

But since in heating systems with floor-standing boilers, separately installed circulation pumps are often used. It is important not to forget about them and take into account additional power consumption.

And here is a visual comparison of power consumption in the presence of hot water supply (double-circuit boiler) and without hot water supply (single-circuit boiler): a floor-standing single-circuit with a power of 30 kW consumes 15 W, a double-circuit also with a power of 30 kW - already 150 Tue

Different manufacturers ambiguously describe their power consumption in the characteristics of gas boilers.

It can be one general line, or it can be verbose:

• electricity consumption by the pump;
• electric power without pump;
• stopping losses;
• standby consumption.

Consumption for all items is indicated in W.

Calculation of power consumption by example

To calculate the kilowatts of electricity consumed by a gas boiler, we make a classic calculation of energy consumption - the same as for other electrical appliances. We are based on the electrical power of the boiler indicated in the technical data sheet. The manufacturer sets this parameter with a maximum value that in reality exceeds the average actual indicator.

Example.

Let's say we have a single-circuit gas boiler Baxi Luna 31.310 Fi, its useful thermal power is 31 kW, power consumption is 165 W.

We calculate the daily consumption of electrical energy for preparation coolant. We multiply the power consumption by the number of hours of operation of the boiler.

Let's say the heating does not turn off around the clock:

165 W × 24 hours = 3960 W × h or 3.96 kW × h is the maximum daily energy consumption

Now we calculate how much electricity in kilowatt-hours a gas heating boiler consumes per month. We multiply the number of consumed kilowatts per day by the number of days in a month (30 days):

3.96 kWh x 30 days = 118.8 kWh is the maximum monthly electricity consumption.

And finally, you need to get the electricity consumption for the year or for the heating season. Since we are talking about a single-circuit boiler and, accordingly, heating without hot water supply, we take the duration of the heating season equal to 7 months.

Then: 118.8 kW × h × 7 = 831.6 kW × h - the maximum electricity consumption for the entire heating season.

For a double-circuit boiler, 12 months must be taken into account - although in an economical mode, the boiler works in the summer months.

How to reduce energy costs?

We will proceed from the fact that, firstly, the electricity consumption directly depends on the heat output of the heating boiler. And, secondly, most of the electricity consumed is taken by the circulation pump, which drives the coolant in the pipes so that the pipes and heating radiators warmed up measuredly.

Let us name a number of specific proposals for those who would still like to reduce energy costs:

1. Stop selection on the non-volatile unit. Most likely, it will be a floor version. In terms of functionality and comfort, alas, it is unable to compete with its volatile counterparts.
2. Buy a volatile device, but low power. Here, of course, there is a significant limitation - one cannot ignore the number of heated square meters. If, for example, it is necessary to heat 180-200 m² of a private house, then a gas boiler with a capacity of 20-24 kW is needed. And nothing less.
3. Carefully study the assortment lines of different brands. Each model has its own nuances and, perhaps, for some of them you will see the most attractive figures for power consumption in the technical specifications.
4. Analyze what constitutes the total cost of electricity bills. Perhaps the share of these costs attributable to the gas boiler is negligible, and it is necessary to turn our attention to other objects that really consume excessive electricity.
5. And how do you like the use of alternative energy - for example, solar panels or collectors on the roof of the house?

And yet, in the pursuit of saving electricity, do not bring your own actions to the point of absurdity. Do not forget that gas units consume little electricity, since their main fuel resource is not electricity, but natural or liquefied gas.

UPS for a gas boiler and its power consumption

In the event of a loss of electricity in the network, the gas unit will switch to an emergency worker, which threatens to break down expensive components. And the UPS (uninterruptible power supply) will come to the rescue in such situations.

Line-interactive type - the most in demand UPS, according to numerous customer reviews. They include a voltage regulator that is able to respond to voltage drops in network within 10%, if this value is exceeded, the transition to power supply from the battery batteries.

Off-line type Are uninterruptible power supplies without a voltage stabilizer. They help out in case of a sudden power outage, but do not protect against fluctuations in the mains voltage.

On-line type - the most advanced UPS. They smoothly switch from mains power to battery power and vice versa. The only drawback is that not everyone can afford their price.

At the moment the gas boiler starts up, electricity consumption increases by at least two, or even three to four times. Let it be a short moment, lasting a second or two, we still take UPS for gas boiler heating to the maximum and with a power reserve. For a gas boiler with an electric power of 100 W, a UPS with a power of at least 300 W is needed (with a margin of up to 450-500 W).

As for the capacity of the storage battery, for example, one battery with a capacity of 50 Ah will be enough with a power consumption of 100 W for 4-5 hours of operation. To provide 9-10 hours of operation, you need to have two such batteries, etc.

And finally, will the UPS consume power for its own needs? It all depends on the efficiency. If we take the efficiency = 80%, then for our 300 W UPS the consumption together with the load will be:

300 W / 0.8 = 375 W, where 300 W is the load, the remaining 75 W is the consumption of the UPS itself.

The given calculation example is conditional and is applicable for simple uninterruptible power supplies, namely for the moment when the mains voltage surges become above a certain level - more than 10%. When the network is standard 220 V, the UPS consumes practically nothing.

It is better to entrust detailed calculations for calculating UPS power, battery capacity and additional electricity costs in connection with the installation of a UPS in the heating network.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

How to choose a gas boiler (the video contains information about volatile boilers and their components that require electricity to operate):

How much electricity does a gas boiler consume (the author of the video makes a measurement with a wattmeter):

Autonomous power supply for a gas boiler (experience of a home "craftsman"):

When buying a gas boiler, put the task of reducing energy consumption to one of the last places. Electricity bills are incomparably lower than the obvious plus - savings of up to 30% of consumed gas.

The main thing is that in your area there are no problems with a sudden power outage for a long time. Well, and, undoubtedly, the automation of the boilers gives more opportunities for setting and monitoring the unit during its operation.

Please leave comments in the block below, ask questions, post photos on the topic of the article. Share how much energy your gas unit consumes during operation. It is possible that your tips on saving and operating the boiler will be useful to site visitors.