Especially in the winter, having a comfortable and energy-efficient space in your home depends on the heating system you choose. A lot of homeowners are choosing electric heating boilers because of their effectiveness and simplicity of installation. Finding the power required for the area of your home is a critical step in choosing the right electric heating boiler.
A number of factors must be taken into account when calculating an electric heating boiler’s power requirements, one of which is the house’s area. The amount of heat output needed from the boiler to keep the interior at a comfortable temperature is directly influenced by the size of the area that needs to be heated. You can make sure the heating system you select will suit your needs without using too much energy by precisely measuring the area of your house.
It’s important to comprehend the idea of heat loss before beginning the calculation process. Heat loss happens when your home’s poorly insulated walls, windows, doors, and other openings allow the warmth produced by your heating system to escape. You can lessen the strain on your heating system and increase energy efficiency by minimizing heat loss through appropriate sealing and insulation.
After evaluating your home’s insulation and heat loss, you can start figuring out how much power your electric heating boiler needs. The area of each room is usually multiplied by a particular heat loss factor in the formula used for this computation. This factor takes into consideration things like the type of construction materials used in your home, the desired indoor temperature, and the climate zone in which you live.
It’s crucial to remember that, although estimating an electric heating boiler’s power based on area can be a useful first step, other considerations might also affect your choice in the end. These elements consist of your home’s design, the quantity and size of its windows, the existence of extra heating sources, and your individual preferences for the interior temperature. You can navigate these factors and come to the best decision for your needs by speaking with a heating specialist.
Area of the House (in square meters) | Required Power of Electric Heating Boiler (in kilowatts) |
Up to 100 | 3-6 kW |
100-150 | 6-9 kW |
150-200 | 9-12 kW |
Above 200 | 12+ kW |
- How to correctly calculate the power of the electric boiler
- Choosing the power of heating equipment
- What the power depends on
- Features of calculations for electric boiler
- The scope of modern electric boilers
- How to calculate the power of the boiler: two methods
- Calculation of the power of the heating boiler by area
- Power of the boiler for apartments
- How to calculate the power of an economical electric boiler
- Methods for determining power
- Calculation of the boiler power by area
- Factors affecting thermal power
- Calculation of the boiler by volume
- Video on the topic
- How to find out the power of the electric boiler?
How to correctly calculate the power of the electric boiler
The power of the electric boiler and other system components must be determined before any equipment for home heating is purchased. This indicator is the primary device parameter that is used to determine whether or not a given heating unit model is appropriate for heating a specific building.
As a result, you should compute an electric boiler for heating a private residence using the electrical equipment passport data prior to making the purchase.
Choosing the power of heating equipment
Not only do we need to know how much power the electric boiler needs to heat the house, but we also need to remember that the building’s total allowable value is restricted by the district services that serve the power supply. When the predetermined amount is surpassed, a restricting device is activated, cutting off the premises’ electricity supply.
Therefore, before selecting equipment of a particular model, they find out how much power the electric boiler consumes and then compute all of the device’s parameters.
Currently, electric ships that have both simulated and fixed powers are used to manufacture heating units. Experts advise choosing models with constant values over those with simulated indicators because the former enable us to stop the power supply from cutting off when the limits are reached.
The type of unit chosen has no bearing on the amount of electricity consumed. The amount of energy the heating system receives from the electric boiler has an impact on this figure.
What the power depends on
Heaps—tubular electric heaters—located inside the device’s heat exchanger supply the boiler’s capacity. The circulation pump is used to send heated coolant—which is produced during their operation—to the heating system.
The electric boiler’s power is calculated in kW, with the hets being the unit of measurement. Remember that this indicator can range from 2 to 60 kW depending on the number of installed heating elements.
Features of calculations for electric boiler
One of the most crucial operating features of electrical devices is the thermal indicator, which should be kept in mind when building an electric boiler for home heating. Ensuring a consistent supply of hot water and compensating for the house’s thermal losses are imperative. Finding out how much power an electric boiler has for heating is a topic that many private home owners are curious about. Also see: "Monthly energy consumption of an electric heating boiler."
Determine it independently for every particular situation, accounting for:
- heating area;
- materials from which walls and ceilings are built;
- degree of thermal insulation of the structure;
- The area of glazing of the building.
When calculating the power of an electric heating boiler and determining the amount of energy required to provide hot water to renters at their homes, heat engineering calculations must take into consideration all of the aforementioned values.
The power needed to install an electric boiler is calculated using the formula W = s x WUD/10 m², which states:
- W means the power of the device (kW);
- S – heated area (m²);
- Wood – the specific power of the unit, it is installed separately for each region.
Therefore, this value is taken for 1 or 1.2 for the middle strip. In this instance, the electric boiler’s power, W, was determined using the provided formula, and the result was 12 kW.
This calculation formula works well if low-power electric boilers (single-circuit devices), like the one in the picture, are going to be installed. To choose the appropriate heating equipment for double-circuit units, you must first ascertain the parameters for the DHW contour (also see "How to make a calculation of the power of the heating boiler yourself").
The scope of modern electric boilers
Some people believe that electric boilers can only provide adequate heat for small areas of the house. This is untrue because manufacturers make low-power electric boards as well as units that allow occupants of buildings up to 1000 "squares" to live comfortably. Because electricity is so expensive, they are typically used as backup equipment in case the primary system fails.
Small homes are equipped with single-phase and three-phase low power boilers. Multi-stage devices are also capable of producing more than 6 kW of power, and they can help you save a lot of money on your electricity bills (see "Economic electric shoes for heating the house: Types").
Acquiring the ability to compute an electric boiler’s power enables you to buy apparatus that satisfies the required standards.
How to calculate the power of the boiler: two methods
The heating boiler must release enough thermal energy to replace all of the building’s or premises’ heat loss in order to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the winter. Additionally, you must have a small power supply in case the area grows or you get unusual colds. In this article, we will discuss how to calculate the necessary power and talk.
You must first ascertain the building’s or premises’ heat loss in order to assess the performance of the heating system. We refer to this computation as heat engineering. Due to the numerous factors that must be considered, this is one of the hardest calculations in the industry.
All heat losses must be considered in order to calculate the boiler’s power.
Naturally, the materials used in the building of the house have an impact on heat loss. Thus, consideration is given to the building materials, from which the foundation, walls, floors, attic, roofs, windows, and door openings are constructed. Considerations include the kind of system wiring and the existence of heated floors. In certain instances, the existence of domestic appliances—which emit heat when in use—is also taken into account. However, this level of precision isn’t always necessary. There are ways to rapidly calculate the heating boiler’s necessary productivity without delving into the complex world of heat engineering.
Calculation of the power of the heating boiler by area
The area of the premises is sufficient for an approximative evaluation of the necessary performance of the thermal unit. In its most basic form, 1kW of power is thought to be able to heat 10m 2 areas in central Russia. A house measuring 160 square meters will require a 16 kW boiler to heat it.
Because the climate and ceiling heights are not taken into consideration, these calculations are approximations. In order to achieve this, experimentally displayed coefficients are used, and the necessary adjustments are made.
For 10m2, the recommended standard is 1 kW, which is appropriate for 2.5–2.7 m ceilings. You must compute the coefficients and recount if the room above has ceilings. In order to do this, we calculate the correction factor by dividing the height of your property by the standard 2.7 meters.
The simplest method is to calculate the heating boiler power by area.
For instance, the ceiling height is 3.2 meters. We calculate the coefficient and round to 1.2 (3.2 m/2.7 m = 1.18). It turns out that a heating boiler with a capacity of 16 kW*1.2 = 19.2 kW is needed to heat a room that is 160 m³ and has a ceiling height of 3.2 m. Typically, they go in a bigger direction, or 20 kW.
Prefabricated coefficients are used to account for climate characteristics. Regarding Russia, they are:
- 1.5-2.0 for the northern regions;
- 1.2-1.5 for the regions near Moscow;
- 1.0-1.2 for the middle strip;
- 0.7-0.9 for the southern regions.
In the Krasnodar Territory in the south of Russia, for instance, a coefficient of 0.8 is used, meaning that the power is needed (20 kW*0, 8 = 16 kW). If the house is in the middle lane, a little south of Moscow, a coefficient of 1.2 (20 kW*1.2 = 24kW) is used.
The calculation of heating and boiler selection are crucial steps. You may obtain such a result if you locate power incorrectly.
These are the primary considerations that must be made. However, if the boiler is used primarily for heating, the results are reasonable. Add 20–25% to the estimated amount if heating water is also required. Then, to reach the highest winter temperatures, you must add a "stock." This represents an additional 10%. Total amount received:
- For heating a house and DHW in a middle lane 24kW+20%= 28.8 kW. Then the supply for the cold – 28.8 kW+10%= 31.68kW. Round and get 32kW. When compared with the initial figure of 16 kW, the difference is twice.
- House in the Krasnodar Territory. Add power for heating hot water: 16 kW+20%= 19.2 kW. Now the "reserve" in the cold is 19.2+10%= 21.12kW. Jacket: 22kW. The difference is not so striking, but also quite decent.
The examples demonstrate that these values at the very least need to be considered. However, it is evident that there should be a difference when calculating the boiler’s power for the house and the apartment. Using the coefficients for every factor, you can proceed in the same manner. However, there’s a more straightforward method that lets you adjust one thing at a time.
A coefficient of 1.5 is used to determine the house’s heating boiler. He considers the possibility of heat loss via the foundation, floor, and roof. Fair with the typical (average) level of wall insulation; two bricks or comparable in terms of the properties of the building materials.
For apartments, different coefficients are employed. In the event that an unheated attic has a coefficient of 1.0 and a heated room (or other apartment) has a coefficient of 0.7 on top. To obtain a reasonably accurate figure, you must multiply the boiler’s capacity using one of these coefficients in accordance with the above methodology.
To illustrate the calculation process, we will compute the gas boiler power for a 65-square-meter apartment with 3-meter ceilings situated in the center of the Russian Federation.
- Determine the required power by area: 65m 2 /10m 2 = 6.5 kW.
- We make an amendment to the region: 6.5 kW*1.2 = 7.8 kW.
- The boiler will warm the water, therefore add 25% (we love the hotter) 7.8 kW*1.25 = 9.75kW.
- Add 10% to the cold: 7.95kW*1.1 = 10.725KW.
We now round the result to obtain 11kW.
For the selection of heating boilers on any fuel type, the given algorithm is equitable. The formula for calculating the power of an electric heating boiler is the same as the formula for a solid fuel, gas, or liquid fuel boiler. The boiler’s output and efficiency are what matter most, and the type of boiler has no bearing on heat loss. The question at hand is how to use fewer energy carriers. And here’s where insulation comes in.
Power of the boiler for apartments
You can use SNiP norms to calculate heating equipment for apartments. Utilizing these guidelines is also known as calculating the boiler’s power by volume. In typical buildings, SNiP determines the necessary amount of heat to heat one cubic meter of air:
- The heating of 1m 3 in the panel house requires 41W;
- In a brick house on M 3, 34W is 34W.
With the apartment’s size and ceiling height known, you can calculate the volume. Next, multiply the volume by the norm to determine the boiler’s power.
The kind of fuel used has no bearing on how much power the boiler can produce.
For instance, we figure out how much power the boiler needs for 74 m^2 of rooms in a brick home with 2.7 m ceilings.
- We calculate the volume: 74m 2 *2.7m = 199.8m 3
- We think by the norm how much heat will be needed: 199.8*34W = 6793W. We round and transfer to kilowatts, we get 7kW. This will be the necessary power, which the heat unit must issue.
The power for the same room in the panel house can be easily calculated: 199.8*41W = 8191W. Although, in theory, they always round up more in heat engineering, you can consider your windows’ glazing. You can round the smaller windows if they have energy-efficient double-glazed windows. We think the double-glazed windows are good, and the 8 kW is enough.
The type of building determines the boiler power to use; less heat is needed for brick heating than for panel heating.
Next, you must account for the area and the requirement to heat the water when making calculations for the house. The modification of unusually low temperatures. However, the arrangement of the rooms and the number of stories are crucial factors in apartments. You must consider the walls that lead outside:
- One outer wall – 1.1
- Two – 1.2
- Three – 1.3
When selecting a heating method, you can rely on a reasonably accurate value that you will obtain after accounting for all the coefficients. It needs to be ordered in a profile organization if you want an accurate heat engineering calculation.
There is another method: to determine the real losses using a thermal imager – a modern device, which will show the places through which heat leaks go more intensively. At the same time, you can eliminate these problems and improve thermal insulation. And the third option is to use the calculator program that will consider everything instead of you. You just need to choose and/or put down the required data. At the output, get the calculated power of the boiler. True, there is a certain share of risk: it is not clear how true algorithms are the basis of such a program. So after all, you still have to at least approximately calculate to compare the results.
This is how the thermal imager appears in an image.
We hope that you now know how to figure out the boiler’s power. And you are not perplexed by the fact that this is a gas boiler. not dense fuel, or the opposite.
You can stop heat leaks based on the examination’s findings.
Articles about choosing pipes for the heating system and calculating radiator power might be of interest to you. Watch a video to get a general idea of common mistakes that are made when designing a heating system.
How to calculate the power of an economical electric boiler
The first step in accurately calculating the thermal power of an electric heating boiler is figuring out how much heat is lost at home during the coldest winter days. The house will remain warm throughout the year because of this approach in the rooms.
Methods for determining power
There are several ways to compute the size of these losses. Certain of them allow for the utilization of extremely intricate formulas, which naturally annoys a lot of clients. After all, calculating the desired figure takes a lot of time. Thus, two straightforward approaches will be further examined:
- Allows determine the amount of heat loss at home, knowing only the area .
- Allows install the thermal power of an economical electric boiler with high efficiency using the volume .
Prior to going over each technique, keep in mind that all electric boilers are not the same because they can convert 100% of electric energy into nearly 100% of thermal energy. It doesn’t matter; it heats water using electrodes or inductance coils simultaneously. Because of this feature, you can calculate the amount of heat loss at your house without having to modify it to account for the heating boiler’s efficiency.
Consider a solid fuel boiler with a 90% efficiency as a point of comparison. The heating system will only receive 3×0.9 = 2.7 kW/h if 1 kg of firewood emits 3 kW/h. Electricity will be transformed into 3 kW/h thermal energy in the case of electric devices that consume 3 kW/h. As you can see, the computation is only somewhat simplified by this feature.
Calculation of the boiler power by area
It is extremely basic, as it stipulates that 100 watts of heat must be produced for every square meter to be heated. It’s true that the formula appears more complicated:
Where S represents the house’s area.
The coefficient k is used to calculate heat loss. based on how warm it is outside the window. It is 0.7 for areas where the wintertime air temperature does not drop below -10 °C. It is evident that outside the window, it grows as the temperature drops. It increases by more than 0.2 for every 5 °C. K is 1.2 for areas where thermometer readings indicate -35 °C in the winter.
In the event that 115 square meters of space needs to be heated. If the area you’re installing a low-cost electric boiler in measures m and is situated in a zone where the minimum winter temperature is -20 °C, then it should have a power output of 115*1.1*100 = 12 650 W = 12.65 kW.
Although this calculation is very straightforward, it is not always accurate. It’s because a variety of factors influence heat loss. He is reasonable in this instance for the home that has:
- windows with a double -glazed window and an area of not more than 30% of the area of all rooms;
- average thermal insulation (wall thickness is 2 bricks length, a heater with a thickness of 15 cm);
- cold attic;
- rooms whose height is 2.5 m.
Here, the external walls are not considered. This is because the corrective coefficient ought to be 1.1 even with just one of these walls. It is 1.2 for two walls, 1.3 for three, etc. D.
That is, you need to use a cost-effective heating boiler with a power of 12.65*1.4 = 17.71 kW/h to heat the aforementioned house. It is obvious that using a device with a 20 kW/hour output is preferable.
Factors affecting thermal power
- The number of external walls.
- Type of windows.
- The level of thermal insulation of walls.
- Square of windows.
- The height of the premises.
- The presence of insulated attic.
According to standard glazing, 27% of heat escapes through conventional windows. In other words, the result of the above formula should be multiplied by 1.27 when dealing with such windows. The corrective coefficient for windows that have a triple package is 0.85.
For walls that are poorly and extremely well insulated, respectively, the same coefficients are applied. 10% extra heat loss through the windows is possible if the window area makes up 40% of the room’s total area. That is, 1.1 is the coefficient. The ratio of the floor area to the area of windows increases by 0.1 with each additional 10% growth.
When a room’s height is greater than 2.5 meters, consideration should be given to it. The corrective coefficient for this number is 1. It grows by 0.5 when the height is increased by an additional 0.5 m. In other words, 1.15 for 4-meter walls. The resultant figure does not need to be modified if there is a cold attic. The result is multiplied by 0.9 or 0.8 if it is insulated or has a heated room on top.
Calculation of the boiler by volume
Power is calculated using the following formula:
Where V represents the house’s volume.
The heat loss coefficient, or K, varies with thermal insulation. Its values are as follows:
- 0.6-0.9-for houses in which the design is improved. Walls – brick and covered with double thermal insulation, the windows have a double -glazed window and a relatively small area, the roof is made of heat -insulating material;
- 1-1.9-for houses characterized by double brickwork. a small number of windows and a roof that has an ordinary roof;
- 2-2.9-for buildings with slight thermal insulation. That is, the windows and roof with a simplified structure, walls with a thickness of 1 brick;
- 3-4-for wooden structures or buildings whose walls are a corrugated metal sheet.
The difference between the desired indoor temperature and the outside temperature through the window is known as ΔT.
The house mentioned earlier will be taken, for instance. The volume of it is V = 115 * 2.5 = 287.5 m^3. At 40 °C, Δt = +20-(-20) °C. P = 287.5*1.9*40/860 = 25.4 kW/hour is the result.
The existence of an indirect boiler with good efficiency within the home is not taken into consideration by either method. If so, a specific amount needs to be added to the outcome. Numerous professionals advise multiplying it by 1.2–1.3. Though another straightforward formula can be used.
In order to ensure effective and efficient heating, it is essential to calculate the power of an electric heating boiler based on the area of your home. You can maintain both comfort and energy efficiency in your living space by making educated decisions based on your knowledge of the relationship between the size of your home and its heating requirements.
Your home’s insulation is one of the most important things to take into account when calculating the boiler power. In general, homes with better insulation need less energy to heat than ones with worse insulation. This is because well-insulated homes retain heat better, lowering the need for heating as a whole. Therefore, it’s crucial to evaluate and, if needed, improve your home’s insulation before figuring out the boiler power.
The climate in your area is another crucial factor. While warmer climates may require less heating power, colder climates usually require more to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures. Knowing the climate conditions in your area will help you make more accurate calculations and select the right boiler power to suit your heating requirements.
It’s important to account for things like ceiling height, the number of windows, and any extra heating needs for particular rooms, like bathrooms or basements, when figuring out the boiler power by area. To ensure accurate computations, these factors should be considered as they have a substantial impact on your home’s overall heating demand.
Finally, it’s important to remember that, even though estimating boiler power based on area offers a broad framework, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. A number of other variables, including the kind of heating system, the caliber of the insulation, and individual preferences, are also very important. You can ensure that your home has the best possible heating performance by customizing the boiler power calculation to meet your unique needs by speaking with a qualified heating technician.
It’s important to find the right balance when calculating the power required for an electric heating boiler based on the area that needs to be heated. The size of your area is important because larger spaces typically need more power to stay warm. But there are other important factors as well, such as the desired temperature, the local climate, and the quality of the insulation. Oversizing can result in wasted energy and higher bills, while undersizing may result in inadequate heating; by taking into account all pertinent factors, you can optimize your electric heating system for efficiency and comfort in your home. Rough guidelines are available, but it’s wise to consult with a professional to ensure accuracy.