Individual heating in an apartment building: design rules

The vast majority of residents of apartment buildings are not happy with the quality of central heating. The apartments are either cold or unbearably hot, plus constant breakdowns, breakthroughs and other troubles. Such heating can hardly be called comfortable, and you have to pay a lot for it. Therefore, it is not surprising that many want to abandon central heating and install their own - autonomous, with a lot of advantages. Individual heating in an apartment is always convenient, timely and economical. It gives the owner the opportunity to independently control the “weather in the house”: without unnecessary problems and intermediaries.

2 What difficulties will you face?
3 Individual heating - to be
4 Letter of the law: no amateur performances
5 Selecting the necessary equipment

The main advantages of such a system

If the energy supply is uninterrupted, then no external factors can prevent you from staying warm. The same cannot be said about central heating. Its normal operation is highly dependent not only on energy resources, but also on the nature and quality of installation of pipes through which heat is supplied to the house, the nuances of the functioning of the boiler room and many other points. That is, from anything, but not from a person - the direct consumer.

Thanks to individual heating in an apartment building, you can always receive as much heat as is needed at a given moment in time. Do you want +18°C? Please! Comfortable at +27°C? Great! Heat an apartment during a damp and rainy summer? No problem!

A thermostat helps maintain a certain temperature in the apartment with an accuracy of one degree. This device promotes maximum energy savings and ensures effective control of the microclimate in the house

There is no need to turn on an electric convector or an oil radiator if the heat is not enough or keep the vents open for days on end because the radiators are too hot. The house will always have a comfortable temperature, which you set yourself.

Energy resources in an autonomous heating system are used as rationally as possible. If the home is well insulated, heating costs are guaranteed to decrease significantly.

Such systems are usually implemented on the basis of double-circuit boilers, which are also “responsible” for hot water supply. Consequently, thanks to individual heating in apartment buildings, another problem is solved - dependence on “planned” and an endless number of “emergency” shutdowns of hot water. Double comfort, right?

To learn how to correctly calculate the power of a double-circuit boiler and choose the appropriate equipment, read our material: https://aqua-rmnt.com/otoplenie/kotly/dvuxkonturnyj-nastennyj-gazovyj-kotel.html.

Autonomous systems are also good for construction organizations, as they significantly simplify, shorten and reduce the cost of the construction process - they can be installed and launched much faster; In addition, there is no need to install heating networks.

How to calculate the cost of individual heating

As mentioned above, not everything depends only on the cost of the material; you will also have to spend money on paperwork. Still, most of the costs are work and the purchase of equipment. Typically, the most expensive part of the system is the boiler. Gas units are noticeably cheaper than electric ones, but it is unlikely that you will be able to purchase a boiler for less than 10,000 rubles. In addition, the larger the area of your apartment, the more powerful the device is needed, and the more expensive it will cost. If we talk about safe and durable foreign equipment, then it will cost many times more than domestic equipment.

We recommend: How to make autonomous heating for a garage?

In second place in cost are heating radiators, which you will most likely also have to buy new. However, if the house and batteries are new, then the current system can be left, including only a gas or electric boiler. The most popular bimetallic batteries now will cost you an average of 400 rubles per section. Ideally, it is believed that one section should be enough for two square meters of space. But this is if your house has thick walls and there is no draft from the windows. In any case, it is better to take it with a reserve than to redo it later.

How to calculate the cost of individual heating?

To arrange heating, you will also need heating system pipes. Here the choice is great: you can leave metal, you can use inexpensive, reliable and durable polypropylene pipes. You will also need various shut-off devices, taps to regulate the flow of coolant and other devices to control the temperature in the room.

Of course, prices in each region for certain components differ, and therefore it is difficult to say exactly how much autonomous heating will cost; it all depends on the specific situation. For example, in Moscow, switching to individual heating will cost approximately 100-140 thousand rubles. The amount only looks impressive, but then how much can be saved on heat consumption.

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What difficulties will you face?

Despite the many obvious advantages, autonomous heating also has significant disadvantages. The shortcomings relate not to the system itself, but to the process of its “legitimization” and arrangement. If you live in an apartment building connected to centralized heating and hot water supply, then the decision to install an individual system will cost you quite a lot in all respects. It will require not only colossal financial expenses, but also a lot of time, enough perseverance and mental strength.

The most difficult and problematic moment in the implementation of an individual scheme is not the technical side of the issue, but the paper side. When preparing documents, you will have to deal with total bureaucracy and collect a lot of permitting papers.

In practice, saying goodbye to such a “luxury” as central heating turns out to be very difficult. The “okay” for disconnecting from the central heating supply and installing an individual system must be issued by local governments. They should, but, as a rule, they don’t want to. Why? Due to a possible decrease in temperature in neighboring apartments, a violation of the hydraulic regime, and problems with the heat balance of the house. Therefore, on the one hand, “refusals” are, as it were, legal.

The performance indicators of centralized heating that do not meet standards and expectations, the extremely high level of accidents in heating networks against the backdrop of the unreasonably high cost of the service - all this encourages residents of apartment buildings to think about the need to switch to individual heating systems

On the other hand, according to the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, the consumer has every right to “break” relations with the heat supply organization if he does not have any debts to it.

So, with due persistence, it is usually possible to resolve the issue positively.

Autonomous heating in an apartment: what will need to be done

Let’s say right away that you will have to spend money not only on purchasing the necessary equipment and the work of craftsmen, but also on drawing up a project and getting it approved by various authorities. However, it's usually worth it because autonomous heating can actually avoid heating problems in winter. So, you will not need to be afraid of planned and unscheduled outages (in case of an accident), since your apartment will become almost completely independent of the central network. The only problem that you may have to face is turning off gas and electricity. But this happens extremely rarely in cities, and breakdowns are repaired as quickly as possible.

The next obvious advantage of individual heating is the ability of the consumer to regulate heat transfer, and therefore save money when the temperature rises. According to statistics, this way you can save almost twice. And if hot water supply is also connected to the boiler, then the savings on this resource are even threefold. Therefore, no matter how expensive it may seem to you to install a boiler, radiators and pipes, it will definitely pay off over time.

So, what will be required to install autonomous heating, and what will the funds be spent on? In general, before doing anything, you should familiarize yourself with the legal framework, this is especially true if autonomous heating is installed in an apartment building. But there are no prohibitions on individual heating as such in the legislation. There are only restrictions on the installation of certain individual sources of thermal energy, which are not suitable for operation in apartment buildings. Therefore, you just need to collect the necessary package of documents specified in Article 26 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation to carry out the reconstruction of residential premises. So, this package includes:

title documents for the apartment (notarized copies or originals);
application for reorganization;
technical certificate;
apartment renovation project;
written consent of all family members;
conclusion of the body involved in the protection of architectural monuments on the possibility of such reconstruction.

We recommend: Types of autonomous heating of industrial premises

Next, we will take a closer look at connecting individual gas heating - since this is the most convenient and popular option in Russia.

After considering your application, the management company issues written permission to disconnect the apartment from central heating. Moreover, you will need this document to order technical specifications (TU) for installing individual heating. Let us add that if you also need a gas connection - when installing a gas boiler - you will have to contact the gas service. Within ten days after applying, the technical specifications must be issued to you. There is, of course, a chance of being refused, but only in those regions where there is no gasification and it is impossible to purchase gas fuel in cylinders.

Next, you should purchase a certified boiler. And then contact the organization that issues projects. The latter, for a fee, will make a project for installing the boiler, taking into account its technical characteristics and the issued specifications. The next step will be to receive a project for disconnecting from central heating; you can obtain it from the heat supply organization based on the above-mentioned letter from the management company or HOA. Next, you will need to contact the local branch of the VDPO (All-Russian Voluntary Firefighting Society), the organization that issues the fire safety certificate for the facility, with the project documentation. If necessary, you can also make a project for arranging a chimney.

At the last stage, all collected documentation will also have to be approved by the local administration. According to the law, officials must issue a conclusion on approval within forty-five days, or refuse. However, the administration can refuse only if all documents are not provided. Let us add that in each specific region the list of documents may differ slightly, and therefore it is better to immediately clarify everything with the administration.

Individual heating boiler

Individual heating - to be

Since the in-house heating system is part of the common property in an apartment building, any actions to reconstruct it are possible only with the consent of the owners of all apartments. So the “green light” on the path to an individual heating system depends not only on local governments, but also on “good-natured neighbors.”

To get a positive decision, it is also very important to choose heating equipment wisely. It must be of high quality, must be approved for use by Rostekhnadzor, have the appropriate certificates, and a sanitary and epidemiological conclusion.

A good, high-quality, well-chosen boiler will provide you with warmth and comfort for many years: don’t try to save money on it, and certainly don’t buy a used unit

To obtain a decision on the possibility of transferring an apartment to individual heating, the applicant must submit the following documents to the local administration:

application in the approved form;
developed project;
technical documentation package for system installation.

Project development should be trusted exclusively to trusted licensed organizations. It must contain calculations and conclusions confirming that turning off central heating in this particular apartment will not in any way affect the operation of the entire system in the house, and that the thermal-hydraulic regime of the building will remain within normal limits.

The decision must be made by the commission within one and a half months. In case of a “positive answer”, the applicant is issued a document authorizing him to carry out all the repair actions described in the project.

Electric heating

If you choose electricity as a heat source, you can choose:

on an electric boiler;
cable underfloor heating system;
on an infrared film field;
on a heat pump.

An electric boiler is installed in the same way as a gas boiler, but everything is simplified by the fact that it does not require a chimney or ventilation system.

Warm floors, especially heating mats and film systems, have long won the hearts of many consumers. They are a worthy alternative to centralized heating, and with a high-quality thermostat they can significantly save money during their operation.

The operation of heat pumps is based on pumping air from the street and heating it. Modern air conditioners are also capable of providing the necessary amount of heat to all rooms in the apartment, but, as consumer reviews indicate, it is heated floors that make it possible to create truly comfortable conditions.

Letter of the law: no amateur performances

It is strictly prohibited to carry out such a complex reconstruction as the installation of an individual heating system without approval or even with minimal “deviations” from the project. Such amateur activity entails a fine. And, one way or another, you will have to return the living space to its previous condition within the prescribed period. If you do not want to incur double losses and get into trouble with the law, carry out all work exclusively in accordance with the available documentation.

Calculation of individual heating for an apartment should be carried out only by qualified specialists. The selection of equipment is carried out on the basis of the climatic characteristics of the region, heat loss of premises, room area, etc. - you are unlikely to be able to objectively take into account all the factors yourself

How to switch to autonomous heating without breaking the Law?

sent an initiative to the regional administration to streamline the process of transition to individual heating. Firstly, as required by the Housing Code, the decision to switch to autonomous heating must be made at a general meeting of homeowners. By the way, any owner can take the initiative to renovate the premises throughout the entire house. Secondly, a project for refurbishment of the premises must be developed, and this document must be agreed upon, incl. with gas supply and heat supply organizations. Thirdly, the applicant enters into an agreement with a heat supply organization for heating public areas. And, perhaps, the most important condition: the house must be included in the heat supply scheme for transferring to individual heating. This must be checked by the municipality, where residents submit the minutes of the general meeting of owners and all necessary documents. This scheme is updated annually; there is even a clear procedure prescribed in the Federal Law “On Heat Supply”. Officials can make changes to this scheme, but both heat supply and gas supply organizations must participate in this process. If the house whose residents have decided to switch to individual heating is provided for by the heating supply scheme, and the necessary documents have been collected, the administration gives the go-ahead.

Any actions to replace and transfer utility heating networks and equipment that were carried out in the absence of appropriate approval or in violation of the project submitted for approval are called unauthorized reconstruction. Currently, the issue of streamlining the procedure for switching apartments to individual heating is being discussed at the regional level.