Heating during blackouts: how to make your boiler room grid-independent
A modern boiler doesn't work without electricity — the pumps and controls stop. We explain how to keep your home warm even during extended outages.
Ukrainian winters have shown: even the best boiler room is helpless without electricity. Circulation pumps, the control board, and the burner fan are all grid-powered. The good news is that making a boiler room energy-independent is entirely feasible.
Three levels of backup
1. UPS for the boiler and pumps. A modern gas boiler together with a circulation pump consumes 80–150 W. A UPS with a battery can keep such a boiler room running for 8–15 hours. The cheapest and most common option.
2. Energy-efficient pumps. APM/APE pumps with electronic control consume 3–4 times less than older models. The lower the consumption, the longer the backup lasts.
3. A generator for extended outages — via an ATS (automatic transfer switch).
Hydraulics matter too
Correct piping reduces the pump power required, and therefore the load on the backup supply. A properly selected Termojet pump group with a modern pump makes it possible to ride out a blackout even on a modest UPS.
Hybrid with a heat pump
Another path to gas independence is to add a heat pump. In a hybrid scheme the heat sources back each other up, and a buffer tank smooths the cycles. Keeping warm during outages is a whole-system question, not just a matter of the boiler.
