Smart and Hybrid Solar Based Home Heating System
In Pakistan during the winter season, the insufficiency of methane gas is an essential problem that needs to be addressed, this methane gas insufficiency is mainly because of too much usage of it for heating purposes like gas heaters, etc. Our main objective is to reduce our dependency on methane ga
2025-06-28 16:29:06 - Adil Khan
Smart and Hybrid Solar Based Home Heating System
Project Area of Specialization Electrical/Electronic EngineeringProject SummaryIn Pakistan during the winter season, the insufficiency of methane gas is an essential problem that needs to be addressed, this methane gas insufficiency is mainly because of too much usage of it for heating purposes like gas heaters, etc. Our main objective is to reduce our dependency on methane gas. Secondly, the usage of conventional heating systems is life-risking, as many reports show hundreds of lives lost each winter season due to gas leakages and suffocations. Hence, we want to go for renewable resources instead of nonrenewable ones to overcome the shortage of gas fuels and also switch to environment-friendly resources. To enhance the reliability of the heating system, we are designing a hybrid heating machine, that operates on four different available sources: 1) Solar. 2) WAPDA. 3) Methane. Gas 4) Battery. To overcome the second problem i.e., fatalities, our heating system will not directly burn the Gas or consume the electricity inside the room, but all the four alternative sources will heat the water inside the container outside the room, and then the heated water or steam will circulate in the room to increase the temperature, that helps us to avoid Gas Leakages inside the room to avoid life risk.
In this smart and hybrid room heating system, the four alternate sources work on a priority basis. The first priority source is the utilization of solar power that operates the DC-rod to warm the water; in case of calamity or bad weather conditions, the second priority source is the WAPDA supply that operates the DC-rod after rectification and filtering. To make the heating system cost-efficient, we also integrate the system as a peak-hour sensitive system; the third priority is the methane gas source, which operates either in case of unavailability or during peak hours of the WAPDA source. We also make the system compatible to sense the cooking hours. So, in the worst-case scenario, where two prior supply not available to operate the system during the cooking hours, the gas supply also escapes the operation to avoid the expected methane gas shortage during the specified hours; hence the fourth source, that is the battery provides the power to the DC-rod to sustain the system operation of heating the room.
Project ObjectivesOur main objective is to design a cost-effective, efficient, and reliable solar base hybrid home heating system. The system has multiple (four) alternate sources to operate on the basis of the priority we have set. Multiple sources enhance the reliability of the system as well as give the system to operate on the basis of the less per-unit cost of the available sources, and we can also apply the restriction in peak hours to avoid costly units.
Secondly, the smart room heating system uses warm circulating water to get the desired temperature set by the user, so no direct burning of gas inside the room that resulting in avoiding health hazards, suffocation, and fatalities.
Project Implementation MethodWe are using a solar panel that by capturing energy from solar will charge the battery whereas we will be using a DC electric rod that will heat the water. The Fluid will transfer its heat to water, and that hot water will then be allowed to flow into the walls of the room through a heat radiator inside. Also, we will use a hybrid system of a gas burner and electric rode so that there will be a backup when no solar energy is there, and also the hybrid mode of operation enhances the overall efficiency of the system. Suppose if we don’t have sunlight or there is cloudy weather then instead of using solar energy, we will use a hybrid combination of gas and electric system, this will reduce the billing and will result in efficient heating system. For making the system smart we will introduce a heat management system in our project. The heat management system will work as a smart system that will decide temperature setting and which source to be used for heating on priority bases. The heat management system will smartly govern the whole heating process. There we are using smart relays embedded with temperature sensors that will indicate the temperature and through a heat management system will decide when to start or stop the heating process. The smart relay will work on the basis of the temperature set by the user, whenever the room attains the required temperature, the smart relays will detect the signal through temperature sensors embedded in it and will stop the process of heating. Through microcontroller, we are making this smart heat management system. Our heat management system will recognize which energy source is in bulk amount and will decide accordingly which energy source should be used varying with the time. We are using electrical DC pumps that will help circulate the hot water through evacuated tubes for efficient dissipation of heat in the room. This DC water pump is activated through solar panels and a battery system. The smart heat management system will be the system user-friendly. The user will set and attaint the temperature of his choice.
Benefits of the ProjectHeating the home through solar energy is more efficient and environmental friendly as compared to the usage of methane gas or electricity for the same purpose. The hybrid system of electricity and gas for heating will also help in reducing their usage as well help in reducing of billing. This solar heating system also minimizes the hazardous effects that are being recorded especially in the winter season due to gas leakage. The smart heat management system will make the system user-friendly. Also, the heat management system will reduce billing by using good energy source varying with time. At night when there will be no sunlight the heat management system will decide which other source must be used for heating depending upon their availability and peak hours of energy resources. The heat management system through the smart relay will maintain the set temperature by the user and will prevent overheating. Our project will be life-friendly as it will reduce the life hazards that are being recorded every year through gas leakage etc. The heat management system will give a futuristic experience that will overcome most of the current time problems regarding the heating, especially will reduce the life threats.
Technical Details of Final DeliverableIn this final year project, we are designing the prototype of the 'smart and hybrid home heating system'. In this heating system PIC16F877A micro-controller acts as the central processing unit. We have insert the main idea and exceptions in the microcontroller code. As following our mentioned specifications, the microcontroller will switch the sources by observing availability checks with the help of four channel relays. We have used 4x16 crystal LCD to display the information, i.e., refrance temperature, room temperature, and the time to avoid the peak hours. The real time clock (RTC) feed the system with the current time that allows us to verify that the system avoid the peak hours for WAPDA source and cooking hours for the methane source during peak hours to avoid costly units and gas shortage during cooking hours respectively. We use solenoid valve to automatically control the flow of methane gas.
The logic design to the system is changeable with respect to the area as well, for example if in some specific area, the per unit cost of one source is expensive than other in different localaties, so the user can re-acess the priority. Hence, we are doing a proof-of-concept test to analyse the relailibility, efficiency, cost-effect and environmental impact of our new solar base hybrid home system. The heat management system controls the whole process of efficient heat control in the project.
Final Deliverable of the Project Hardware SystemCore Industry Energy Other Industries Manufacturing , Health Core Technology Clean TechOther Technologies OthersSustainable Development Goals Affordable and Clean Energy, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Climate ActionRequired Resources| Item Name | Type | No. of Units | Per Unit Cost (in Rs) | Total (in Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total in (Rs) | 74790 | |||
| Solar Panel | Equipment | 1 | 10000 | 10000 |
| Keypad | Equipment | 1 | 300 | 300 |
| PCB Board and Fibraction | Equipment | 1 | 6500 | 6500 |
| ICs | Equipment | 5 | 400 | 2000 |
| LCDs | Equipment | 3 | 330 | 990 |
| Leds | Equipment | 25 | 30 | 750 |
| Transformer | Equipment | 1 | 2800 | 2800 |
| Sensors | Equipment | 6 | 350 | 2100 |
| Relays | Equipment | 7 | 400 | 2800 |
| Solar Charge Controller | Equipment | 1 | 4500 | 4500 |
| Controllers | Equipment | 3 | 700 | 2100 |
| RTC | Equipment | 1 | 950 | 950 |
| Regulators | Equipment | 3 | 550 | 1650 |
| Water Pump | Equipment | 1 | 1900 | 1900 |
| DC Rod | Equipment | 1 | 800 | 800 |
| Wooden Room | Equipment | 1 | 7000 | 7000 |
| Piping | Equipment | 3 | 900 | 2700 |
| Burner | Equipment | 1 | 2200 | 2200 |
| Methan Gas Supply | Equipment | 1 | 4000 | 4000 |
| Heat Radiator | Equipment | 1 | 3500 | 3500 |
| Resistors, Capictors, Voltage regulators. | Equipment | 50 | 75 | 3750 |
| Wires and Connectors | Equipment | 70 | 40 | 2800 |
| Printing | Miscellaneous | 4 | 1800 | 7200 |
| Stationery | Miscellaneous | 10 | 150 | 1500 |