Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Kyzer t1_j7w03rz wrote

HVAC tech here. I would recommend keeping your boiler and supplementing with a decent wood stove. That's what I do. Thermostat stays at 50 at all times other than weeknights and weekend mornings when I boost it up to 60 while running my wood stove to get up to temp fast. Then I drop it down to 50 again and let the wood stove heat it up to 68. I've use about 100 gallons of oil this year in a 1925 2500 sqft house using this method. Yes it's cold when I go get my coffee in the morning. Easily fixed with thick sweats and a decent pair of slippers.

The issue with almost all high efficiency boilers and heatpumps is that they are considered disposable after 10 years. Not worth maintaining or fixing after that.

Electricity is only going to rise in price. As more people buy electric cars and install heat pumps there is going to be more stress on the grid which means rising prices to maintain and supply more.

This also mean less of a demand on propane and oil, and who knows, maybe it will start to drop in price as well. I would at least give it another year or two to see how the prices fluctuate.

3

Some_Mediocre_Guy OP t1_j7xbh8w wrote

I'm starting to think that's a common thread here. I didn't realize oil boilers could last so long if they're well-maintained. I'd rather keep something that's going to last and my main point of contention is oil prices. But you're not the only one to mention looking into supplemental heating. I think I might aim for effective supplemental heating first before I throw out what works (and has worked for a bit longer than I've lived). Then I can take another look at prices in a year or three. Thank you for your advice.

3