[ErinS]

Jeffrey,
Does the 85% efficiency take into account boiler age/radiator type etc? We are moving from a condo in VT, which we heat with a pellet stove (the other option is electric baseboard heat, pellet stove wins big time there) to a Victorian in Concord NH. The new (to us) house has natural gas, steam heat, and a boiler that is about 20 yrs old adn steam radiators. It has a ventless gas "woodstove" in the fireplace on the first floor used for supplemention/decoration, not really sure what.

Doing the math seems pretty clear to me that replacing the boiler with an energy efficiency one is the first order of heating business. But given that we have steam heat, doesn't a lot of gas' efficiency get lost in the process? The Europa fancy stove that heats up to $2500 square feet and is nice enough to go into a formal living room looks a little tempting to me as an adjunct heat source, turning off many of the radiators in the house. This month's gas cost per therm is 1.32, it was up to $1.60 a therm this past winter, we pay $175 a ton for pellets including delivery, although I'd have to see if rates are similar in Concord.

I dream about geothermal heat, but I think that is for another life in another house...

thanks, Erin