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You don't have to drain the steam boiler. Basements rarely freeze — at least in older houses. It will just fire up when the power comes back.

And yes, if you have wifi, you can arrive to a warm house. If you have wifi… if you have wifi…

City and suburban folk live in a different universe, I think.

My point was if you have a heat pump or a propane furnace, all you need is a WiFi thermostat and you can arrive to a warm house. If you drain a steam boiler someone has to go there and fill it before it can be turned on.

Steam does have its points. I've restarted two pipe steam systems from cold, down to about 10 F temperature in the house, though just barely at freezeing in the basement. It's a bit tricky… but doable.

And… in ordinary situations, where the system hasn't been turned off, a steam system will just turn itself back on after a power failure. You don't have to do a thing.

More propane heaters and a wood stove. Without reliable electric power it will freeze with any other option.

STEAM, All you’d have to do is drain the boiler 😎.

One other strong recommendation. Very strong. Hire a local (and pay him or her, dang it) to come and really check on the house when the power is off (and, preferably, regularly anyway). Whatever heat source you use.

Why people won't do that baffles me completely…

This. And a steam system can be built with a minimum of moving parts, aside from what's on the boiler. See:

https://www.heatinghelp.com/systems-help-center/european-heating-systems-circa-1907/

I'd prefer something you could restart remotely.

Do you want the hydronic system back in working order. Comfort to many is superior to forced air. Although FA will recover quicker. I would not drain and refill a hydronic system. that allows excessive O2 into the system. You would probably need an air compressor to get 100% drain of the piping if it is fin tube.

Cheap and maybe easy would be a mini split, or two.

Drain the water system when you are gone. Heat cool, efficiently with mini splits.

Wood stove for back up/ power outage and quick heat

The right answer depends on your budget. My recommendation is ALL the below:

Non condensing propane furnace.

Heat pump. Size the heat pump for cooling, not heating

Compromise the performance of the ductwork (a little) to keep the aesthetics. Hardest part of the project, but you will want the AC.

5 to 10 KW propane standby generator with battery bank backup. Check out Generac PWRcell. Pricey, but maybe competition will bring prices down. The batteries in the PWRcell are more than you need. $500 of deep cycle lead acid might be enough.

Cellular Internet and and cameras.

Maintenance contract with Generac Installer and/or propane company.

Shut off well when you are away. Maybe drain the domestic water pipes.

Southern Indiana is a humid continental climate. Some colder winters and many hotter summers than New England.