Basic: replace boiler with oil or gas boiler? (Brooklyn)

Steamhead (in transit)

a boiler that can burn either fuel just by switching the burner and a couple other parts? That way you can burn whichever is cheapest per BTU.

Not all manufacturers support this. If you have a hot-water system, check out the Solaia which is a re-badged Biasi. On steam, the Smith 8 series would be a good choice. Both are available from the factory with gas as well as oil burners, though I hear the Smith gas 8 might be discontinued soon.

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TS

Basic: replace old boiler with oil or gas boiler?

I'd like any basic advice people can provide in selecting a new boiler. My current oil boiler (a Peerless) works but is cracked inside. My basic question is: should I replace it with another oil boiler or switch to gas?

I live in Brooklyn, so it's equally convenient to schedule oil deliveries (they'll fill my tank within 24 hours of an order, and I don't even need to be home) and have a gas hookup from the local utility. Oil is currently relatively cheap ($2.04 delivered) due to the mild winter, but last year I spent around $1800 on oil.

The house:
- relatively narrow, 4-story, 2-family 130-year-old rowhouse
- I’ve gotten better windows and put in more insulation, but it is always going to have some hard to seal nooks and crannies
- contains 13 radiators
- bottom floors currently much warmer than top ones, so I’m looking into different radiator valves, and into possible up-sizing a top-floor radiator and adding two electric fireplaces (I don’t want to rip up the original 130-year-old floors and mantelpieces to run gas lines)

My questions:
(1) Is there a significant cost difference between heating a boiler with #2 oil and gas, or any other advantages or disadvantages of which I should be aware?
(2) Given the relatively mild winters in NYC (I grew up in Minnesota, so this is tropical in comparison), does it make sense to invest in a higher-efficiency (and more expensive) boiler, or stick to a more basic model which will nevertheless be a huge improvement over my cracked old one?
(3) Is there anything else I should be considering?

Thanks in advance for you advice.