should I Switch from oil to gas

Jimedean

I just bought a small 50 year old 2 family, a 1 bedroom over 2 with a basement. I am new to home ownership and heating systems. The House has the original coal boiler that was switched to oil with a steam system and I was considering converting to gas heat. I was told gas was cleaner and since I would be removing the oil tank , I would have more room to finish the basement for my kids which kinda is a priority. I was told oil heat was better for a steam heating system and that the new oil boilers run as clean as a gas system. Which is more efficient and makes my monthly costs go down . Do I want a hot water heater? National grid said I would save about $700 a year which would take about 10 years to offset the $8000.00 cost for a new gas sytem. A friend said " if it aint broke dont fix it" I dont know what to do. The house needs some upgrades (kitchen , bathroom, cement work ...more than I expected) so is it worth changing, upgrading or leave it alone???

EricAune

Could you use $700 a year from here on out?

If you have the means to invest now, then the payback will come and the savings will probably never stop.



I do not deal with oil in my area, therefor, I don't think I am qualified to compare the two systems.  I do know a little about ROI's and the lifelong savings benefits realized by more efficient systems.



Just a guess, a new gas system will most likely make a smaller footprint.  Leaving you more room for your basement.....just a thought.....no reason to spend a ton of money though.

Tim McElwain

A better investement

seeing as you just bought the house would be insulation and new windows. See how you do for one heating season and do some shopping around. A good investment would be a new oil boiler and then it can be converted later with a gas power conversion burner.

Al Roethlisberger

Give it some time to get to know the system, and your house...

Take it from another "old house" guy that inherited his system with the house purchase, give it some time to get to know your system, its shortcomings, quirks, etc.... and the house as a whole, versus diving right into making changes.



I know the temptation is to start making changes right away, but if you give it some months, maybe ideally a whole year, to really see what your house needs, what you can afford, what you may find you no longer think is a priority, you can then focus your time and money on the things that end up really mattering to you and take the time to research the best solutions.



What you want to avoid is a knee-jerk reaction and make a change that you end up redoing or removing later because you didn't have all the facts.  We've all been there, done that, and it is on the one hand a learning experience, it can also be a tremendous waste of time and effort to repeat.



Since you are already entering the heating season, I'd just suggest living through at least one winter and see how the system performs from both a comfort and economics perspective. 



Good luck!

Al