Boiler and Air Handler

J Cadenhead

I have an old Victorian (100+ yrs) that currently has a large boiler (50+ yrs old) and a hot air furnace/ac (25+ yrs). The boiler heats the attic (600 sq ft). The furnace heats the rest (1700 sq ft). Our basement is unheated. It is a fairly well insulated house.

After an energy audit, it was suggested that we replace the two older systems with a high efficiency boiler and air handler.

We definitely want to get something else in here because our heating bills can be kind of high. We use about 1300 therms for heating (<$2000 in 2004). (Though this is not nearly as high as our neighbors!)

The rub is: I've gotten two quotes from different contractors (pre and post energy audit). The pre audit company suggested replacing what we had with similar items (furnance/boiler) with a bid of about $8,000. The post audit guy (boiler/air handler)is asking $15,000. I was actually shocked with both quotes, thinking there should be a way to come in around $6K. (A breakeven with current energy costs in 5 years or less.)

My question is: How can I be sure we are doing the right thing for the house at a reasonable price? (We haven't gotten the written report from the energy audit person. He performed a blower door test. Not sure what numbers we should be looking for in order to size the system correctly. Any help on that would also be appreciated.)

Thanks.