Thank you both garymunson-2008 and brickeyee for your replies. You both gave me a lot to think about and I'll try to answer your specific questions where I can. After reading your posts I began to wonder about whether I would be getting oil savings, but trading it off for a broken furnace in a few years, thus mitigating all the savings. So I called my HVAC control company (Aprilaire) and spoke to a technical rep there to find out what their view was on this device. While the guy I spoke to hadn't heard of the Intellicon device, he agreed with my understanding of how the basic thermostat/control unit worked (and you're right garymunson-2008 - I said that the whole system stops when the Intellicon kicks in, but in fact the main blower continues to run for a few minutes afterward). The Aprilaire rep didn't think this was really a control panel issue since it just cuts into the furnace firing circuit, but rather that it was more of a furnace question. So I opened up my furnace, and noted that it was manufactured by Beckett. I called them today, and spoke to a technical rep there named Dan. He also wasn't really familiar with the Intellicon, but he continually asserted that the furnace was "built like a tank" and would not have undue wear from repeated cycling (the aptly named "pulse" functionality). I asked him point blank whether there would be any problem with driving off water from the oil combustion, but he said that the oil furnaces run so hot that it wasn't an issue. He felt that a gas furnace would have a lot more problems with this technology, but the oil furnace wouldn't have any problems with it. Furthermore, he asserted that Intellidyne LLC (the makers of the Intellicon) also make furnaces, and wouldn't put a product into the marketplace that would damage their reputation (as this would if it broke furnaces regularly). I didn't realize Intellidyne LLC made furnaces, and I don't see anything about that on their website, but I'm not in the business and I know they do sell their hot water heater device rebranded as Beckett, so it's entirely possible that they make furnaces too. When I spoke to my oil company rep about the effectiveness of running the furnace at a lower temperature to save money, he agreed that if I could manually set it lower in the controller then that would drive savings (though my particular controller doesn't actually have that flexibility), but the problem with that approach is that on really cold days the system wouldn't generate enough heat because it would have a hard limit at my manual lower temperature setting, rather than being able to run at full throttle. I could go down to the basement and increase the limit temperature on the furnace whenever it got too cold, but that turns thermostat maintenance into a manual chore, and I'd be guessing at an optimal set point, whereas the Intellicon is supposed to do it automatically. By making the effective furnace outflow lower temperature whenever possible, I believe (assume?) this results in lower temp furnace exhaust, which would drive some probably small but real savings. Regarding the oil buildup in the system: I will have it inspected and cleaned yearly anyway, which I think should eliminate this risk. So I guess I'm still leaning towards getting the Intellicon-FA. (1) My oil guy says it worked in his empirical tests to save oil, and I'm mostly convinced that the process described by Intellidyne would do that, (2) my thermostat/furnace-control guy reaffirmed my general understanding of the mechanism but didn't espouse an overall opinion one way or another, and (3) the Beckett rep thought that this wouldn't do any damage to the furnace itself and was (to use his words) "an investment in the system". I realize that there is a different dynamic for hydronic systems, or for gas-powered forced air systems, but given my oil furnace FA system, I think this probably does work as advertised. The tricky issue now is how to accurately measure whether it's providing savings. The LED display gives a reading of the savings it has provided, but that's a bit like asking the fox to guard the henhouse. I don't have a very accurate way of measuring oil use short of asking how many gallons were provided in the last refueling, and even so that doesn't account for changes in thermostat settings over the period, nor hotter/colder days requiring less/more oil to maintain the same temperature. That's primarily why I'm trying so hard to convince myself that this is a good investment on the merits - because I won't be able to conclusively prove it after the fact from what I can tell (unless anyone has a recommendation). Thank you all for your time and advice, I do find this truly helpful. Regards, -Chris

I think it is an interesting and timely topic-- but I am sorry that it has it so close to home, Parma. Truth is that many of us have been hit in some way or another-- lost job, lost home value, lost investment value, lost security. 8 months ago I accepted a position that was relatively secure (or so I thought). Now it is a very real possibility that I will be back looking for work again. At the very least, my work environment will change. This isnt the first time I have weathered very tight financial times. When I was in grad school, I lived on an 8,000/yr stipend-- which I was not permitted to supplement with outside work. Granted, that was a long time ago and I was very young, but I lived a very full life on very little. I grew vegetables in the garden, I shopped the discount and day-old tables in the local grocery, I lived with roommates and I took advantage of the many free entertainment options in the college town where i lived (including window shopping and people watching). I didnt have cable -- or even a tv. I didnt use A/C or keep the house overly warm in the winter. I lived simply but my life was far from simple. More recently, I twice took extended leaves from work. Once when I quit my job and took a much needed 6 month break before starting my own business-- and another time when I needed 3 months to tend to a dog who was recovering from surgery. Both times I cut wayyyyyyyy back on my expenses. I had saved money to cover the period and my only rules were that I couldnt cut insurance or stop paying utilities and that I couldnt dig into savings any deeper than I had set aside for the time off. I cut my second phone, paid very careful attention to the nonnecessary purchases and I cooked a lot of cost saving soups and stews for meals. Like Squirrel, I found that I had a large amount of food in cupboards and even came up with some brilliant new soup recipes. This time around I have a lot more to cut-- I am about to cancel my netflix account, xm radio and backup ISP account as I don't use any of them with any regularity. I won't cut cable but I will likely cut back the service. If I am not using my phone for business, I can cut way back on the service. I will mow my own lawn and will make a point to walk more and consolidate errands. I have already stopped making big, frivolous or impulsive purchases for the home and for my wardrobe-- I have missed out on a few beautiful deals but I have a few extra thousand in my reserves. Whether I lose my job or not, I think these were and will all be wise moves. I am a single woman with a single income and have no backups. I have no doubt that I will be able to find work but I can't be guaranteed to find a position at the same level for the same pay. Being proactive just makes sense... plus, it has forced me to open my eyes more to other options-- for entertainment, decorating and dining. It's good to mix it up once in awhile.

Don't waste your money. Unless you've looked into a lot of ears for a lot of years, you won't have a clue what you are looking at. Just get her to the pediatrician as soon as she shows symptoms so she doesn't suffer any longer than necessary, ear infections are painful. Enjoy her.

Actually, I can think of a couple of jobs that seem to be holding their own in this economy. My husband works for the local utility company. I've never seen him have so much overtime in all the 40 years he's worked for them. He's a cutman--a bill collector who has the ability to cut service to customers who do not pay their bills. He's been working an extra hour or 2 every day, and most Saturdays. The meter readers are working even longer hours right now--12 hour days AND even working Sat. and Sunday. I can understand why the collection dept. has so much work, am not quite sure why the meter readers are cleaning up like that. I've been advising anyone who asks about looking for work in this climate, to look into bill collection. It may no be one's first choice of a job, but better to be on the other side of that door, than be the one the collector is asking for money. In this kind of economic time, a job is a job. And who knows--some may try another line of work and discover they have a real flair for it. I never wanted my husband to get into collecting (projecting my own feelings on him--I'd NEVER be able to do that sort of work, I don't think), but he's been doing that work for about 15 years now, loves his job and is so good at it that his name is known statewide as being one of the best collectors they have in the (very large) company. For those out of work--take a look around. There are still jobs that are flourishing. There will be new opporunities that arise from a bad economy. The smart, creative, bold people who are open to new ideas will probably come out of this depression wealthy--those who don't have the courage to strike out in a new direction, will end up losing all.