Xanndra, I would have had to get the wood fireplace/flue inspected, and cleaned, etc in any case. I would prefer the gas fireplace over wood anyways, as I had already expected to convert the heating system to gas. I talked earlier this evening to my friend who has two gas fp's, and he loves them. I truly do not expect any structural problems with the fireplace or any problems with the chimney/flue. The inspection is this Tuesday, and I will dutifully fill out the requisite questionaire and take pictures and have the inspector make special note of the fireplace. The present owners are an elderly couple, who have not used the fireplace in many years, as the husband has a respiratory problem. Hopefully, the fireplace will not be a problem, but if there are problems, I think I would be able to convince the insurance company that the fireplace will be converted. The closing for the house is June 24, and the fireplace would not be required to be put into service at that time of year. They should be able to give me a conditional insurance, based on the non-use of the fireplace until conversion is completed, and the permits secured as proof. My policy is set to expire Feb 23rd, and I have two other quotes in hand for the extension. If my current insurer dooes not cover me, I'll be looking at the others on Monday. They would lose my vehicle insurance as well, which also expires on Feb 23rd. The way I see it, the present owner has coverage with that same fireplace. There are several 100's of thousands of other people in this city alone who live in older houses with fireplaces. I'll be at the stove store tomorrow, and per your suggestion I will be looking at direct vent inserts, and get a feel for the prices and options. Thanks, Ted

I have always read that the conversion burners are not as efficient as the ones designed for oil or gas from the ground up, but possibly that has changed. I would want to check with the company doing the work and look at manufacturers' literature to find out how efficient this will be. Figuring out the cost versus payback period at current prices is not too hard, but as your father has alluded to, that tends to change from year to year. And because the price of one type of energy affects that of other types, large price differences seem to evaporate pretty quickly. (We're seeing this right now with electricity, which has been a steal in a lot of places compared to oil and natural gas, but that's not going to be true for much longer as power companies have been requesting record rate increases.) For these reasons I would hesitate to spend a lot of money to do this. If it can pay for itself in two or three years, maybe I'd consider it, but I definitely would not want to sink thousands into this based on a current price disparity that probably won't last.

I would agree with other posters but even without knowing all the details IâÂÂd say that the price quote is not necessarily too high. In addition to the highest efficiency possible IâÂÂd also want a system with an âÂÂOutdoor ResetâÂÂ, so that the water temperature is only whatâÂÂs needed based on outdoor temperature. Make sure boiler temp is based on the type of radiator you have. Sometimes lazy installers wonâÂÂt take this into account during set up and set the water temperature too high for your type of radiators, wasting energy and money. A lower efficiency boiler may later be deemed as âÂÂnot up to codeâ penalizing you at time of resale and cashing out when your home is inspected by a perspective buyer. IMO SR

The AHRI number you provided is not found. Here are the matching AHRI numbers according to my research. 5429554 Active Systems XC14 SERIES LENNOX INDUSTRIES, INC. XC14-042-230-** CX34-62C+TDR 1405 SLP98UH110XV60C* 42500 13.00 15.20 1 RCU-A-CB 338 5139349 Active Systems XC17 SERIES LENNOX INDUSTRIES, INC. XC17-042-230* CX34-62C+TDR 1405 SLP98UH110XV60C* 41000 13.50 16.50 1 RCU-A-CB 301 Yes As said earlier, the XC17 system qualifies for fed tax credit, the XC14 system does not. The $2K up charge on the AC condenser from the XC14 to XC17 is absurd. Not a big deal on the larger evap coil. All manufacturers do this to get their efficiency numbers higher. The main thing to verify is the AHRI match and both these coils are a match. See above. Not sure what other info I can provide. If you are serious about the Lennox system, then tell dealer he must do something about the cost of the condenser upgrade. Let's see what Carrier/Bryant have to say. No doubt you are going to save a bundle getting off oil. Has dealer offered any recommendations to improve temp variance on the two problematic rooms? Press him on this. Now is the opportunity to get something done. Nothing wrong with existing filter cabinet. I assume you plan to reuse. Humidifier is your call. This is all about comfort and keeping inside humidity within a proper range during heating season. If not a problem now, why bother. Let me know if I can help further. Good Luck IMO