A lot depends on the design and efficiency of your existing boiler's shell.
If you have a 'wet-base' or 'wet-leg', well insulated, cast iron boiler,
with small flue passages, then a new flame retention burner might be a good
option. He's right that you can always replace the boiler later, but don't
put a lot of money into an inefficient boiler shell.

A separate 2nd floor zone is a good idea, but depending on your piping, it
may not be cost effective. If you have a loop system with 2nd floor pipes
going all the way back to the boiler, it's not too hard. A separate electric
water heater will probably cost you more to run than your existing hot water
set up. An oil fired water heater is expensive to install and would be
over-kill for your home.
Adding more home insulation is always a good idea.



wrote in message
oups.com...
I have an old furnace (hot water base board radiators), maybe about 30
years old. It is working properly, but oil consumption is high. We live
in an older home that is likely not all that well insulated. We live in
norther NY. I am going through about 50 gallons of oil a week. Our
house is 1000 sq feet. I have had a number of heating guys come through
and try to sell me a new furnace. The last guy was the only one who
looked at the whole house and how it was zoned/heated.

He thought it would be a good idea to zone off the upstairs, go with a
new hot water heater (electric or oil fired on a separate zone). He
said my burner was old an inefficient and to replace it. He said I
could keep the furnace itself if it was in good repair (which it is).
He also proposed a number of insulating ideas I could complete myself.
He said the one circulator pump I have on a monifold(flow?) system is
not really getting the heat upstairs. Also uninsulated hot water tank
in the basement and external heating coil are wasting a lot of energy.

My question is whether it makes sense to just replace the burner. He
seems to think it would be the most bang for buck and I could always
replace the furnace later. The zoning stuff and hot water heater all
make sense to me.

Any thoughts? Thanks for the help