New Boiler ( oil, propane ??????? )

At $4.50 a gallon for oil in the summer time it doesnt seem to me that $1000 more for a higher efficiency boiler is that bad. The way fuel prices are I would be as efficient as possible. Are you installing yourself? A friend of mine put in a high efficiency boiler made in italy that has saved him quite a bit on fuel last winter. and the boiler itself cost about $2000 at the supply company. Personally I would stick with oil over propane it all is going up in price. If i recall the website of the company that makes this boiler is pensotti-pna.com.

I burn propane and love it. The pros are you don't need your boiler to be cleaned every year, price per gallon is a dollar less than oil (for now), and it typically has a quieter opperation than oil. A truthful con is that you get less BTU's out of a gallon of propane than you do a gallon of oil. It is not a large difference but the loss in BTU's gains you a much cleaner burn and depending on what kind of propane boiler you get the efficiency could be as high as 95%. Those 95% efficient boilers are expensive and you will have to factor in the new propane line and tank. If you have oil already its a hard switch cause with the oil tank and line your 1 way there.
I install and service both oil and propane boilers. I have come across a few Smith boilers they are not efficient enough in these times for me to say go for it. If anything buy a Buderus it will pay for itself. Also the burner is a big part of the opperation. I reccommend Carlin for a lower efficient boiler and Riello for a high efficient boiler.