When I moved into my Lowell, MA cabin I figured I was stuck with the furnace that came with it! The previous owner relied on a boiler system that was in the basement.
The boiler then heated air that rose and went up through a series of grates in the living room floor. That was it as far as heating. There also was no cooling system; For years I dealt with inferior heating and no AC, i kept a space furnace on the family room table for when my adolescents ate supper. It was awful, but when that boiler finally died I did some major renovating as far as Heating in addition to Air Conditioning went. I unconnected the boiler and covered all the grates. I contacted a Lowell Heating in addition to Air Conditioning business and talked about my options. I ended up selecting a dual fuel system for my property in MA. It is basically a heat pump and a gas furnace combinated. For the cold, winter season the gas furnace is what is heating my house. Then when the hot and cold temperatures get a little warmer, the heating function of the heat pump can operate. In the summer, the cooling function of the heart pumps what I use. I would say most of the year I am relying on the heat pump which is a more energy efficient way to give temperature control. I save so much energy on my bills doing this. I need the gas furnace option though since the hot and cold temperatures in Lowell do get down below cold. It was a smart buy for me in Lowell, MA.
Lowell Massachusetts Heating technician