When I moved into my Lowell, Massachusetts home I figured I was stuck with the heating system that came with it, however 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 residing 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, and i kept a space heating system on the kitchen table for when my kids ate lunch. It was awful, and when that boiler finally died I did some major renovating as far as Heating, Ventilation and A/C went. I unconnected the boiler and covered all the grates. I contacted a Lowell Heating, Ventilation and A/C business and talked about my options. I ended up selecting a dual fuel system for my condo in Massachusetts. 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 rapidly changing 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 deliver temperature control. I save so much energy on my bills doing this. I need the gas furnace option though since the rapidly changing temperatures in Lowell do get down below chilly. It was a smart buy for me in Lowell, Massachusetts.