No more oil heat! New Gas Boiler and Water Heater

I signed contracts for a new gas boiler and water heater on August 26th, 2011 after getting 3 bids to replace my 25+ year old oil fired boiler! National Grid (local utility company) says normal installation time of the gas line from the street takes 6-8 weeks. So, I figured by November 1st (worst case scenario) I would have new gas heat and hot water before the weather got cold. I began calling the contractor and National Grid weekly for a status update 2 weeks after I signed the contracts. No one could ever give me an installation date. FINALLY, on October 26th...7 weeks after the contracts were signed, National Grid says they can get the gas line in the next couple of weeks?!!?!?!

The problem was caused by the fact that my property is exactly divided by the city line and 1/8th of my property is in Newport, 7/8ths in Middletown, RI. So no permit was ever pulled to install the gas line because they were not sure which public works department to send the permit requests to!?!?!?!

Finally, on December 16th (Friday) National Grid sub contractors show up to bring the gas line in from the street. 6 guys standing around on shovels, closed the street down for 4 hours. Good news is they did not have to "trench" my entire front yard!  Then, 1 week later, the new Gas Boiler and Water Heater are installed.  SUPER QUIET compared to the old, smelly, stinky loud oil burner that was on it's last legs!  Now I can take nice long hot showers.  ONLY TOOK 4 months to get it installed almost TWICE as long as I was told! Good news is that we had the warmest fall in almost 20 years...

BEST PART OF ALL...  My annual heating costs with oil were averaging almost $4,000 a year!  With new natural gas heat (baseboards and radiators) and gas hot water, I could save between $2,000- $3000 a year!  National Grid estimates based on the size of the house, the new equipment, and the projected usage, maybe $1,200 year total heating cost!

HERE is the OLD oil heated boiler. It broke down once last year and I had to make an emergency call to the service company as I had NO HEAT or HOT WATER with temperatures below freezing!  This one boiler also had an internal heating coil for hot water so even in the summer time to have hot water for showers, laundry and dishes, you had to burn OIL! 

In the basement also is a 275 gallon oil tank!  The current cost for one gallon of #3 heating oil is approximately $3.96!  (close to the same price as diesel fuel) Over $1,000 to fill the tank!

OIL TANK GONE!  They cut the tank in half, then hand scoop all the waste oil out before hauling it out.  Also, 60 years of sludge in the bottom of the old tank.  Where is Mike Roe (Dirty Jobs on cable tv?) this was one nasty dirty job!

1/3 smaller than the old unit...  The other bids I got for a new 96% efficient boiler with a tankless water heater were almost $5,000 higher than the low bid I got for an conventional 85% gas boiler and stand alone water heater!

BRING ON THE BLIZZARDS AND SUB ZERO CHILL!!! I am ready!!!!!!